NAUTILUS P01 OCTOBER 2010.qxd - Nautilus International

London calling 

The members 

who keep the 

Thames rolling 

22-23 

One out, all out 

Passenger study 

seeks improved 

evacuation rules 

19 

NL nieuws 

Twee pagina’s 

met nieuws uit 

Nederland 

34-35 

Volume 43 | Number 10 | October 2010 | £3.35 €3.50 

Solent accident renews 

lifeboat drill concerns 

A Coastguard helicopter hovers above the BP tanker British Cormorant, 

above, and, right, takes rescued crew members to safety ashore 

Pictures: Maritime & Coastguard Agency 

Nautilus has raised renewed 

Fconcerns over the safety of 

lifeboat drills after an incident 

onboard a BP tanker in the Solent 

last month in which three crew 

members were injured. 

Two seafarers from the UKflagged 

British Cormorant had to be 

airlifted to hospital — one with 

suspected spinal injuries — after 

one of the lines snapped, injuring 

three crewmen on the ship and 

causing the rescue boat to capsize. 

A Coastguard rescue helicopter 

recovered six crewmen from the 

water and landed them at 

Bembridge on the Isle of Wight 

before flying two seafarers to the 

Queen Alexandra Hospital, in 

Portsmouth. Inspectors from the 

Maritime & Coastguard Agency and 

the Marine Accident Investigation 

Branch later went to the vessel to 

begin investigations into the cause 

of the accident. 

Nine in 10 fear 

Inside 

criminalisation 

Nautilus survey underlines importance of new centre to promote seafarers’ legal rights 

F Gut feeling 

Stena boss sparks 

row over ‘fat’ 

British seafarers — 

page 3 

PMore than 90% of Nautilus 

International members 

are concerned about 

criminalisation of the maritime 

profession — and two-thirds say 

fears about possible legal action 

are affecting their attitude to 

working at sea. 

The findings come from a survey 

of almost 600 members carried 

out by the Union to coincide 

with the launch last month of 

Seafarers’ Rights International 

(SRI) — a new body that will seek 

to protect crew members from 

unfair and unjust laws around the 

world. 

Funded with a start-up grant 

from the International Transport 

Workers’ Federation Seafarers’ 

Trust charity, SRI will use high 

level research and analysis to raise 

awareness of the legal concerns 

of seafarers, and will work to 

improve the protection of seafarers 

in national and international 

laws. 

‘The success of an independent 

body such as Seafarers’ Rights 

International is crucial to identifying 

and tackling the rights of 

seafarers,’ said ITF general secretary 

David Cockroft, ‘and that is 

of interest to all industry stakeholders 

including the ITF.’ 

The new centre will be led by 

international lawyer Deirdre Fitzpatrick 

in the role of executive 

director. She will be supported by 

an advisory board comprising 

experts from the shipping industry 

and the legal world. 

Ms Fitzpatrick told the launch 

event in London: ‘Seafarers work 

in often hazardous conditions. As 

mobile workers they are highly 

vulnerable to ill treatment, 

exploitation, abuse and injustice. 

They operate within and across 

different national jurisdictions 

and are subject to different international 

and national laws. In 

some cases, there may be doubt 

as to what — if any — law is applicable 

or enforceable. 

‘Seafarers’ Rights International 

Deirdre Fitzpatrick, the head of 


will be dedicated to advancing 

seafarers’ rights and interests 

worldwide,’ she added. ‘Currently 

there is no established forum for 

research and dissemination of 

ideas and information regarding 

employment law in the area of 

international maritime transport. 


will work to fill this gap. 

‘It will be an international 

resource for seafarers and for all 

stakeholders with a genuine 

concern for the protection of seafarers.’ 


will carry out work including: 

z conducting independent 

research into important issues 

and monitoring legal developments 

affecting seafarers 

zpromoting research, education 

and training in seafarers’ legal 

rights and remedies 

zproviding strategic legal 

support to contribute to political, 

industrial, campaigning and 

lobbying agendas 

zraising awareness on issues of 

seafarers’ laws, rights and remedies 

zproducing publications such 

as online toolkits, guidelines for 

lawyers, checklists for seafarers 

and a dedicated website 

Nautilus general secretary 

Mark Dickinson welcomed the 

launch of the centre. ‘There is 

clearly a growing need for such a 

resource,’ he pointed out, ‘and we 

hope it will deliver some real 

results in terms of practical support 

for maritime professionals 

and a better understanding of the 

difficulties they face.’ 

Mr Dickinson said the Nautilus 

survey — carried out over the 

summer — showed that only 26% 

of members had been given information 

about the different legal 

requirements between their 

home country and flag state. 

Barely one in 10 receive information 

from their employers about 

their rights following accidents 

and almost three-quarters said 

they wanted more information 

on legal issues. 

Almost 20% had been directly 

involved in some form of legal 

action as a result of their work — 

with cases including personal 

injury, unpaid wages, unfair dismissal, 

pollution, collisions and 

groundings. 

F Book value 

How the Library of 

the Sea continues 

to flourish — pages 

26-27 

F Chart nouveau 

How to safely move 

to electronic charts 

— pages 24-25

02 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2010 

NAUTILUS AT WORK 

Industry urges 

UK to act fast 

on MLC 2006 

Ratification delays could damage UK flag, minister told 

Derbyshire anniversary is marked 

Nautilus International 

Ageneral secretary Mark 

Dickinson took part in a memorial 

service in Liverpool last month to 

mark the 30th anniversary of the 

loss of the UK-flagged bulk carrier 

Derbyshire. 

He is pictured at Liverpool Parish 

Church, Our Lady and St Nicholas, 

with Revd Peter McGrath; 

Derbyshire Family Association 

ANautilus International has 

secured assurances from 

the authorities in the UK 

and Croatia that every effort is being 

made to properly investigate the 

death of a South African cadet 

onboard a UK-flagged ship in June. 

The Union is continuing to 

campaign internationally for full and 

transparent inquiries into the 

circumstances surrounding the death 

of trainee deck officer Akhona Geveza, 

after falling overboard from the 

containership Safmarine Kariba off 

the coast of Croatia. 

General secretary Mark Dickinson 

said he is determined that there 

should be no cover-up after reports 

claimed that Ms Geveza had 

complained of being raped by the 

ship’s chief officer only hours before 

her death. 

Croatia — as the coastal state 

involved — has been leading the 

chairman Paul Lambert, and Roy 

Paul, of the ITF Seafarers’ Trust, 

receiving a tribute plaque with the 

names of the 44 seafarers and 

wives who died when the vessel 

sank in a typhoon in the South 

China Sea in 1980. 

The plaque will go on display at 

the International Transport 

Workers’ Federation head office in 

London. Support from the ITF for an 

underwater search mission was 

crucial in locating the wreck of the 

ship in June 1994 and in finding 

evidence that eventually helped to 

determine the causes of the loss. 

‘Though the loss was a long time 

ago, improvements made to render 

bulkers safer, following lessons 

learned from a full investigation 

of the Derbyshire loss, are recent,’ 

Mr Lambert pointed out. 

Nautilus keeps up the 

pressure for answers 

in cadet death probes 

inquiries into the incident, and 

Nautilus has written to the Croatian 

ambassador to the UK to stress the 

need for the allegations to be fully 

investigated and to ensure that 

anyone responsible is brought to 

justice. 

The ambassador, Ivica Tomic, has 

assured the Union that Croatia is 

taking the matter seriously, and UK 

transport minister Theresa Villiers has 

also written to Nautilus to state that 

the UK is fully involved in the 

investigations. 

‘We are doing all we can to ensure 

this tragic incident is properly and 

thoroughly investigated,’ she wrote, 

‘and that anyone subsequently 

implicated in the death of Akhona 

Geveza, and the other allegations 

that have been made, will be brought 

to justice.’ 

Mr Dickinson said Nautilus will 

continue to put pressure on the 

authorities so that there is no 

‘whitewash’ and that any appropriate 

lessons are learned. 

‘We believe it is of critical 

importance for the shipping industry 

that the truth of these allegations is 

established, because they could do 

untold damage if they are not openly 

addressed and responded to,’ he said. 

The Union has also approached 

the Chamber of Shipping to discuss 

ways in which the industry can 

reassess its equal opportunities 

policies and to ensure that lessons are 

learned from the case. 

z Members are also being urged to 

take part in the Union’s new survey of 

bullying and harassment, which is 

intended to provide an up-to-date 

insight into the issues and to build on 

members’ views and experiences to 

improve working conditions in the 

industry — visit the Nautilus website 

www.nautilusint.org for more details. 

PNautilus has teamed up 

with the RMT union and 

the Chamber of Shipping 

to make a united call for the 

UK to sign up to the international 

Maritime Labour Convention as 

soon as possible. 

In a joint letter to the shipping 

minister Mike Penning last 

month, the three organisations 

expressed concern that the UK 

might not be among the countries 

meeting the European 

Union goal of MLC ratification 

this year. 

Failure to fall in line with the 

convention by the time it comes 

into force could leave UK-flagged 

ships liable to more frequent and 

tougher port state control checks, 

they warn. 

‘Early ratification by the UK 

will send a strong signal to the 

rest of the world that the UK is a 

leading advocate of decent living 

and working conditions for all 

seafarers and will ensure that all 

ships calling at ports in the UK 

observe and respect these standards,’ 

the letter states. 

‘Ratification is therefore essential 

if the UK — along with the 

other registers forming the Red 

Ensign Group — is to be acknowledged 

as a guardian of quality 

shipping.’ 

But, the unions and the owners 

add, ‘Conversely, should the 

UK not be among the parties to 

the MLC when it enters into force, 

the consequences for operators 

of UK registered ships could be 

serious. 

‘The MLC contains a “no more 

favourable treatment” clause, 

which is designed to ensure that 

ships flying the flag of non-parties 

to the convention will not be 

treated more favourably by port 

state control authorities than 

those ships registered in states 

that have ratified. 

‘Hence UK-registered ships 

will face vigorous inspection by 

port states in accordance with the 

standards laid down in the convention, 

without the benefit of 

any of the flexibilities or derogations 

it permits,’ the letter points 

out. ‘Such inspections could be 

highly disruptive to the business 

of UK shipping and could even 

result in detentions of ships.’ 

Nautilus, the RMT and the 

Chamber have been involved in a 

working group established by the 

Maritime & Coastguard Agency 

which is considering how the convention 

should be implemented 

in UK law. 

General secretary Mark Dickinson 

said there are grounds for 

concern that the UK may not be 

able to ratify the convention by 

the end of the year, as planned. 

‘We are therefore making a strong 

joint call for the government to 

make this a priority matter and 

to make sure that the MLC enters 

into force in the UK with the 

minimum delay.’ 

zNautilus took part in a meeting 

in Geneva last month which 

began the process of making the 

first updates to the MLC. The talks 

also examined the provision of 

guidance on issues where the convention 

offers some flexibility or 

room for interpretation — such 

as cruiseships, the definition of a 

seafarer, and sheltered waters. 

The meeting was also convened 

to consider moves to 

amend the MLC to incorporate 

provisions on financial security 

for abandoned seafarers, as well 

as technical issues surrounding 

ILO Convention 185 on seafarers’ 

identity documents. 

Mr Dickinson said Nautilus 

wanted to see the convention 

address such things as accommodation 

for trainees, the social and 

welfare issues connected with 

piracy, minimum wage requirements, 

criminalisation, bullying 

and harassment, and seafarers’ 

rights to privacy. 

Well wishes for welfare director 

Pictured right is a farewell 

Pevent for Nautilus welfare 

director Liz Richardson, who stepped 

down last month to embrace a new 

way of life following a period of illhealth. 

Colleagues from throughout 

the Union joined her for the 7 

September event at the Wallasey 

office to wish her well and celebrate 

her achievements. 

As well as being in overall charge 

of the Nautilus retirement complex 

Mariners’ Park, Mrs Richardson was 

secretary of the Nautilus Welfare 

Fund charity and chair of the 

Merchant Navy Welfare Board. 

Nautilus general secretary Mark 

Dickinson paid tribute to her work, 

commenting: ‘Liz made a huge 

impact in a relatively short period. 

We valued her contribution 

particularly with regard to her 

emphasis on strategy. 

‘Her legacy is a union and charity 

with a vision which puts the needs of 

seafarers and their dependants at its 

centre,’ he added. 

The new director of welfare for 

Nautilus is Steve Wood, who comes 

to the Union with many years of 

experience in care for the elderly at 

the Anchor Trust and Helena 

Partnerships, and took up his post at 

the end of August. 

Union holds packed pension forums 

Almost 100 members turned up 

Afor the latest Nautilus Pensions 

Association forum meetings held in 

Wallasey, left, and in Glasgow, right, 

last month. 

Both meetings were addressed by 

Nautilus senior policy advisor Peter 

McEwen, who covered such issues as 

the latest actuarial valuation of the 

MNOPF and an update on the work 

being done to address the deficit. 

He warned that it is unlikely that 

discretionary increases will be paid for 

some time to come. 

The next Nautilus pensions forum 

will be held at Leytonstone public 

library, London, starting at 1100hrs on 

Wednesday 10 November.

October 2010 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 03 


shortreports 

EUNAVFOR EXTENSION: the EU Naval Force 

has announced an extension of its anti-pirate patrol 

areas off Somalia. Naval officials said the move had 

been made in response to signs that pirates have 

started to attack ships in previously safe areas and have 

been operating at increased ranges in a bid to evade 

detection. ‘This procedural change will allow EUNavfor 

units to operate more effectively further east in the 

Indian Ocean, giving them a greater ability to disrupt 

and deter pirates in this vast area,’ said operation 

commander Major General Buster Howes. 

European seafarer and dockers’ union representatives launched the new ‘fair ferries’ campaign at the Hull City football stadium last month 

New campaign on 

EU ferry conditions 

ITF initiative aims to revive pressure for ‘level playing field’ in the sector 

UNautilus is backing a 

major new campaign 

calling for European 

action to safeguard jobs and conditions 

on EU ferry services. 

Unions representing seafarers 

and dock workers last month 

launched the International Transport 

Workers’ Federation Fair and 

Safe Ferries for All campaign at a 

conference in Hull. 

The meeting also served to 

kick off a week of action — including 

ship visits by ITF inspectors 

to check working conditions, and 

leafleting of passengers to highlight 

the issues of safety and 

decent work. 

Delegates at the conference 

Unions protest at Stena Line 

director’s ‘fat bellies’ slur 

Nautilus has condemned 

A‘slanderous’ statements by a 

Stena Line director who described 

British seafarers as having ‘fat 

bellies and being covered with 

tattoos’. 

The statements came from the 

company’s North Sea director Pim de 

Lange as he reacted to the launch of 

the new ITF safe and fair ferries 

campaign by claiming it was 

impossible to find young and fit 

Dutch seafarers because they did not 

want to go to sea any more. 

And, he told a Dutch transport 

newspaper, it is also hard to find 

seafarers in the UK — ‘unless you 

want types with fat bellies and 

covered with tattoos’. 

Mr de Lange also defended 

Stena’s use of Filipino crews, saying 

that they were ‘extremely glad’ to 

work on the company’s ships. 

He said the Filipino seafarers 

were ‘jumping after a two month 

holiday to start to work again for six 

months’ and their monthly pay rates 

— between US$1,100 and $1,400 — 

were way ahead of average earnings 

in their home country. 

Nautilus and the RMT have 

written to the company, expressing 

shock at the ‘outrageous slurs’ on 

members and calling for 

management to formally retract the 

comments. 

Assistant general secretary Paul 

Moloney told delegates at the TUC 

conference in Manchester that the 

statements were ‘a disgrace to the 

professional, hard working men and 

women who go to sea, who take full 

responsibility for the lives of those 

onboard and who deliver an 

unparalleled safety record’. 

He said the comments had 

shown Stena management to be ‘the 

real dinosaurs’ and that they 

highlighted the urgent need for 

action to protect jobs and conditions 

— who came from countries 

including the UK and the Netherlands, 

Ireland, France and Belgium 

— discussed ways in which 

unions can secure a ‘level playing 

field’ for working conditions on 

services between EU member 

states and to prevent ‘social 

dumping’, in which low-cost 

labour is used to undercut existing, 

skilled workforces. 

Concerns were also raised over 

ferry companies alleged to be carrying 

out cargo lashing onboard 

by seafarers, rather than by dockers 

onshore. 

Campaign coordinator Norrie 

McVicar said the campaign had 

been developed because of concerns 

about the ‘procrastination 

and paralysis’ that has resulted in 

a failure to address fundamental 

safety concerns following such 

disasters as the Scandinavian Star 

and Estonia. 

‘The launch of this campaign 

reflects the frustration of 10 

wasted years since the European 

Commission proposed a directive 

for passenger services that 

would have guaranteed equal 

working rights and conditions for 

EU and non-EU crews, and 

addressed safety concerns raised 

by the employment of multilingual 

and multinational crews,’ he 

explained. 

‘That proposed directive was 

Stena Line director Pim de Lange 

in the European ferry sector. 

In a joint letter to Stena chief 

executive Dan Sten Olsson, Nautilus 

and RMT general secretaries Mark 

Dickinson and Bob Crow complained 

about the ‘insulting’ comments 

quashed after intensive lobbying 

by shipowners,’ he pointed out, 

‘and the result has been a decade 

of job losses, with long-serving 

crews cut and then cut again, to 

be replaced, if at all, with cheaper 

non-EU personnel, many of 

whom are now even being 

encouraged to carry out cargo 

handling work that has always 

been the preserve of safetytrained 

dockers.’ 

Mr McVicar said unions want 

to see the creation of a ‘level playing 

field’ on pay and conditions 

on EU ferries and he warned that 

employment ‘carnage’ is set to 

continue without effective controls 

in the sector. 

made by Mr de Lange. 

‘Many of the companies that 

complain about difficulties in 

recruiting seafarers are ones that 

make little or no investment in 

training their own talent,’ they 

pointed out. 

They told the Stena boss that the 

ITF campaign builds on longstanding 

attempts to safeguard a 

pool of European maritime 

expertise. ‘It is seeking to highlight 

the virtues of quality operations — 

something which we hope you 

would not take issue with.’ 

Mr de Lange told Lloyd’s List he 

had made the comments, but 

claimed that had been taken out of 

context in the Dutch news item. 

‘Sometimes you get people who 

do not want to work and are not in a 

good position with fat,’ he added. 

‘Some of these poeple are quite fat 

and with tattoes, and that is it. That 

is the truth, unfortunately.’ 

WELFARE DIRECTORY: a free pocket-sized 

directory of the world’s seafarers’ centres was published 

last month by the International Committee on 

Seafarers’ Welfare (ICSW). The new directory is being 

distributed by ITF inspectors and shipping companies, 

and copies can also be picked up in the seafarers’ 

centres themselves. The ICSW plans to update the 

directory on a yearly basis, and welcomes feedback from 

seafarers on their experiences of visiting particular 

centres. 

BUNKER BREAKS: some 7.5% of fuel samples 

tested in the past four months have exceeded the 1% 

sulphur content limit that came into effect in July under 

the new Emissions Control Area (ECA) regulations. But 

the fuel testing agency Lintec Testing Services says its 

findings suggest that ship operators and bunker 

suppliers are coping well with the rules — with only 

2.5% of samples taken inside the ECA region having 

sulphur contents above 1.06%. 

BULKER BLAMED: officers onboard a Japanese 

bulk carrier that collided with another bulker near Port 

Talbot in August failed to appreciate the effects of the 

tide, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch has 

found. A preliminary examination of the incident 

involving the Royal Oasis and the Berge Atlantic 

concludes that the strength of the tidal stream had not 

been identified in the passage plan when the Japaneseowned 

vessel left the anchorage. 

TYNESIDE UPGRADE: cadets at South 

Tyneside College can look forward to having a good 

wash at Dr Winterbottom Hall in the next few years, 

thanks to a £3m refurbishment project. Although the 

work will be taking place throughout the college — not 

just in the maritime studies department — the 

bathrooms at the cadet hostel Dr Winterbottom Hall are 

on the priority list for an upgrade. 

WHISTLEBLOWER REWARDS: four 

seafarers who reported illicit oily waste dumping from 

their ship to the US authorities have each been awarded 

$125,000 by a judge. The whistleblowers had passed on 

details of illegal dumping from the Greek bulk carrier 

Iorana. 

ROYAL NAMING: HRH The Queen is to name 

Cunard’s newest vessel, Queen Elizabeth, in 

Southampton on 11 October. The Queen launched the 

QE2 in 1967 and named Queen Mary 2 in 2004, as well 

as attending the launch of the first Queen Elizabeth in 

1938. 

CALMAC RESCUE: the Caledonian MacBrayne 

ferry Jupiter went to the aid of two divers who got into 

difficulty in the Firth of Clyde last month. The vessel was 

diverted from the Gourock to Dunoon service to assist 

rescue operations after the alert was raised. 

NIGERIAN ATTACK: three French seafarers 

were abducted from a support ship in the Addax oilfield 

off Nigeria last month. The owners of the AHTS Bourbon 

Alexandre said the men were seized by attackers who 

had boarded the vessel from speedboats. 

WINDFARM ASSIST: the windfarm safety boat 

MPI Rucio went to the aid of a pleasure boat drifting in 

the Lynn windfarm off Norfolk last month. The rescue 

boat managed to tow the vessel to safety after it ran out 

of fuel.



shortreports 

UNION MOVE: members serving with Union 

Transport are being consulted on proposals to improve 

leave, offered by management following a series of 

approaches from Nautilus over this year’s pay and 

conditions claim. The company says it is unable to 

increase pay at present, but says the additional leave is 

worth 2% overall. Nautilus is recommending acceptance 

of the offer. 

ST HELENA OFFER: members employed by 

Andrew Weir Shipping onboard RMS St Helena are 

being consulted on a proposed 1% pay offer, backdated 

to 1 January. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said the 

Union had welcomed the move away from an earlier 

proposed pay freeze and is recommending acceptance 

of the offer. 

PNTL PAY: Nautilus is consulting members serving 

in the Pacific Nuclear Transport fleet after securing a ‘full 

and final’ 1% pay offer in talks last month. Industrial 

officer Gary Leech said it was clear the offer was the best 

that could be achieved through negotiations and 

members are being urged to accept it. 

LCT DRAFT: Nautilus has presented LCT Support 

Services management with a draft memorandum of 

understanding for a recognition agreement covering 

members working in the port of Newhaven. Officials are 

due to meet the company early this month in the hope 

of finalising an agreement. 

WESTMINSTER DEAL: consultations among 

members serving with Westminster Dredging have 

shown unanimous support for accepting the company’s 

pay and conditions offer. Nautilus will now be meeting 

management to discuss proposals for revised terms and 

conditions. 

ABP TALKS: Nautilus and T&G Unite are arranging 

talks with Associated British Ports over a collective 

bargaining agreement for Humber pilots. The 

discussions follow a ballot showing more than 82% of 

pilots in favour of recognition of the unions. 

RFA FLIGHTS: following talks with management, 

members serving with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary are 

being consulted on the flights policy for the Gulf. 

WYNDHAMS CLAIM: Nautilus has presented a 

claim for an inflation-linked pay rise for members 

serving with Wyndhams Management Services. 

Nautilus industrial officer is pictured above with members serving on 

Svitzer tugs in the port of Swansea. The visit was arranged to discuss a 

number of issues with members. 

R. H. BRADSHAW 

COWBRIDGE 

TAX SERVICES 

Mill Brow 

Brookfield Park Road 

Cowbridge 

South Glamorgan CF71 7HJ 

Tel/Fax 01446 771536 

E.Mail 

marine@onetel.com 

100% FED CLAIMS AND 

FORECASTS 

ELECTRONIC LODGEMENT 

– NO MORE WAITING 

FOR THE REVENUE 

New campaign for 

lifeline ferry routes 

Nautilus warns Scottish government of the need to put safety first 

Nautilus industrial officer is pictured above left with Captain Alan Blakeley and chief officer Ian Henderson onboard the CalMac ferry Jupiter and, right, 

with chief officer Derek Dove, chief engineer Granville Broughton and Captain Dave Smith onboard the CalMac Ferry Bute during a series of ship visits 

to kick off consultations on a proposed single agreement for members serving on the Clyde and Western Isles services 

PNautilus is taking part in a major new 

campaign against any new moves to 

cut back or sell off Scottish ferry 

services. 

The Union has warned the Scottish government 

that safety has to come first in any 

changes arising from its review of the country’s 

ferry operations. 

And last month Nautilus and the RMT held 

a public meeting in Oban to press the case for 

opposition to any attempts to privatise services 

or cut the pay and conditions of seafarers. 

Assistant general secretary Paul Moloney 

told the meeting that the interests of the public 

and the seafarers were identical. ‘We need to 

have ferry services that are safe and efficient, 

and do not cut corners,’ he pointed out. 

Whilst some people might think seafarers 

had very good terms and conditions, it was 

important that working hours and leave are 

carefully controlled to prevent fatigue as a 

Nautilus welcomes 

NorthLink U-turn 

ANautilus International has 

welcomed a U-turn by 

Scottish transport minister 

Stewart Stevenson on proposals for 

£1m worth of cuts in funding for the lifeline 

ferry services to the northern isles. 

Transport minister Stewart 

Stevenson told convenors of the 

Shetland and Orkney islands councils 

last month that plans to seek the 

savings have been shelved because 

the NorthLink Ferries operations 

performed better than expected. 

The minister announced last 

March that NorthLink would have to 

make immediate cuts of £300,000 

followed by a further saving of 

£700,000 this winter, but now he 

says the plans have been dropped in 

the current financial year. 

‘We are looking for further 

improvements in the performance of 

the contract which will allow us to 

maintain efficient ferry services, as 

well as respond to the challenges on 

public spending,’ he added. 

Nautilus assistant general 

secretary Paul Moloney welcomed the 

decision, and said it proved that 

publicly-owned ferry services can 

deliver a safe, efficient and costeffective 

service for the Scottish 

public. ‘The statement shows again 

that Scotland’s publicly owned ferry 

services not only provide the safest 

possible service but do so costeffectively,’ 

he added. 

‘This fact needs to be recognised 

in the conclusions of the Scottish 

Executive’s review into publiclyfunded 

ferry services — ending once 

and for all the myth that privatisation 

will somehow deliver a safer and 

cheaper service.’ 

Princess Cruises pay talks 

Nautilus is conducting a series 

Aof ship visits to meet members 

on Princess Cruises vessels ahead of 

forthcoming pay and conditions 

negotiations. 

As part of the company’s 

development programme, it has been 

proposed that pay and conditions for 

its officers will be conducted 

separately from the rest of the 

result of intensive and stressful operations, 

he stressed. 

RMT general secretary Bob Crow told the 

meeting: ‘We know that there is a hidden 

agenda to cut routes, sell off profitable services 

and jack up fares — we will fight alongside 

the public to stop those moves in their tracks. 

‘If the politicians think we will sit back 

while these vital services are hacked back or 

flogged off to help bail out the bankers’ financial 

crisis they have got another thing coming,’ 

he warned. 

Nautilus has also submitted detailed evidence 

to the Scottish government public consultation 

on the review of Scottish ferries. 

The Union stresses that safety is by far the 

most important issue for users of the services 

and must not be put at risk by short-term costcutting 

policies. 

‘Scotland’s publicly-funded ferry services 

deliver a safety record that is second to none 

Carnival UK group. 

Senior national secretary Paul 

Keenan said members have been 

asked to submit their views on the 

contents of the pay and conditions 

claim, and further ship visits will be 

held with negotiations due to start at 

the end of October. ‘We are aiming to 

get an agreement reached before 

January,’ he added. 

Nautilus officials Steve Doran 

Fand Blossom Bell are pictured 

during a meeting with around 100 

new officer trainees at South 

Tyneside College last month. 

The meeting was arranged to 

give the cadets an insight into the 

benefits and services offered by the 

Union and the work that Nautilus is 

undertaking on behalf of trainees 

following the recent survey of their 

CV Professionals 

(formerly CV Plus) 

Merchant Navy CV 

& resume specialists 

www.cvprofessionals.co.uk 

throughout Europe and the rest of the world,’ 

the submission states. ‘We believe any changes 

must not only respect and maintain this, but 

where possible enhance the record.’ 

Nautilus warns that a common theme in 

recent accident investigations has been 

fatigue, and it is therefore essential that the 

review does not result in cutbacks to crewing 

levels on Scottish ferries. 

Urgent investment in new ships is also 

vital, Nautilus argues, so that safety is not 

compromised by an increasingly ageing fleet 

that requires additional maintenance. 

The submission cautions against the tendering 

of ‘cherry-picked’ routes and urges the 

Scottish government not to put services out to 

tender with ‘flexible’ covering requirements. 

‘Our extensive experience shows that “flexibility” 

within the passenger and freight sectors 

always leads to cutbacks on training and 

on manning levels,’ the Union adds. 

views and experiences, and their 

pay and conditions. 

Nautilus also staged a workshop 

to discuss the industry’s drug and 

alcohol policies, including 

background information on the 

issues and case histories to show 

the potential problems of drug and 

alcohol abuse at sea. The event 

included an open session, with 

questions and answers. 

To advertise 

in the Telegraph 

please contact: 

CENTURY ONE 

PUBLISHING 

01727 893 894



More talks 

on P&O 

job losses 

With the closure of P&O 

AFerries’ Portsmouth-Bilbao 

service set to take effect at the end of 

last month, Nautilus was taking part 

in a series of negotiations over the 

potential impact on jobs and 

conditions. 

The company presented the 

Union with details of proposed new 

placement arrangements for officers. 

Management have sought to avert 

redundancies by transferring 

members to other services, in line 

with a clause under which officers 

may be required to serve on other 

ships and to sail out of other ports. 

However, following legal advice 

on the company’s proposals, 

Nautilus is arguing that a 

redundancy situation does exist and 

that members should have been 

consulted in line with statutory 

provisions. 

Senior national secretary Paul 

Keenan said members are being 

advised to contact the Union if they 

believe they have not been offered 

suitable alternative employment. 

Nautilus is also discussing the 

details of a proposed independent 

study of fatigue on the shortsea 

routes. Industrial officer Jonathan 

Havard said the research is being 

planned to assess whether there are 

health and safety reasons why roster 

patterns other than one week 

on/one week off should not be used 

on the Dover-based ships. 

Red Funnel 

plans cuts 

in services 

Nautilus has met Red Funnel 

Amanagement to begin 

discussions over cost-cutting plans 

tabled by management last month. 

The company has told the Union 

it needs to make savings because 

2010 has turned out to be a tough 

year, with revenue down by £1.4m. 

It has proposed reducing sailings 

of its high-speed craft by around 17% 

and reducing ro-ro sailings by 

around 3%. 

Management has formally 

written to Nautilus to begin 

consultations on resulting 

redundancies. Industrial officer 

Gavin Williams said it was not 

initially clear how many jobs are at 

risk, but the Union has arranged a 

series of meetings to discuss the 

proposals and to get feedback from 

members during the 30-day 

consultation period. 

‘It is our intention to protect as 

many jobs as possible,’ he said. 

Nautilus industrial officer Steve Doran is pictured with members from the Marine Scotland Compliance vessel 

Norna following a ship visit in Leith with T&G Unite official Sandy Smart. The fisheries protection vessel is being 

taken out of service, and Nautilus has been involved in discussions over the resulting surplus of crew. 

Mr Doran said the Union is continuing negotiations with management over the changes created by the fleet 

reorganisation, including the TUPE transfer arrangements for members serving with Marr Vessel Management. 

Maersk flag 

move alarm 

Singapore plans raise Union concerns over strategy 

PNautilus International 

has expressed concern 

at AP Moller-Maersk 

plans to put more than 30 new 

ships onto the Singapore flag during 

the next three years. 

The local Straits Times newspaper 

said the company had been 

attracted by the initiatives being 

taken by the Singapore government 

to develop its maritime 

industry. 

But the announcement has 

prompted further concerns about 

Maersk’s long-term commitment 

to the UK flag and to its Dutch 

and British seafarers. 

Maersk already has almost 80 

ships flagged in Singapore, and is 

planning to put more than half 

of the 58 ships it has on order 

onto the island’s register in a flag 

rationalisation strategy that is 

reported to have Denmark as ‘the 

preferred choice’ in Europe and 

Singapore in Asia. 

The company said it had been 

attracted by the tax regime in Singapore, 

as well as its stable maritime 

policies, the flexible rules 

regarding seafarers’ qualifications, 

and the good reputation 

Singapore-flagged vessels enjoyed 

around the world. 

Nautilus assistant general secretary 

Paul Moloney said he was 

disturbed by the developments. 

‘This is another example of the 

company preferring a low-cost 

rather than a cost-effective 

approach. 

‘Last year, it described the situation 

as a crisis of historic proportions 

— but this year it has 

made a profit of historic proportions,’ 

he pointed out. 

Mr Moloney said Nautilus is 

continuing to press management 

over its policies for the employment 

and training of western 

European officers. 

‘We are trying to persuade the 

company to enter into agreements 

that provide some comfort 

for British, Dutch and Danish seafarers,’ 

he added. ‘Unless the company 

is prepared to reach such 

agreements with us and other 

unions, then any increased influence 

that Singapore has will be 

viewed with suspicion and concern 

by our members.’ 

zNautilus has raised formal 

complaints with Maersk over 

problems with members being 

relieved on time. Industrial officer 

Ian Cloke said there had been an 

increase in reports from members 

who had not been able to 

leave their ship as scheduled. 

‘We recognise that there may 

be difficulties from time to time, 

and in certain parts of the world, 

but it appears that the problem 

has increased in recent times and 

has been exacerbated by tonnage 

coming back into service,’ he 

added. 

The Union has also raised 

members’ concerns over the payment 

of expenses, and has been 

advised that the travel and reimbursement 

policy should be followed. 

Assurances have also been 

given on the provision of 

improved internet access in the 

fleet. 

shortreports 

STENA MEETING: Nautilus reps met Stena Line 

management in Harwich last month to discuss concerns 

about changes arising from the introduction of the new 

Stena Britannica, Stena Transfer and Stena Freighter. 

Industrial officer Steve Doran said four engineer officer 

redundancies have been proposed, although no 

compulsory job losses are envisaged. However, the 

Union is pressing management for a response to issues 

around proposed attendance patterns. 

GLOBAL SUBMISSION: Nautilus has submitted 

a claim for a 6% pay rise for members serving with 

Global Marine Systems. The submission — based on RPI 

plus a premium — was made at last month’s 

partnership committee meeting following agreement 

by officer reps. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said 

he is hoping the company will respond this month, and 

a bulletin will be issued with details of the other points 

raised at the meeting. 

KNIGHT DEAL: consultations among members 

serving with JP Knight have shown a three to two 

majority in favour of accepting an improved pay and 

conditions offer, giving a 1% pay increase over 10 

months. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said he is 

now pressing the company over members’ concerns 

about travel from the ship being classed as a leave day. 

THAMES PROGRESS: Nautilus met senior 

management at Thames Clippers last month for the first 

formal discussions over a proposed recognition 

agreement. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard 

described the meeting as positive and said the Union 

has subsequently submitted a draft memorandum of 

understanding for an agreement. 

PLA PROPOSAL: Nautilus has submitted a pay 

and conditions claim for members employed by the Port 

of London Authority, seeking an RPI plus 1% increase. 

Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said he is hoping to 

meet management this month to discuss the 

submission. 

More talks on NERC pay 

Nautilus industrial officer Jonathan Havard is pictured with members 

AJames (Hamish) Gibson, Paul Bidmead, Jo Cox, Will Whatley and 

Steve Eadie following a meeting onboard the British Antarctic Survey ship 

Ernest Shackleton in Frederickshavn, Denmark, last month. The meeting 

was also attended by members from the James Clark Ross and was held to 

discuss a number of issues, including the pay and conditions claim. 

Mr Havard said a joint meeting involving Nautilus and the RMT has 

subsequently taken place at the BAS headquarters, with the unions 

indicating to management that they would be prepared to consider a twoyear 

deal. The talks also covered other issues, including an increase in 

earned leave and the unilateral withdrawal of the Antarctic allowance for 

NOCS members. ‘We are still pushing management on this, arguing that it 

should be either given back or bought out,’ Mr Havard added. 

For further information on the above courses, please contact Vikas Patra, Head of Maritime Enterprise on: +44(0) 151 231 2572 or +44 (0) 7733 202 762 

email: v.patra@ljmu.ac.uk or into.eng@ljmu.ac.uk web: www.ljmu.ac.uk/eng • Liverpool John Moores University, James Parsons Building, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK


OFFSHORE NEWS 

shortreports 

RECOVERY FORECAST: there are good 

grounds for ‘cautious optimism’ about the offshore 

supply vessel market, according to a new report from 

Germany’s DVB Bank. Demand for vessels has risen as a 

result of renewed investment in exploration, it says, 

although the recovery could be undermined by the 

huge amounts of new tonnage on order. The study 

suggests that the Deepwater Horizon disaster will 

generate strong demand for newer and high-spec ships 

— especially with age limits being introduced in a 

number of OSV tenders. 

TECHNIP CONSULT: members serving with 

Technip Offshore (UK) are set to be balloted on the 

possibility of industrial action following the rejection of 

a two-year pay offer that would give 1.5% in the first 

year and RPI plus 1.5% in the second year. Senior 

national secretary Paul Keenan commented: ‘Our only 

option is to consult members on whether they wish to 

be balloted for industrial action, but it is incumbent on 

all members to participate, as only a high turn-out will 

demonstrate their willingness to fight for a further 

improvement.’ 

MAERSK IMPROVES: members serving with 

Maersk Offshore Guernsey are being consulted on a 

‘final’ improved offer tabled by management last 

month. The package includes a 3.5% pay increase and 

improved pension contributions. It is also linked to 

proposals for aligning service periods with Danish 

officers, with changes to over-tour duty bonuses and 

training day arrangements. Nautilus has urged 

members to ‘seriously consider acceptance’ and results 

of the consultation are due in mid-October. 

MIGRATION ALARM: offshore operators have 

warned the UK government that its cap on migration of 

skilled staff from outside the European Union is causing 

delays to key projects in the sector. Oil & Gas UK has 

warned ministers not to make the controls permanent, 

arguing that employment in the offshore sector is highly 

globalised and restrictions on the use of skilled foreign 

staff could have a damaging effect on the North Sea. 

GULF STALEMATE: Nautilus was set last month 

to accept a 2% pay offer for members employed by Gulf 

Offshore Guernsey. The offer had been rejected by 

members, but industrial officer Steve Doran said the 

numbers taking part in the consultation were 

insufficient to justify a ballot for industrial action being 

organised, and the Union could not risk the offer being 

withdrawn by the company. 

SUBSEA UPGRADE: Nautilus is consulting 

members employed by Subsea 7 after securing an 

improved pay and conditions offer last month. The 

Union has urged all members to participate in the 

consultations on the offer of a one-year 2.5% increase, 

effective from 1 July. 

CMA CALL: Nautilus met CMA Ships UK 

management last month in a final attempt to press the 

company not to go ahead with a proposed pay freeze 

for members on the Geo Prospector and Fugro vessels. 

MPs urged not 

to ban drilling 

‘No case’ for deepwater moratorium, operators argue 

PUK offshore operators 

have urged politicians 

not to give in to calls for 

a ban on deepwater drilling. 

They told a House of Commons 

inquiry into the Deepwater 

Horizon disaster in the Gulf of 

Mexico that there was ‘no case’ 

for a moratorium on new deepwater 

projects. 

Malcolm Webb, chief executive 

of Oil & Gas UK, said the UK 

regulations were robust enough 

to support the move to deepwater 

operations. ‘Just because an event 

happened in another part of the 

world, it doesn’t mean to say a 

regime such as ours should stop 

doing what we’re doing in what I 

believe is an entirely safe and 

proper way,’ he told the MPs. 

BP chief executive Tony Hayward 

told the hearing that his 

company would make sure that 

the lessons of the Deepwater 

Horizon are applied to the North 

Sea. Questioned on warning 

notices issued to BP installations 

in the North Sea last year, he said 

there was ‘no evidence of a systematic 

safety problem’ affecting 

the company. 

A report on the Gulf of Mexico 

disaster published by BP last 

month showed that no single factor 

was to blame, and that a 

sequence of failures involving a 

number of different parties led to 

the explosion and fire which 

killed 11 people and caused widespread 

pollution. 

Key problems included the 

AA big rise in deaths and major injuries in 

the UK offshore oil and gas industry over 

the last year has provoked a warning 

from Britain’s safety watchdog. 

The Health & Safety Executive, which released 

its latest annual statistics on the industry last 

month, is also concerned about the increased 

incidence of unplanned hydrocarbon releases. 

The safety body’s annual report revealed that 50 

major injuries were reported in 2009/10 — 20 

more than in 2008/09 and higher than the average 

of 42 over the previous five years. 

That pushed up the combined fatal and major 

injury rate by almost double — to 192 per 100,000 

workers, compared with 106 in 2008/09 and 156 in 

2007/08. 

Pictured right is the new 

Aemergency response and 

rescue (ERRV) vessel Grampian 

Calgary, arriving in Aberdeen to be 

christened last month. 

The NSS IMT948-design vessel is 

managed by the Craig Group’s North 

Star Shipping division and is going 

straight into service with Talisman 

Energy, providing crucial emergency 

response and rescue services to the 

failure of cement and shoe track 

barriers that allowed hydrocarbons 

to flow up the production 

casing through the bottom of the 

well. 

The report’s 25 recommendations 

include strengthening 

assurance on blow-out preventers, 

well control, pressure-testing 

for well integrity, emergency systems, 

cement testing, rig audit 

and verification, and personnel 

competence. 

Trisha O’Reilly, Oil & Gas UK’s 

communications director, said 

the report would form an important 

part of the comprehensive 

review of industry practices and 

procedures in the UK. 

‘The UK’s Safety Case regime 

A marked rise was also recorded in the 

combined number of major and significant 

hydrocarbon releases — regarded as potential 

precursors to a major incident — with a provisional 

total of 85. That compares with 61 in 2008/09 — 

the lowest since HSE began regulating the industry. 

The good news was a significant reduction in the 

minor over-three-day injury rate and a fall in the 

number of dangerous occurrences reported. 

Steve Walker, head of HSE’s offshore division, 

commented: ‘Although the overall numbers of 

injury and dangerous occurrences are comparatively 

low, considering a workforce of almost 27,000 and 

the numbers of rigs and the continuous operations 

undertaken, this does not excuse the fact that the 

fatal and major injury rate has almost doubled. 

Piper B, Satire, Tartan and Claymore 

installations on a five-year charter. 

Grampian Calgary is one of the 

last vessels in a £130m Craig Group 

investment programme, launched in 

2005, which aims to create the most 

modern wholly-owned British fleet 

operating in the UKCS, with a total of 

32 vessels by the end of the year. 

Four further newbuilds have been 

ordered for 2011. 

obliges the industry to examine 

its existing arrangements in light 

of incidents around the world and 

put into action any consequent 

improvements that can be made,’ 

she said. ‘We firmly believe that 

the UK industry operates under a 

robust, fit-for-purpose regulatory 

regime with almost 7,000 wells 

having been safely drilled over 

the last 20 years.’ 

But Tzeporah Berman, head 

of Greenpeace International’s 

energy campaign, commented: 

‘BP’s self penned review is a sorry 

attempt to spread the blame for 

the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, 

but still reveals a devastating 

litany of human error, incompetence 

and technical failure.’ 

‘Up your game’, HSE warns 

New North Star ERRV goes into 

action after Aberdeen naming 

The Stena Forth was one of two drilling ships targeted in protests over 

deepwater drilling last month Picture: Will Rose/Greenpeace 

Drillships 

target of 

protests 

A 

Stena Drilling has been at 

the centre of protests by the 

environment group Greenpeace, 

who are demonstrating against 

moves to begin deepwater drilling 

in the Atlantic Frontier. 

The UK-flagged drilling ship 

Stena Carron was boarded by 

activists off Shetland last month 

who tried to prevent the vessel 

sailing to a site in the Lagavulin oil 

field to drill an exploratory well in 

500m of water. 

The protest was timed to 

coincide with a meeting of 

ministers from countries bordering 

the North Sea to discuss a German 

proposal for a moratorium on new 

deepwater oil drilling. The UK 

government sent two ministers to 

the meeting to block the proposal. 

The Stena Carron protest 

followed an earlier action by 

Greenpeace, in which four 

protestors occupied the Stena Don 

rig off Greenland, preventing it 

drilling for two days. 

Greenpeace said the protests 

were staged to try to prevent ‘a 

new oil rush’ in environmentally 

sensitive regions. Victor Rask, one 

of the activists who boarded the 

Stena Carron, explained: ‘David 

Cameron said his government 

would be the greenest ever, but he 

won’t even support a plan to 

protect our seas from a BP-style 

disaster. Instead of drilling for the 

last drops in fragile environments 

like this, oil companies should be 

developing the clean energy 

technologies we need to fight 

climate change and reduce our 

dependence on oil. We need a 

global ban on deep water drilling, 

and longer term we need a 

permanent shift away from fossil 

fuels towards clean energy 

solutions.’ 

‘This year’s overall health and safety picture is 

simply not good enough. The industry has shown it 

can do better and it must do in future.’ 

Mr Walker said the industry ‘must up its game’ 

and address the root causes of the increase in 

hydrocarbon releases, and he threatened that the 

HSE would take a tough line on companies that put 

workers at risk. 

Although beyond its regulatory control, HSE also 

pointed attention to the 17 fatalities that occurred 

during transport operations that support the sector. 

Two crew and 14 offshore workers died on a 

helicopter flight returning from the Miller platform 

to Aberdeen on 1 April 2009, and one worker was 

killed in a lifting related incident on a diving support 

vessel when in transit.

Master is 

fined for 

drinking 

on duty 

The master of an oil tanker has 

Abeen fined £1,600 after being 

caught over the alcohol limit while in 

charge of his ship in the Solent. 

A police breath test found Captain 

Rajesh Kumah Singh to be twice the 

limit after his vessel, the 48,983dwt 

Nord Fast, arrived at Fawley last 

month. 

Magistrates heard the alarm had 

been raised by a pilot who was 

concerned about the state of the 

master as the Singapore-flagged 

vessel was proceeding into Fawley oil 

refinery jetty. 

Capt Singh failed a test onboard 

the vessel and was taken to a police 

station for further tests, before being 

charged with failure to provide a 

specimen of breath. 

Lyndhurst magistrates heard that 

the master had admitted drinking 

‘one or two’ glasses of whisky after 

settling a row between crew members 

after the ship had docked. 

Capt Singh pleaded guilty to one 

offence of failing to supply a specimen 

after having been arrested on 

suspicion of being over the prescribed 

limit. He was fined £1,600 and 

ordered to pay £85 costs and a £15 

victim support charge. 

Magistrates told him that the case 

was ‘a very serious matter which was 

aggravated by your position of 

authority and your responsibility for 

the vessel and crew, her size and the 

amount of fuel cargo that she was 

carrying’. 

Keith Tatman, head of navigation 

safety at the Maritime & Coastguard 

Agency, commented: ‘The master has 

responsibility at all times for the 

safety of his ship, her crew and any 

other users of the sea with which his 

vessel may interact. To put any of 

them at risk due to the use of alcohol, 

at any time but particularly when 

within a very busy commercial and 

leisure harbour falls well below the 

standards expected of a master 

mariner.’ 

Murwab becomes biggest 

LNG visitor at Milford Haven 

A new milestone has been 

Fpassed at Milford Haven, 

where the Q-Flex vessel Murwab is 

pictured right becoming the largest 

LNG carrier to dock at Dragon LNG’s 

Waterston terminal. 

The Murwab is the first Q-Flex 

vessel to offload at Dragon LNG and 

sailed from Ras Laffan, Qatar, with 

over 150,000 cu m of liquefied gas 

onboard. Discharge to the onshore 

PA Filipino crew member from the 

Queen Mary 2 was jailed in Canada 

for 120 days last month after being 

found in possession of child pornography 

while his ship was docked in the port of 

Halifax. 

Edward Mangubat was arrested by Canada 

Border Services Agency officers after they 

searched his laptop computer and found sexually 

explicit movies featuring children. 

He pleaded guilty last month to a Customs 

Act charge of possessing illegally imported 

goods and was sentenced to 120 days in jail. He 

will be deported as soon as the prison term is 

completed. 

Crown attorney Mark Donohue told the 

terminal took about 24 hours. 

Alec Don, chief executive of the 

Milford Haven Port Authority, said 

the visit demonstrated ‘the new 

energy era’ for the UK. ‘We already 

handle 25% of the UK’s petrol and 

diesel requirements and now our 

new LNG facilities give us the 

potential to process 30% of the UK’s 

gas needs.’ Picture: Ian Richards/ 

Pembrokeshire Photography 

Prison for porn 

Queen Mary 2 crewman jailed in Canada for having ‘repulsive material’ 

A Dutch fishing vessel skipper has been fined 

A£3,500 and ordered to pay more than £3,750 

costs after being found guilty of sailing the wrong 

way through a traffic separation scheme. 

Folkestone magistrates heard that the UKregistered 

trawler Wilhelmina had been spotted by 

the Dutch coastguard proceeding the wrong way 

down the northbound lane of the Off Texel TSS last 

January. 

About 40 minutes later the trawler was 

observed passing within one cable of a northbound 

special disc unts 

“on airfares for marine personnel” 

vessel. The Wilhelmina — which was fishing at the 

time of the incident — was then identified by a 

Netherlands Coastguard aircraft. 

Passing sentence, magistrates told 

owner/skipper Rense Johannes de Boer, of Urk in 

the Netherlands, that he had changed direction in a 

designated shipping lane for 4.5 miles in direct 

contravention of the collision prevention 

regulations. 

The incident was initially investigated by the 

North Sea Unit of the Netherlands Water Police, but 

Gas conversion 

F 

Pictured left is the 25,000dwt 

product tanker Bit Viking, which 

will soon be converted to run on liquid 

natural gas (LNG). 

The Swedish-flagged vessel is to be 

retro-fitted with a duel fuel Wärtsilä 

engine, making it the first ship 

classified with Germanischer Lloyd to 

use gas as fuel. 

Owned by Tarbit Shipping and 

operated by Statoil along the coastline 

of Norway, the Bit Viking will qualify 

for lower Norwegian NOx emission 

taxes after the conversion. Sea trials 

with the new engine are planned for 

May 2011. 

We are able to offer 

discounted air travel for 

all staff employed in the 

marine industry from 

crew, shorebased staff 

to spouse’s travelling to 

and from vessels. 


court that another crew member had unwittingly 

downloaded child pornography from a 

USB drive he had borrowed from Mangubat. 

Border agency officers went to Mangubat’s 

cabin and discovered that his laptop contained 

several videos showing ‘what can only 

be described as sexual assault of children,’ Mr 

Donohue said. ‘Several of the videos appeared 

to be of children under 12.’ 

Mangubat — who is married and has three 

children and has served at sea for seven years 

— told the court:’I work hard and I serve in my 

country with my church. Forgive me. I am 

sorry.’ 

Blair MacDonald, an investigator with the 

border agency, said Mangubat is the third person 

to be prosecuted this year for bringing 

child pornography into Canada through the 

Port of Halifax. Nine people were charged in 

2009 and three people in 2008. 

Canada’s public safety minister Vic Toews 

commented after the case: ‘Our government is 

committed to keeping this repulsive material 

out of our country, and preventing the 

exploitation of children in Canada and around 

the world.’ 

In an unrelated case, Nyoman Putra — an 

Indonesian crew member onboard the cruiseship 

Carnival Glory — was jailed for 30 days by 

the court in Halifax after admitting smuggling 

child pornography into the country last 

month. 

Skipper went 4.5 miles wrong way down TSS 

after it was determined that the incident occurred in 

international waters it was reported to the Maritime 

& Coastguard Agency for further investigation. 

Following the hearing last month, David Fenner, 

the MCA’s principal eastern region fishing vessel 

surveyor, commented: ‘Mr de Boer could have 

fished quite legally within the lane had he 

proceeded in the general direction of traffic flow for 

that lane. 

‘By failing to do so he placed himself, his vessel 

and crew and other users of the TSS at risk.’ 

Using our extensive marine 

fare programme we are 

able to provide changeable 

and refundable tickets. 

We are totally dedicated 

to providing an efficient 

and personal service. 

Contact us today for a quote 

www.vikingrecruitment.com 

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we place people first... 

NEWS 

Go-ahead 

for GCNS 

merger 

Glasgow College of Nautical 

FStudies merged last month 

with Glasgow’s Central and 

Metropolitan colleges after receiving 

the go-ahead from the Scottish 

Government in August. 

The new institution will be 

officially launched as City of Glasgow 

College in early 2011. 

The outgoing GCNS board 

welcomed the move, saying that it 

would be in the best long-term 

interests of students and staff. They 

added: ‘We share the sadness that 

many of you will feel at the loss of 

the GCNS name — a name that has a 

national and international 

reputation for excellence. However, 

we are equally confident that this 

reputation will go forward into the 

new City of Glasgow College.’ 

The hope is that combining the 

three colleges — to create Scotland’s 

largest further education college — 

will improve the range of courses on 

offer and safeguard the future of the 

more specialised courses. 

There are also plans for muchneeded 

new buildings and facilities. 

The Marine Skills Centre has already 

been completed, but the incoming 

City of Glasgow College board 

admitted in a statement last month 

that work is still needed to secure 

funding for the rest of the project. 

Go for LNG, says GL 

The shipping industry is in 

Fdanger of not being able to 

meet international and regional 

targets to cut its greenhouse gas 

emissions, a major classification 

society warned last month. 

Speaking at the SMM exhibition in 

Hamburg, Germanischer Lloyd 

executive board member Dr Hermann 

Klein warned that growth in the world 

merchant fleet means the industry 

will probably have to double its efforts 

to cut CO 2 output by 20% from 2005 

levels over the next decade, as 

required by the European Union. 

And even if more ‘zero-emission’ 

ships come into service over the next 

25 years, Dr Klein said the industry 

would face problems in meeting 

tougher international targets for 

cutting greenhouse gases and it was 

time for radical thought on such 

issues as ship size, speed, operation 

and power generation. 

GL senior vice-president Dr Pierre 

Sames said the industry should invest 

in LNG as an alternative fuel source 

that could cut carbon emissions by 

23%, with even bigger reductions of 

80% in NOx and 92% in SOx.


LARGE YACHT NEWS 

Annual has 

got bigger 

and better 

The latest edition of the 

Fannually produced Super Yacht 

Owners Guide was unveiled at the 

Monaco Yacht Show. The guide is now 

in its third year of publication and this 

issue is larger and even more detailed 

than in previous years. 

Fact-filled, well researched and 

hard-hitting articles precede each of 

the useful and comprehensively 

detailed directories, making this book 

both an interesting read and a handy 

compendium of real contacts. 

Richard Coles, a maritime 

specialist lawyer with HBJ Gateley 

Wareing has lent his wisdom to the 

thorny topic of the MLC, and Ayuk 

Ntuiabane of Moore Stephens has 

succeeded in clarifying how important 

VAT issues are. 

Other chapters written by leading 

figures in the industry include subjects 

on chartering, berthing, refitting, 

equipping and outfitting a 

superyacht. 

Published in hard-backed covers 

using an A5 format that opens in a 

landscape aspect, the 228-page 

guide is easily stored by captains on 

the bookshelf on the bridge. It is 

available from info@syog.com. 

Destination 

guidebook 

An inspirational guidebook 

Fdetailing all sailing 

destinations around the world has 

been published by Adlard Coles. 

World Cruising Destinations is a 

substantial handbook written by 

cruising expert Jimmy Cornell and is a 

must-have for all charter yacht 

captains seeking information before 

they arrives at a destination. 

Covering 184 countries, the 

information is well presented — 

giving captains clear and concise 

details of what to expect before and 

immediately after arrival in a foreign 

port and will make a useful addition 

to many bookshelves. 

IoM moves to be 

a ‘flag of choice’ 

Manx register seeks more yachts at Monaco show 

PThe fast-growing Isle of 

Man ship registry is hoping 

to attract more commercial 

yachts to its flag, following 

its high-visibility presence at 

the Monaco Yacht Show last 

month. 

The registry is a relatively 

small operation, but has significantly 

expanded over the last 12 

months, with the number of 

superyachts rising from 85 to 97. 

Having seen a similar rise in 

other ships joining the flag, the 

registry now has a combined vessel 

tonnage of over 12m gt on its 

books — a 20% increase on the 

previous year. 

Registry director Dick Welsh 

puts the popularity of the flag 

PYA study is 

given to ILO 

A study of seafarers’ living and 

Fworking conditions in the 

large yacht sector has been 

completed for the Professional 

Yachtsmen’s Association and 

presented to the International 

Labour Organisation. 

The project was carried out by 

the Seafarers’ International 

Research Centre, in consultation with 

Nautilus, and is based on 

questionnaire responses from some 

1,500 crew. 

Launched in response to the 

forthcoming Maritime Labour 

Convention, the study covered such 

issues as accommodation, food and 

terms and conditions of employment 

and comparisons between the 

Merchant Navy and the yacht sector. 

down to its ‘transparent fee structure 

and customer-focused 

approach’, which he says have 

appealed to owners and operators 

during the recent economic 

downturn. 

‘It is difficult to quantify how 

much the industry is worth to the 

Isle of Man,’ he added. ‘The registration 

charge is £700, but then 

there is the technical management, 

crew management, chartering 

and insurance. 

‘It’s a thriving industry which 

employs around 100 people on 

the Island.’ 

‘The Monaco Yacht Show provides 

a great opportunity to highlight 

the benefits of doing business 

with the ship registry, as well 

as promoting the high quality 

professional services offered in 

the Isle of Man,’ added Alex 

Downie, a member of the island’s 

Legislative Council. 

Eleven Isle-of-Man flagged 

yachts were present at the 22-25 

September show, which has 

proved a productive recruiting 

ground for the registry in previous 

years. 

The vessels included the 

Azteca, a 72m pleasure ship with a 

100 sq m ‘beach club’; Onyx, a 

winner of the Showboats Award 

2009; and Valquest, a 134ft 

Dubois-designed fast cruising 

sloop recently launched from the 

Dutch shipyard Bloemsma & Van 

Breemen. 

Southampton bids 

to take on Cannes 

Southampton is bidding to 

Acompete with superyacht 

destinations such as Cannes and 

Monaco with the launch of a new 

marina and refit centre. 

Opened last month on the site of a 

former US Amy base, Solent Refit is 

capable of accommodating up to 14 

large yachts on floating berths in 

deep water, as well as offering 

mooring space for vessels of up to 

100m and 1,500gt. 

The facility also has a horizontal 

boatlift slipway and a 10,000 sq m 

undercover working area for repairs. 

The berths are on vehicle-accessible 

pontoons, with power and water at 

each berth. 

The site also features double 

security gates, a helicopter landing 

pad, 24-hour surveillance, and a 

strongly reinforced crane dock for 

heavy lifting and workshop and office 

units. 

The centre — which forms part of 

the Hythe Marine Park — was 

launched by the South East England 

Development Agency, after the US 

decided to close its operations there 

in 2006. The project has so far 

created more than 200 jobs. 

‘We hope this will become an 

invaluable resource for the local 

superyacht industry and will prove 

competition to the traditional 

yachting centres in the Mediterranean 

like Cannes and Monaco, said Allan 

Foot, managing director of Yacht 

Project Associates, which runs the 

site. 

‘Origami’ craft takes design 

cues from stealth bomber 

Singer Katherine Jenkins and entrepreneur Theo Paphitis with 

Sunseeker founder Robert Braithwaite at the launch of the new 40m 

yacht in Southampton last month Picture: Frances Howorth 

Sunseeker 40m 

yacht launched 

by Michael Howorth 

The PSP Southampton Yacht 

AShow in September was the 

venue for British-based Sunseeker 

International to launch its latest 

superyacht onto the market. 

Despite a worldwide downturn, 

the British boat builder continues to 

enjoy global popularity and 

exceptional success — having sold 

33 yachts over 30m so far. 

This success is down to a 

number of factors — not least the 

firm’s constant drive for innovation 

and the latest vessel, a 40m yacht 

which became the largest vessel to 

go on display at the Southampton 

show, is a motoryacht of 

exceptional grace. 

Capable of 24 knots and a range 

of up to 1,500nm, the £12.5m yacht 

can accommodate up to 12 guests 

and nine crew over three decks. 

The company chose the singer 

Katherine Jenkins to perform at the 

official launch. She joined 

Sunseeker founder Robert 

Braithwaite onboard the new yacht 

before Ryman chairman and BBC TV 

Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis 

carried out the ribbon cutting 

ceremony. 

The yacht will be shipped to 

Thailand for Russian owners, who 

will make her available for charter 

there. 

The 40m yacht launched at 

Southampton was developed 

following the popularity of 

Sunseeker’s 37m yacht, of which 

nine have been delivered to date, 

and the subsequent success of the 

34m yacht. 

The most noticeable 

development is that, compared 

with the 37m yacht, the stern of the 

40m yacht has an increased rake 

which gives an impressive 

streamlined profile and features a 

sharp, ocean-going bow. 

The main deck cockpit is also 

significantly larger with an 

extended aft deck, allowing for a 

number of customised layouts to 

suit each client’s requirements. 

& Son Ltd. 

Est 1934 

• All sea-going uniforms and cadets college 

wear, braids from stock 

Superyacht design has taken 

Fanother step into the exotic, 

with the ‘origami yacht’ concept, 

pictured above, unveiled last month 

by the Italian designer Fabio 

Federici. 

Taking its cue from the Japanese 

art form of paper folding, the yacht 

features a multi-functional bridge 

and folding ‘wings’ that allow it to 

be transformed from a ‘lavish play 

pad into a sleek speed machine’. 

Mr Federici — who won the 

Millennium Yacht Design Awards in 

2009 — told CNN that the yacht had 

also been inspired by the lines of the 

‘stealth’ bomber. If built the vessel 

would cost in excess of $7.6m. 

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Slow steaming is here to stay, 

Aaccording to a new study which 

found that more than half of the world 

containership fleet is now running 

slower than before the economic 

downturn. 

The report, published by the Dutch 

firm Dynamar, says that adoption of 

‘go-slow’ steaming has helped to 

prevent more of the fleet from going 

into lay-up and has also offered some 

substantial savings in fuel costs. 

With the cost of bunkers set to 

increase in the years ahead, the study 

argues that operators are likely to stick 

with slower speeds. However, the 

report says the practice has not served 

to improve schedule reliability. 

PNautilus has voiced disappointment 

at the failure 

of an important 

International Maritime Organisation 

sub-committee to agree on 

proposals to tighten up safety 

rules governing entry into 

enclosed spaces. 

Last month’s dangerous goods 

sub-committee meeting was presented 

with proposals drawn up 

by a working group in response 

to continuing seafarer deaths and 

injuries in enclosed spaces. 

The working group had proposed 

amendments to the SOLAS 

Convention aimed at making 

enclosed space entry and rescue 

drills mandatory to ensure that 

by Denzil Stuart 

AShip insurers have voiced 

concerns over the growing 

problem of trading sanctions 

— an issue that could affect 

seafarers as insurers increasingly have 

to grapple with the impact of action 

against countries such as Iran. 

The annual conference of the 

International Union of Marine 

Insurers heard that the proposed 

European Union sanctions against 

Iran — due to take effect by the end 

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CMA CGM Pegasus is the 17th new containership to call at Southampton this year Picture: Gary Davies 

Sold short on SOLAS 

‘Blockers and stoppers’ obstruct plans to cut deaths in enclosed spaces 

seafarers are familiar with the 

precautions they need to take 

before entering such spaces, and 

with the most appropriate 

actions to be taken in the event 

of an accident. 

The working group had also 

called for new mandatory provisions 

on the fitting of low pressure 

audible alarms on breathing 

apparatus. 

At the start of the meeting, 

IMO secretary-general Efthimios 

Mitropoulos expressed concern 

at the continued loss of life in 

enclosed spaces, despite the risks 

being well known. 

‘In this, the Year of the Seafarer, 

I look forward to significant 

progress being made by the subcommittee 

on an issue as important 

as this, if we are serious 

about enhancing the protection 

of seafarers against accidents 

onboard ships,’ he added. 

However, the sub-committee 

failed to reach consensus on the 

proposals to amend SOLAS and 

— speaking on behalf of the International 

Federation of Ship Masters’ 

Associations — Nautilus senior 

national secretary Allan 

Graveson said he was extremely 

disappointed at the lack of action. 

‘IFSMA would like to see a 

change in SOLAS for mandatory 

pre-entry drills and a change in 

STCW to improve education and 

training,’ he added. ‘There is a real 

need for a step change — a cultural 

change — on this important 

issue.’ 

Mr Graveson said IFSMA 

would be making further submissions 

to the IMO in a bid to secure 

action. 

‘It is sad to see that the blockers 

and stoppers have been out in 

force and have turned what 

should be something quite simple 

into an uphill struggle,’ he told 

the Telegraph. ‘In the Year of the 

Seafarer, they are failing the seafarer, 

and we have to ask how 

many deaths it will take before 

the necessary action is taken to 

stop the slaughter.’ 

Insurers warned over sanctions 

of September — will come on top of 

action being taken by the US and the 

United Nations, and will have a big 

effect on the insurance market. 

Peter Crowther, a partner in the 

international law firm Dewey & 

LeBoeuf, said underwriters must 

prepare themselves for a world in 

which sanctions are the norm, rather 

than the exception. 

‘Sanctions are not going to go 

away,’ he warned the meeting, ‘but 

this isn’t just about Iran — this is 

about increased enforcement 

generally throughout the EU of the 

sanctions’ rules.’ 

Another concern for insurers, he 

said, is that there is no apparent 

harmonisation between laws on 

sanctions. As a result, insurers must 

check the position of member states 

rather than the overriding regulation. 

IUMI delegates heard that port 

state control has played a significant 

part in a continued fall in ship losses. 

But Lloyd’s hull underwriter Peter 

McIntosh, chairman of the union’s 

ocean hull committee, told the 

conference that while the 90 total 

losses of vessels (500gt and over) in 

2008 had reduced to 73 last year, 

gross tonnage lost was up. 

As to the causes of losses, 

weather, grounding, and fire or 

explosion continued to head the 

table. It was noticeable that human 

error was given much less emphasis 

this year in the various presentations 

and workshops, and underwriters are 

fervently hoping that the improved 

loss record is not a temporary 

aberration. 

SS Robin returns to the Thames 

Pictured left is the historic 

Dcoaster ss Robin, which arrived 

at the Port of Tilbury in the Thames 

estuary last month following two 

years of conservation work in 

Lowestoft. 

The 1890-built vessel now sits on a 

special pontoon large enough to walk 

around inside, and the two structures 

together form a floating maritime 

museum. 

While in Tilbury, the Robin will be 

available for viewings by invitation, 

and the eventual aim is to find a 

permanent mooring in London so that 

the new museum can be fully open to 

the public. 

‘The ambitious, world-first concept 

which has been created for SS Robin 

displays the entire ship to the world 

for the first time,’ commented project 

director David Kampfner. ‘We’re very 

excited to finally bring this important 

historic vessel back to the Thames.’ 

Shipowners could face 

Funlimited liability for future 

major disasters in US waters, the 

industry was warned last month. 

This is one of the measures the 

US Congress is considering in 

reaction to the Deepwater Horizon 

oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, 

delegates at an International 

Chamber of Shipping conference in 

London were told. 

Joe Cox, president of the 

Chamber of Shipping of America, 

briefed them on the implications for 

shipping of the rig explosion in April. 

The accident killed 11 workers on the 

installation and caused what is the 

worst marine oil spill in the history of 

the petroleum industry. 

Although it is the oil sector that is 

under fire in the ensuing political 

and public outcry, shipping is 

implicated in bills passed by the 

House of Representatives and now 

before the Senate, Mr Cox explained. 

Among the bills being 

contemplated by US politicians are 

those affecting the Limitation of 

Liability Act and the Death on the 

High Seas Act. 

Mr Cox said shipping had been 

NEWS 

Rig disaster ‘could 

open up liability 

for shipowners’ 

Signing up with a bargain- 

flag can cost owners 

Fbasement 

more in the long run, the head of the 

Liberian ship registry warned last 

month. 

Speaking at the International 

Chamber of Shipping conference in 

London, chief operating officer Scott 

Bergeron said that too many 

shipowners look at price rather than 

cost when choosing a registry. 

Some owners, he explained, are 

attracted by the idea of joining a 

cheap flag state known for looking 

the other way when it comes to 

compliance with international 

regulations. But this simply leads to 

more expenses down the line. 

‘What is the cost, for example, of 

one day of detention; of a nonresponsive 

maritime administration; 

of repatriating stowaways; of 

accidents or claims caused by crew 

incompetence; or of an act of 

caught up in the liability legislation 

because deepwater drillers are 

covered by the same oil pollution 

regulations. 

He said he had had ‘an 

extraordinary time’ working with 

colleagues from other associations 

to try and convince the legislators 

that if they changed the line that had 

been agreed following the Exxon 

Valdez disaster, it would be 

impossible for owners to operate. 

‘We were successful, I think, in 

convincing them of that,’ he added. 

But the lobbyists were less 

successful, Mr Cox believed, over the 

trial orders concerning limitations on 

compensation for workers killed in 

tragedies such as Deepwater 

Horizon. 

He said changes under 

consideration to the Death on the 

High Seas Act could usher in jury trial 

for any case under the legislation — 

including for survivors. 

Were these changes to become 

law, Mr Cox reflected, ‘If I were 

injured at sea, and my vessel was 

calling into the US, I would be doing 

everything possible to try and get 

into the US judicial system.’ 

Cheap flags can cost 

more, Liberia warns 

piracy’ asked Mr Bergeron. 

In contrast, he wondered, ‘What 

expenses can be saved if the flag 

state is forward-thinking, actively 

involved, always available and 

regularly examining initiatives to 

reduce operational expenses’ 

Mr Bergeron pointed out that the 

price of registering with a flag state 

is typically less than one-half of 1% of 

the vessel’s operating expenses, so it 

seems particularly pointless to try 

and cut corners in this area. 

In his speech to industry leaders, 

the Liberian registry chief also called 

for standards of flag state 

performance to be raised across the 

board. ‘There needs to be greater 

emphasis on truly effective 

measurement points,’ he stressed, 

‘[with] mandatory participation in 

the IMO’s “voluntary” member state 

audit and an attitude of continuous 

improvement.’


NEWS 

Unions agree 

to fight cuts 

General secretary warns that poor will be hardest hit 

Trade union leader Brendan Barber, centre, leads a protest against public spending cuts Picture: Andrew Wiard 

PBritain could become a 

‘darker, brutish, more 

frightening place’ if the 

government presses ahead with 

plans for massive cuts in public 

spending, TUC leader Brendan 

Barber warned in his opening 

speech to Congress. 

The apparent determination 

of ministers to impose the cuts 

‘will not only devastate the services 

we rely on, but do untold 

damage to our economic 

prospects,’ he said. 

Mr Barber said nobody could 

deny the depth of the recession, 

but there was a viable alternative 

to the measures being drawn up 

by the government to reduce the 

deficit. 

‘Let’s be clear about this: cuts 

always hit the poorest, most vulnerable, 

most disadvantaged people,’ 

he pointed out. 

Mr Barber said ministers must 

be aware that what they take 

apart now could take generations 

to rebuild. ‘Decent public services 

are the glue that holds a civilised 

society together, and we diminish 

them at our peril. 

‘Cut services, put jobs in peril, 

and increase inequality — that is 

the way to make Britain a darker, 

brutish, more frightening place.’ 

The TUC leader rejected claims 

that unions are simply set on confrontation 

and are just pursuing 

narrow self-interest. ‘No one takes 

industrial action lightly,’ he 

stressed. ‘We are at the heart of 

our communities, passionately 

concerned to defend the integrity 

and the quality of the services we 

provide.’ 

Unions need to win the intellectual 

battle by showing that 

there is a better way to reduce the 

deficit, Mr Barber argued. ‘One 

that not only avoids savage cuts, 

but is more likely to work as it 

avoids the risk of the double dip.’ 

The TUC wants to see a realistic 

timetable — rather than expect 

the damage done by a bubble that 

grew for decades to be put right in 

just four years. 

‘Ministers must make clear 

that if the economy goes into 

reverse, then they will stop the 

medicine whose side-effects are 

killing the patient,’ Mr Barber 

added. 

He urged union members to 

enter ‘the great debate’ about the 

economy and build ‘a diverse, 

dynamic and progressive alliance’ 

to demonstrate that there is a 

genuine alternative to cuts and 

austerity. 

The first day of the conference 

was marked by a series of 

speeches condemning the government’s 

plans to make spending 

cuts totalling more than 

£80bn over the next four years. 

Delegates voted in favour of a 

motion calling for a coordinated 

campaign to oppose the cuts and 

to defend jobs, pay, pensions and 

public services. 

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Election win 

for Dickinson 

Nautilus general secretary 

DMark Dickinson, above, has 

been re-elected to serve for a further 

year on the TUC’s ruling body, the 

general council. 

He secured 481,000 votes in the 

ballot for the 11 seats on the general 

council that are reserved for smaller 

unions. His share of the vote was the 

third highest of the 16 union officials 

standing for election. 

‘I am delighted by the result and 

will continue to take advantage of 

this opportunity to ensure that the 

voice of seafarers is heard loud and 

clear at the highest levels of the 

union movement,’ Mr Dickinson said. 

‘Over the past year, the TUC has 

given us invaluable support in 

progressing our campaigns on 

maritime skills, training and 

employment,’ he added. ‘It has 

helped us to lobby government on 

other issues, including pay and 

conditions and piracy, and to make 

sure that political attention is 

focussed on maritime matters.’ 

Survey shows what 

the workforce thinks 

ANautilus assistant general 

secretary Paul Moloney 

chaired a fringe meeting 

that saw the launch of a new report 

that seeks to shape the debate about 

the future of trade unions. 

Published by the Unions21 

organisation, the report is based on 

the results of a YouGov survey of more 

than 2,220 workers, detailing their 

attitudes towards their jobs, 

management and trade unions. 

The survey showed that despite an 

increasingly difficult work 

environment, there remains a strong 

positive commitment to work. Twothirds 

of respondents said that their 

job is interesting and enjoyable, while 

six out of 10 feel loyal to their 

organisation. 

However, 70% said their job 

requires them to work very hard and 

more than 40% said they never seem 

to have enough time to get their work 

done. 

Just over 60% described relations 

between management and staff as 

excellent or good, although only 13% 

of respondents overall were very 

satisfied with the influence they have 

over organisational decisions that 

affect their job or working life. 

The survey showed that unions are 

rated most highly for protecting 

workers against unfair treatment and 

for knowledge and understanding of 

the employer’s business. 

Contrary to the impression often 

conveyed in the media, the majority 

of respondents across all sectors said 

management and unions usually 

Bankers ‘let it 

slip’, governor 

tells Congress 

Trade unionists are right to be 

Fangry at the financial sector’s 

responsibility for creating the 

economic crisis, Bank of England 

governor Mervyn King told Congress. 

‘We let it slip — we, that is, in the 

financial sector and as policy-makers 

— not your members nor the many 

businesses and organisations around 

the country which employ them,’ he 

admitted. 

‘But it was the real economy that 

suffered and the banks that were 

bailed out. Your members, and 

indeed the businesses which employ 

them, are entitled to be angry.’ 

Warning that the consequences of 

the financial crisis will continue ‘for 

years to come’, Mr King said lessons 

will have to be learned. 

‘We cannot just carry on as we 

are,’ he told delegates. ‘Unless we 

reform our economy — rebalance 

demand, restructure banking, and 

restore the sustainability of our public 

finances — we shall not only 

jeopardise recovery, but also fail the 

next generation.’ 

The governor told the conference 

that a range of measures are required 

to avert a similar crisis in future, 

including reducing imbalances in the 

world economy and radical reform of 

the financial sector, with stricter 

regulation of banking. 

‘The costs of this crisis will be with 

work together, and that there is a 

strong preference for this type of 

approach. 

Mr Moloney told the meeting that 

the findings were very supportive of 

the work undertaken by trade unions 

in many different workplaces, and 

that there was considerable support 

for some of the things unions do — 

even from non-members. 

‘The survey should give comfort to 

unions and shows that we remain as 

necessary today as at any time in the 

past,’ he added. ‘There is a role for 

unions to work with the good 

employers, so they are not undercut 

by the bad ones. This is very much 

Nautilus International’s approach and 

we have done a lot of work in the ferry 

sector to identify and target bad 

employers as a way of protecting 

better companies.’ 

Mervyn King was only the second 

Bank of England governor ever to 

address the TUC 

Picture: Andrew Wiard 

us for a generation,’ he concluded, 

‘and we owe it to the next generation 

to seize this opportunity to put in 

place the reforms that will make 

another crisis much less likely and 

much less damaging.’ 

He warned that the government 

risked plunging Britain back into 

recession if it did not make cuts to 

reduce the national deficit. 

Paul Moloney speaks at the TUC 


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NEWS 

TUC backs asbestos call 

Seafarers face increased risks of exposure to deadly material despite rules 

intended to outlaw its use onboard ships, Council member tells Congress 

PNautilus International 

has secured the unanimous 

support of the 

TUC Congress for its campaign to 

secure tougher controls against 

the threats posed by asbestos on 

ships. 

Delegates at the TUC’s annual 

conference in Manchester voted 

in support of a Nautilus motion 

expressing concern at the continued 

presence of asbestos on 

ships — despite international 

rules, introduced in 2002, that 

sought to prevent its use. 

Council member Captain 

Stephen Gudgeon — a serving 

shipmaster — moved the motion 

and told the meeting of evidence 

showing that the regulations are 

being broken with impunity. 

Nautilus had been horrified to 

find the deadly material in more 

than 3,500 parts onboard a newlybuilt 

ship last year, he said, and 

one classification society recently 

revealed that asbestos had been 

detected on 95% of ships checked 

in the last four years. 

‘The problem even affects 

ships that have been certified 

as asbestos-free — sometimes 

because they have been built with 

the material present in components, 

and sometimes because 

the substance has been introduced 

through spare parts,’ Capt 

Gudgeon warned. 

‘Shipping is the most International 

of all industries, and our 

worry is that asbestos is still being 

commonly used in more than 

100 countries around the world,’ 

he said. 

‘More and more ships are 

being built in new shipbuilding 

nations where asbestos use is 

taken for granted, and we have 

been told of ships being contaminated 

after asbestos fire blankets 

were used during welding work in 

foreign ports.’ 

Capt Gudgeon said seafarers 

face higher risks than workers 

ashore because ships serve as 

their homes as well as workplaces 

for long periods and they do not 

have rapid access to specialist 

advice and support if asbestos is 

discovered. They also face a very 

real risk of exposure to asbestos 

during repair or maintenance 

work and big efforts need to be 

made to raise awareness among 

crews, shipowners and regulatory 

authorities. 

Shipboard asbestos also poses 

a risk to demolition workers, Capt 

Gudgeon pointed out, and they 

often work in developing nations 

with little protective equipment 

and poor safety standards. 

He told how the Australian 

government has recently taken a 

stand against non-compliance by 

refusing entry to vessels containing 

asbestos — and said other 

governments should be encouraged 

to do the same. 

‘For shipping, sadly, asbestos 

is not a thing of the past — it 

remains a problem of the present 

and of the future. In 2010, the 

maritime industry is still, on a 

daily basis, responsible for exposing 

its workers to asbestos and 

thus creating victims for decades 

ahead,’ he added. 

‘It’s just not good enough, and 

we need your support to ensure 

that our members — and seafarers 

worldwide — are properly protected 

and do not continue to 

inherit the deadly legacy of this 

material.’ 

Supporting the motion, Barrie 

Worth of the Prospect union said 

it was appalling that seafarers 

were being threatened by 

asbestos 25 years after the government 

banned the use of blue 

and brown asbestos. ‘We share 

Nautilus’s alarm at the continued 

use of asbestos on ships and the 

apparent criminal activity that 

enables ships to be certified 

asbestos-free when they clearly 

are not,’ he added. 

Capt Stephen Gudgeon 

speaks on asbestos 


Nautilus warns of threats to RFA’s status 

AHands off the Royal Fleet 

Auxiliary! That was the 

message to the government 

as delegates to the TUC conference 

unanimously backed a Nautilus 

motion opposing any moves to 

downsize or commercialise the vital 

work carried out by the service. 

Moving the motion, RFA officer 

Martin Troman — pictured right — 

explained how the RFA has, for more 

than a century, provided essential 

strategic seaborne support for the 

armed forces. 

‘With more than 750 officers and 

1,450 ratings on its books, the RFA is 

now the biggest single employer of 

British merchant seafarers and — as 

a result of the long-term decline of 

the Merchant Navy — has become 

increasingly important in providing a 

pool of skilled and experienced UK 

seafarers and a fleet of ships that 

can be relied upon at a time of 

national crisis,’ he added. 

Mr Troman said the RFA could 

demonstrate a remarkable record of 

success in war and peace. ‘From 

providing support to military 

campaigns such as the Falklands and 

the Gulf Wars and supporting the UN 

in Bosnia, to proving humanitarian 

relief in Iraq, Haiti and Mozambique, 

protecting ships from piracy off 

Somalia, and helping to combat 

drug smuggling in the Caribbean, 

the RFA delivers time and time 

again.’ 

But despite this, Mr Troman said 

the RFA is repeatedly coming under 

pressure — both from commercial 

companies hoping that parts of its 

work will be privatised and from 

Treasury cost-cutting. Concerns had 

been heightened by another ‘value 

for money’ review and by reports of 

Martin Troman moving the RFA 

motion Picture: Andrew Wiard 

what the government is considering 

as part of its strategic defence 

review. 

‘There are good grounds for 

fearing that ministers will be lured 

by the siren calls of short-term 

savings from commercialising some 

cherry-picked parts of our services,’ 

he added, ‘and we’re also seriously 

concerned about the desperate 

delay in building new ships to 

replace single-hull tankers that, 

under international maritime 

pollution regulations, really 

shouldn’t be at sea any more.’ 

Mr Troman said the UK’s 

economic and strategic wellbeing is 

as reliant upon the sea as it ever 

was, and he urged the conference to 

support Nautilus in seeking to 

ensure the RFA can continue to play 

a pivotal part in protecting maritime 

trade. 

‘I have completed over 40 years’ 

service in the RFA, so it is not my 

future that I am speaking for,’ he 

added. ‘My concerns are for future 

generations to be given a similar 

opportunity of a long and fulfilling 

career at sea, for the future of the UK 

shipping industry as a whole, for the 

future strategic well-being of our 

island nation and for the long-term 

role of the RFA in helping to achieve 

all these aims.’ 

RMT delegate Mark Carden said 

RFA seafarers had consistently 

displayed professionalism, 

dedication and bravery, and it was 

important that the unique and 

specialist role of the service is 

safeguarded. Privatisation of the RFA 

would devastate employment of 

British seafarers and undermine the 

government’s maritime policies. 

Alan Dennis, of the PCS union, 

praised the ‘fantastic work’ 

undertaken by the RFA and said it 

was a disgrace that its seafarers 

were being treated so badly after all 

their hard work and sacrifice. 

He said it was appalling that the 

RFA is exposed to ‘a constant 

onslaught’ of reviews, often by very 

highly paid consultants, and warned 

that the strategic defence review 

was nothing more than a ‘job cuts 

and asset sales exercise’. 

 

 

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HEALTH&SAFETY 

MAIB calls for big 

changes at MCA 

Union concern as report highlights ‘deep-rooted’ failings in fishing regime 

PNautilus has raised pointed out. Investigators also 

renewed concerns about found a number of serious problems 

on the 29-year-old vessel, 

the Maritime & Coastguard 

Agency’s ability to uphold including: 

safety standards at sea following a zpoorly maintained fishing 

damning report from the Marine equipment and no evidence of 

Accident Investigation Branch. systematic planned maintenance 

An investigation into a serious zthe vessel failed stability criteria 

for a number of structural rea- 

accident onboard a fishing vessel 

last October found that the MCA sons and was being operated in a 

had failed to effectively implement 

recommendations made as bility margins 

manner that further reduced sta- 

a result of previous incidents. znine crewmen were onboard, 

‘Significant weaknesses in the despite the vessel being limited 

MCA’s administration of survey to a maximum of six 

and inspections were evident, and zcrew were working long hours, 

its guidance to industry had with few breaks 

diluted a number of safety regulations 

to the point they were evidence of risk assessment were 

zdocumentation, records and 

ineffective,’ the report states. missing 

Pointing to ‘deep-rooted’ failings 

in MCA procedures, the MAIB likely the trawl wire had parted 

The investigators said it was 

warned that ‘significant policy because it had become brittle and 

changes’ are required to improve worn through extensive use. They 

safety and occupational standards 

in the fishing sector. 

of poorly maintained equipment 

also found ‘numerous examples’ 

The report was prompted by onboard that could have failed, 

an incident last October when a resulting in death or injury. 

fisherman suffered chest injuries The report says the owner had 

after a trawl wire parted onboard disregarded the safety and welfare 

of the seafarers by employing 

the 242gt Scottish trawler Olivia 

Jean. 

‘unqualified, sleep-deprived crew’ 

‘This was the second time that with a complement in excess of 

a crewman onboard had been the vessel’s rescue boat exemption 

certificate. The MAIB also 

seriously injured as a result of a 

parting wire and the fourth time uncovered evidence that the 

that this vessel’s trawl wires are Olivia Jean had previously operated 

with up to 15 crew known to have failed,’ the MAIB 

onboard, 

New course 

at Tyneside 

is simply 

electric... 

A new high voltage training 

Fcourse for seafarers — said to 

be the only one of its kind in the 

world — has been launched at 

South Tyneside College. 

Aimed at engineer officers, 

electro-technical officers and 

superintendents, the Shipboard 

High Voltage Training Course has 

been approved by the Maritime 

& Coastguard Agency and meets 

Merchant Navy Training Board 

specifications. 

College principal Lindsey 

Whiterod explained: ‘We have been 

running a high voltage 

familiarisation course for over four 

years but we felt like there was a 

need for a developed course dealing 

even though it was only permitted 

to sail with six. 

Some of the seven foreign 

crew onboard at the time of the 

accident had come to the UK 

expecting to work on merchant 

ships in the deepsea trades. They 

had also anticipated four-month 

contracts, but discovered they 

were expected to work for 18 

months. There was no crew agreement 

onboard, and the three 

Ghanaian crew were unable to 

leave because the company held 

their papers and passports. 

The MAIB also found evidence 

of fatigue, as the deckhands had 

been working almost continuously 

for five to seven days at a 

time, with few opportunities for 

rest. 

‘From the state of the vessel, 

and the way in which it was being 

operated, it could be construed 

that the owner was showing a 

total disregard for the safety and 

welfare of his employees and 

share fishermen onboard,’ the 

report added. 

The MAIB said the Olivia Jean’s 

owner appeared to have been willing 

to run the risk of detentions 

and delays as a result of failing 

inspections, and to carry out only 

the minimum remedial action 

required. 

The report said the MCA 

should carry out an extensive 

with specific maritime high voltage 

situations. 

‘Marine engineers work in a 

different environment from those 

who work on land and must be able 

to safely operate and reconfigure 

their high voltage equipment in 

difficult operational circumstances.’ 

The new course is designed for 

officers who will be expected to 

supervise and/or implement 

onboard high voltage switching 

operations, and uses extensive 

practical exercises on modern high 

voltage equipment at the college’s 

recently-upgraded training facility, 

pictured above. 

The emphasis is on the safe 

working practices and procedures 

review following a serious injury 

accident to determine whether an 

owner/operator is providing a 

safe working environment 

onboard its vessels. ‘Until MCA 

surveyors review workplace practices 

onboard fishing vessels following 

serious accidents, it will 

not be effective in regulating the 

fishing industry,’ the report 

warned. 

Recommendations included a 

call for the MCA to review the 

effectiveness of its fishing vessel 

risk assessment and working time 

regulations and to improve its 

accident records so that trends 

can be identified and acted upon. 

Nautilus senior national secretary 

Allan Graveson said he was 

disturbed by the findings, and 

was concerned that the Agency’s 

resources allocated for fishing 

vessel safety have been drastically 

reduced. 

A spokesman for the MCA told 

the Telegraph: ‘We welcome this 

report and the MCA is reviewing 

its work in the light of the wideranging 

issues and recommendations 

that it makes. 

‘Until we have considered fully 

our response to the recommendations 

and reviewed our work, 

the impact on MCA resources cannot 

be assessed,’ he added. 

‘Improvements do not necessarily 

require more resources.’ 

which should be followed onboard 

vessels equipped with high voltage 

systems. 

Successful candidates will be 

trained in such things as safe 

isolation procedures, the safe use of 

testing equipment and switching 

procedures, together with the 

correct use of Electrical Permit to 

Work and Sanction to Test Systems. 

During the course, each 

candidate will design and 

implement switching plans based 

upon the college’s distribution 

systems and those who successfully 

complete the training will be able to 

work as ‘Authorised Persons’ within 

a team carrying out high voltage 

isolation and switching operations. 

Pictured above is the windfarm vessel MPI Resolution making its maiden 

call to the port of Harwich last month. The purpose-built 14,085gt ship 

picked up a replacement 55m blade for one of the 48 turbines at the 

Gunfleet Sands offshore windfarm — one of the largest in the North Sea 

Owners warn over 

UK windfarm sites 

Shipping safety is being put at 

Crisk as a result of the ‘absurd 

process’ for allocating windfarm sites 

around the UK coast, owners have 

claimed. 

The Chamber of Shipping is urging 

the government to make radical 

changes in the procedures used to 

determine the location of windfarms 

and to ensure that major routes used 

by merchant shipping and fishing 

vessels are protected. 

‘All too often, shipping and other 

users of our seas are not taken into 

account or consulted until after the 

sites have been designated,’ said 

Saurabh Sachdeva, nautical 

consultant at the Chamber. 

The owners argue that the current 

process means that issues such as the 

safety of navigation and potential 

impact on trade routes are not 

considered at a sufficiently early stage 

when identifying and deciding on 

future windfarm sites. 

Firm claims new onload 

release hooks are safest 

A new range of onload release 

Ahooks for lifeboats, claimed to 

be the safest on the market, has 

been launched by Schat-Harding. 

The SeaCure hooks — available 

for retrofit to all the company’s 

lifeboats — have been designed to 

be fail-safe, and are supported by a 

computer-based training package for 

crews covering the operation and 

maintenance of lifeboats, davits and 

winches. 

Available in 3.5-tonne, 6-tonne, 

9-tonne and 12-tonne versions, the 

hooks are fully compliant with the 

IMO’s new DE53 standard. The ‘userfriendly’ 

design ensures no wear and 

tear on critical hook components and 

no pins, fall prevention devices or 

additional loose equipment are 

required. 

Schat-Harding Service sales 

A new initiative has been 

Alaunched in an effort to reduce 

the number of seafarers killed and 

injured by powered watertight doors. 

Videotel Marine International has 

produced a new training package that 

highlights the hazards and aims to 

help seafarers follow the correct 

procedures. 

Loulla Mouzouris, Videotel’s head 

of rentals and sales, commented: 

‘Our customers told us of some 

horrific cases involving powered 

watertight doors and also of instances 

where power cables or waterpipes for 

‘The shipping industry’s major 

concern is that, despite the various 

codes of practice, maritime notices 

and the requirements of the Electricity 

Act, offshore renewable energy 

developments are increasingly 

encroaching on well-established sea 

lanes, strategic trade routes and the 

approaches to ports,’ the Chamber 

added. ‘Applications for 

developments continue to be put 

forward which clearly represent a 

danger to other sea users.’ 


Allan Graveson commented: ‘The 

employment of professional mariners 

will help to reduce risk and ensure 

high standards of safe ship operation. 

Masters and officers familiar with 

these waters, together with deepsea 

pilots, can make a significant 

difference to safety. The development 

of windfarms is providing significant 

employment for European seafarers 

and should be welcomed.’ 

director David Torres said the CBT 

package should help to reduce 

incidents involving human error and 

make crews more confident. 

Training bid to improve 

watertight door safety 

firefighting had become trapped in 

the doorways. 

‘We responded to their concerns 

by producing this two-part video 

training package with a training 

workbook which is aimed at raising 

awareness of safe and correct 

operating practices and will benefit 

everyone onboard, as well as visitors 

and contractors working on ships,’ she 

added. 

The 26-minute training film is now 

being distributed within the industry 

and it will be followed soon by a 

computer-based training package.


HEALTH&SAFETY 

Bulk carrier crew tried 

to cover up ‘hit and 

Shortage 

of skilled 

seafarers 

prompts 

P&I alert 

run’ with fishing boat 

The shortage of skilled and 

Hexperienced seafarers is 

starting to drive a ‘vicious circle’ of 

declining safety standards at sea and 

ashore, a major P&I club has 

warned. 

Crew of UK-flagged ferry praised for ‘exemplary seamanship’ in responding to distress calls 

PNautilus has expressed 

alarm at a horrifying ‘hit 

and run’ incident in the 

Channel in which the crew of a 

Singapore-flagged bulk carrier 

tried to cover up evidence that 

they had been involved in a fatal 

collision with a fishing vessel. 

Concerns over the incident — 

which occurred in December 

2009, some 15nm north of the 

Cherbourg peninsula — were 

intensified after accident investigators 

found that many ships in 

the area ignored distress flares 

and Mayday messages. 

But both Nautilus and the 

Marine Accident Investigation 

Branch have praised the crew 

of the UK-flagged ferry Norman 

Voyager for responding and 

rescuing the three surviving fishermen. 

The MAIB said the ferry’s officers 

and crew had demonstrated 

‘exemplary seamanship and carried 

out a safe and efficient rescue 

‘in the best traditions of the Merchant 

Navy’. 

The collision occurred as the 

87,052dwt Alam Pintar, en route 

to Hamburg from Canada, twice 

struck the Weymouth-registered 

crabber Etoile des Ondes. 

Investigators said the bulker’s 

officer of the watch had seen 

Etoile des Ondes and realised 

there was a risk of collision, but 

his initial attempts to prevent a 

collision were rendered ineffective 

when the fishing vessel also 

changed course while heaving 

and shooting pots. 

The OOW ordered the wheel 

hard-a-starboard, but it was too 

late to prevent the collision. 

When the bulk carrier’s master 

arrived on the bridge, he was told 

the vessel had probably hit a fishing 

boat which had been seen ‘still 

afloat and well lit’ after the collision. 

The master checked the radar 

and saw a moving target astern of 

Alam Pintar, which he assumed to 

be the fishing vessel and so he 

ordered the ship’s engines to be 

increased to full speed. 

At this time distress flares 

were fired by the crabber’s survivors 

and a Mayday relay audible 

on the bridge indicated that a 

fishing vessel in the area required 

assistance. 

‘Shortly after the initial “all 

ships — Mayday Relay” Jobourg 

MRCC contacted Alam Pintar 

specifically to ask the master to 

confirm if he had heard the 

broadcast or seen the red flares 

which were near his position,’ the 

MAIB report notes. ‘The master 

assured Jobourg MRCC that he 

had not.’ 

As Alam Pintar continued on 

passage to Hamburg, the ship’s 

documents and recordings, 

including those of the voyage 

data recorder, were altered or 

removed in an attempt to obscure 

any evidence suggesting a collision 

with Etoile des Ondes. The 

MAIB said the master’s decision 

to carry on after the collision and 

continuing on passage was ‘illegal, 

immoral and against all the 

traditions of the sea’. 

Alam Pintar — which was 

operated and managed by PACC- 

Ship (UK) with a Chinese master 

and officers — had an inexperienced 

bridge team on duty at the 

time, the report adds. The fourth 

officer — who had just two 

months in rank — and unqualified 

first-trip cadet did not comply 

with the requirement to keep 

EU to ‘name and shame’ 

The Singapore-flagged Alam Pintar, 

left, and above evidence of the 

collision with the fishing vessel 

Etoile des Ondes Pictures: MAIB 

a lookout and the actions taken 

by the OOW indicated a lack of 

appreciation of what could be 

expected from a vessel engaged 

in fishing. 

The MAIB said the attempts to 

alter or destroy evidence were illegal 

and foolish. 

‘Accident investigators have a 

mass of information, both on 

board and elsewhere, which will 

rapidly identify such actions,’ the 

report adds. 

‘Most technical recording 

devices will record all attempts to 

tamper with the evidence. Such 

attempts serve purely to turn an 

accident into a crime.’ 

Noting 20 other cases since 

1991 where ships had failed to 

stop or offer assistance in similar 

circumstances, the MAIB has 

issued a safety flyer stressing the 

legal and moral obligation to 

respond to Maydays and highlighting 

the importance of effective 

bridge teams and the maintenance 

of proper navigational 

lookouts. 

The chief inspector of marine 

accidents also wrote to the operators 

of seven ships which failed 

to offer assistance following the 

accident. They were asked to 

explain the actions of their vessels 

and what they intended to do 

to ensure future compliance with 

SOLAS rules. 


Allan Graveson described the 

case as very disturbing. ‘This incident 

demonstrates the importance 

of quality training and 

experience of merchant officers,’ 

he added. 

‘The master and crew of the 

Norman Voyager should be commended 

for their actions — sadly 

lacking amongst so many others,’ 

he added. 

And the North of England Club 

has questioned whether the 

slowdown in maritime trade will 

lead to a hoped-for reduction in the 

accident rate as a result of the 

industry being worked at a ‘less 

pressured, frantic pace’. 

Its annual report points to a 

number of recent large incidents 

where incompetence and negligence 

have resulted in disaster. 

Club chairman Albert Engelsman 

said it remains ‘starkly clear’ that 

human factors lie behind the vast 

bulk of maritime accidents. ‘The 

levels of competence and standards 

onboard ship continue to cause 

concern and, even in these times of 

recession, there still appears to be a 

shortage of qualified, properly 

experienced seafarers,’ he added. 

Mr Englesman said this shortfall 

is resulting in inexperienced crew 

being promoted too fast — ‘with 

obvious implications for safety 

onboard’. The trend could also have 

a long-term adverse effect, he 

warned. ‘The worry is that the next 

generation of seafarers will suffer 

because they could be learning from 

people who simply don’t have the 

requisite experience to pass on.’ 

Writing in the annual report, Mr 

Englesman said the club wanted to 

see much more investment in 

seafarer training. ‘We are concerned 

that, as we near the hoped-for end 

of recession, the problems will 

escalate in parallel with increased 

demand for personnel.’ 

He warned that the knock-on 

effect — lack of experience coming 

ashore — presents a threat to 

safety-critical posts in the maritime 

sector. ‘Where will we find our 

surveyors, our superintendents, our 

maritime lawyers, our harbour 

masters, our pilots or even our 

insurers’ he added. 

CNautilus has welcomed a new ‘name and 

shame’ policy to combat substandard 

shipping in European waters. 

The European Commission last month approved 

new rules that aim to improve the safety of the 

80,000 ships operating in the region, including an 

online register of poor operators and tougher 

powers to ban vessels that repeatedly fail 

inspections. 

Coming into effect on 1 January 2011, the new 

rules will ensure that port state control checks are 

targeted on the basis of risk assessment — with 

better performing operators, ship types and flags 

rewarded with fewer inspections. 

The new rules will harmonise inspection 

standards across Europe and will, for the first time, 

introduce a fully coordinated system of control and 

analysis of all the port state safety inspections 

carried out in the EU. 

A key element of the new policy will be an 

advanced information tool — Thetis — operated 

by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). 

This will hold data on all safety inspections carried 

out in EU ports and provide a risk analysis to help 

determine the frequency of, and priorities for 

inspections. 

An associated online register will ‘name and 

shame’ companies whose safety performance has 

been found to be low or very low for three months 

or more. 

The Commission said the new regime also 

strengthens Europe’s ability to push substandard 

ships out of its waters, making it possible to ban any 

categories of ships, inserting a minimum time limit 

for a ban and introducing a permanent ban for 

those ships that continue to flout the rules. 

Vice-president Sim Kallas commented: ‘Safety is 

the first priority for EU. We have seen the 

devastating effects of maritime disasters like the 

sinking of the ferry Estonia or the Erika or Prestige in 

terms of tragic loss of life and massive 

environmental damage. 

‘As ever, I am strongly convinced about the 

power of transparency,’ he added. ‘We want to 

shine a light on the safety records of shipping 

companies, flag states and certification 

organisations. More transparency in this sector will 

showcase companies with strong safety records, 

giving them a competitive advantage. The register 

will also put poor performers in their spotlight so 

that with tougher inspection regimes and public 

pressure there is every incentive for them to raise 

their game rather than face a ban from EU waters.’ 

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan 

Graveson commented: ‘This is a welcome step 

forward and it should improve the effectiveness and 

efficiency of port state control, by targeting high-risk 

ships. It should also benefit members serving on 

quality tonnage, as they will be subjected to far 

fewer inspections in port.’ 

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INTERNATIONAL 

shortreports 

PENSION PLEDGE: Boskalis, the Dutch dredging 

major, has claimed that it was aware all along of the 

problematic financial position of Smit’s €200m pension 

fund — including a €28m shortfall — when it sealed a 

€1.4bn takeover of the fellow Dutch maritime services 

company in spring this year. A terse announcement 

from Boskalis revealed that the board of Smit Pension 

Fund Foundation had been urged by the Dutch central 

bank to take ‘accelerated measures’ to improve its 

financial position. 

FRENCH WORRIES: French seafaring unions 

and pensioners’ associations have expressed concern 

that the High Maritime Council is to be abolished in the 

government’s reform of seafarers’ social security 

arrangements. They fear that some rights could be 

withdrawn in the rehash of the advisory body, which 

was set up in 1953 and brings together all sides of the 

industry. 

GREEK CONCERN: Greek seafaring unions have 

reacted strongly to their government’s announcement 

that cruise ships will now be able to use the country’s 

ports as home bases without having to employ Greek 

seafarers. The government is seeking to more than 

double cruise ship calls as part of a programme to tackle 

its economic crisis. 

INJURIES DOWN: Sweden’s SFBF officers’ union 

has welcomed a report suggesting that the gap 

between injury rates among those working at sea and 

ashore has narrowed dramatically. The study concludes 

it is ‘only’ 30% more dangerous at sea now, while in 

1992 the at-work injury rate was 300% higher than 

ashore. 

WAGES WON: sixteeen seafarers stranded 

onboard the Sierra Leone-flagged cargoship Eastern 

Planet in the Spanish port of Algeciras since July have 

received more than US$98,000 in owed wages 

following intervention by a local International Transport 

Workers’ Federation inspector. 

COASTAL SERVICE: France has begun moves to 

establish a new coastguard function to coordinate the 

activity of various state bodies dealing with maritime 

issues and establish a centre of operations that will 

provide specialist advice to the government in crisis 

situations. 

INTAKE INCREASE: French maritime high 

school directors have expressed satisfaction with an 

increase in the number of new trainees this year. The 

number of pupils starting the three-year maritime 

course last month was 1,932, up from 1,650 a year ago. 

BOX BOOST: the ailing containership operator 

CMA CGM has announced a spectacular recovery, with a 

41% year-on-year increase in turnover and profits of 

€675m in the first half of 2010. 

CHERBOURG COAL: a new coal terminal in the 

French port of Cherbourg was inaugurated last month, 

with a bulk carrier delivering a cargo from Colombia. 

‘Scapegoat’ officer 

in $23m lawsuit 

Greek chief engineer launches claim after 14-month detention in the US 

PA Greek chief engineer 

officer has launched a 

US$23m lawsuit against 

his former employers, claiming 

that he had been scapegoated in 

an oily waste dumping case. 

Ioannis Mylonakis is seeking 

damages for a wrongful 14-month 

incarceration, lost personal 

income and medical expenses 

before he was cleared by a US 

court on five charges relating to 

oily waste dumping from the 

tanker Georgios M. 

His lawyers claim the chief 

engineer had been the victim of a 

plea bargaining agreement 

between the US authorities and 

the tanker’s owners, the Mamidakis 

Group. 

In May this year Mr Mylonakis 

became the first seafarer to be 

AA Danish bulk carrier has 

begun the latest in a series 

of voyages that mark the 

opening up of the Arctic Ocean to 

merchant shipping services. 

The 43,731dwt Nordic Barents is 

carrying some 41,000 tonnes of iron 

ore from Norway to China and is set 

become the first non-Russian 

commercial vessel to attempt a nonstop 

crossing of the Northern Sea 

Route. 

Using the Arctic route from 

Europe to Asia instead of the Suez 

Canal or Cape of Good Hope cuts 

5,000nm from the journey and 

offers fuel savings of up to 

US$180,000. 

The receding Arctic ice cap is 

making it increasingly easier for 

ships to use polar waters, and during 

the summer the ice sheet shrunk to 

near record distances from the 

Russian coast. 

In a separate trail-blazing 

voyage, the Aframax tanker SCF 

Baltica is sailing from Murmansk to 

China with a 70,000-tonne cargo of 

gas condensate, escorted by two 

nuclear-powered ice-breakers. 

cleared of ‘magic pipe’ offences 

after a Texas jury rejected the evidence 

given by ‘whistleblowing’ 

crew members on his ship. 

He had spent the previous 14 

months detained in the US awaiting 

trial. During this period he 

suffered medical problems and 

his pension and health insurance 

lapsed because he had not been 

working as a seafarer. 

The Mamidakis subsidiary 

Styga Compania Naviera, which 

managed the 69,900dwt Georgios 

M, had admitted in its plea 

agreement to a three-year history 

of dumping oily waste and using 

by-pass equipment. In return for 

its plea, Styga paid a $1.25m fine 

and agreed to a three-year probationary 

environmental-compliance 

inspection programme. 

Russian authorities say the 

voyages will demonstrate the 

viability of the Northern Sea Route 

for shipping services and will open 

up ‘new business opportunities’. 

Sovcomflot, which owns the SCF 

Baltica, said its transit ‘confirms the 

economic potential of the NSR for 

delivering hydrocarbons to the 

countries of the Asia-Pacific region.’ 

Tschudi Shipping chairman Felix 

Tschudi added: ‘We are very excited 

about the opportunities the NSR will 

generate. It has been our ambition 

for years, so we are very happy to 

finally have the opportunity to do 

The company also agreed to 

assist the US government in prosecuting 

its former employees, 

including Mr Mylonakis. But his 

lawyers point out that he had 

served on the tanker for only two 

months when the magic pipe was 

discovered and that he had been 

unaware of the equipment, which 

was concealed beneath the 

engineroom floor plates. 

They say the legal action is 

aimed at ‘restoring the chief engineer’s 

dignity and obtaining just 

compensation for the ordeal he 

and his family were forced to 

endure’ as a result of the company’s 

‘scapegoat strategy’. 

Laywer George Chalos commented: 

‘We are going to do 

everything humanly possible to 

get justice for the Mylonakis family. 

Beyond that, we hope the 

result will be a lesson and a serious 

deterrent for anyone who 

ever even thinks about trying to 

opportunistically blame the little 

guy. The defendants made a 

major mistake in how they handled 

the case and the strategy has 

backfired miserably. 

‘We are confident that a Texas 

jury is not going to look kindly on 

rich, admitted polluters who tried 

to scapegoat the last man on the 

ship in order to save a few bucks, 

he added. ‘It is both our and Mr 

Mylonakis’s most sincere hope 

that no one will ever have to go 

through what the Mylonakis family 

did and that the fair treatment 

of seafarers remains front and 

centre for all concerned in future 

matters.’ 

Fines imposed for oily discharges 

AA chief engineer officer has been fined 

US$5,000 and sentenced to three years’ 

probation by a US court on oily waste 

dumping charges. 

Dimitrios Dimitrakis, who had been serving on 

the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier New 

Fortune, had admitted a series of charges relating 

to the overboard disposal of oil residue, sludge, oil 

and oily mixtures into the ocean and his attempts to 

conceal the discharges. 

Volodymyr Dombrovskyy, the vessel’s second 

engineer, was sentenced to two years probation, 

a $500 fine and a $100 special assessment after 

pleading guilty to aiding and abetting the failure to 

maintain the oil record book. 

The pair were brought to court following a US 

Coast Guard inspection in the port of Oakland which 

uncovered evidence that equipment had been used 

to by-pass the oily waste separator system, as well 

as false entries in the record book. 

The ship’s owners — Transmar Shipping of 

Greece — had earlier been fined $750,000 and 

ordered to make a community service payment of 

$100,000. 

Shipping starts to open 

up Northern Sea Route 

The Nordic Barents leaves the Norwegian port of Kirknes for its Arctic Ocean voyage Picture: Reuters 

this voyage. 

‘The NSR can be of great 

importance for the companies in 

northern Scandinavia and on the 

Kola Peninsula which ship oil, gas, 

minerals and other raw materials to 

the increasingly important Asian 

markets.’


INTERNATIONAL 

French and Spanish unions want their members onboard the UK-flagged Norman Bridge Picture: Eric Houri 

Three-month 

lifeline given 

to SeaFrance 

Unions warned of need to accept proposed job cuts 

by Jeff Apter 

PThe 

long-running 

SeaFrance survival saga 

continues — with the 

surprise decision by the Paris 

commercial court last month to 

give a three-month extension to 

the period of administration and 

protection. 

The judge took the unexpected 

decision saying that the 

extension would enable the company’s 

restructuring and redundancy 

programme to continue 

following the approval of ‘rescue’ 

funding totalling €50m by the 

European Commission. 

But unions representing staff 

working for the cross-Channel 

operator have been warned 

against taking any action that 

could make the company go 

bankrupt. 

Management said they would 

be meeting unions in the wake of 

the court decision to discuss 

arrangements for the remaining 

job losses required by the company’s 

survival plan. 

AThe first Danish maritime catering officers 

have completed their training to switch to 

being navigation officers. Two of the class 

are now seeking jobs as second or third officers, 

while six are continuing their training so they can 

become masters of smaller vessels up to 3,000 

tonnes. 

The background to the retraining is rooted in 

Maersk’s decision in 2008 to replace its Danish 

catering officers with cheaper Filipinos. 

‘SeaFrance’s restructuring and 

reorganisation measures also 

entail a new system of working 

patterns aboard our vessels and 

talks on this will begin soon with 

staff representatives,’ the company 

added. 

Officers’ and ratings’ unions 

reluctantly agreed this summer, 

following months of negotiations 

and industrial action, to accept 

the rescue package established by 

management and court officials. 

The proposals will mean a 

total of 725 redundancies — of 

which around half still remain to 

be made. Management’s veiled 

threat was that the unions either 

accept the plan or SeaFrance’s 

liquidation. 

Parent company, the stateowned 

rail firm SNCF, has already 

given €70m worth of finance this 

year to keep SeaFrance running. 

But SeaFrance boss Pierre Fa 

said the line of credit is shortterm 

and must be reimbursed by 

15 December — the date the court 

observation extension measure 

ends. 

Another, more discreet, reason 

for the extension is the possibility 

that one or more new investors 

will appear on the scene. 

Although both LD Lines and 

Brittany Ferries have withdrawn 

previous offers for SeaFrance, it 

is possible an even slimmer operation 

than originally anticipated 

could again interest them. 

Until now, Being Bang — a 

finance company specialising in 

the entertainment industry — 

was the only candidate officially 

interested in investment, but the 

undisclosed offer was rejected. 

Mr Fa welcomed the court’s 

decision and said it served to provide 

a clear deadline for negotiations 

on the recovery plan. 

He warned the unions to play 

it cool over the next few weeks — 

saying that if any difficulty arose 

in carrying out the plan during 

the observation period, the SNCF 

would withdraw its credit line. In 

other words, even the slightest 

hint of industrial action would 

lead to SeaFrance disappearing 

from cross-Channel activity. 

As Danish maritime catering officers are highly 

qualified, taking their training a step further was a 

natural step, according to the Danish Maritime 

Catering Union. 

Union chairman Ole Philipsen says six of the 

eight candidates who passed their exams in the 

summer came from Maersk, with the other two 

from Torm. Some of those are continuing with their 

education and will graduate by Christmas, qualified 

to command smaller vessels. 

Protest at 

UK flag on 

new link 

to Spain 

The official launch of the first 

A‘motorway of the sea’ 

between France and Spain was 

called off last month because of 

concerns over ‘risks to public order’ 

as a result of union protests. 

The new service between Saint 

Nazaire and Gijón in northern Spain 

is intended to take up to 100,000 

lorries off the roads every year and 

had been due to be launched by 

French and Spanish government 

ministers on 16 September. 

But the formal event was called 

off after French shipping minister 

Dominique Bussereau issued a 

statement warning of ‘risks of 

trouble to public order’. 

Before the anticipated launch, 

some 300 dockers blocked the 

access to the port. CGT union 

secretary Yves Tual said his members 

did not oppose the service, but were 

protesting at the lack of progress in 

talks on working conditions. 

Both the CGT and CFDT seafarers’ 

unions also criticised the decision to 

use the UK-flagged and Britishcrewed 

ferry Norman Bridge on the 

service. They argued that French and 

Spanish seafarers should be crewing 

the ship as the service will receive 

€30m in subsidies from France and 

Spain and a further €4m from the 

EU. 

The Norman Bridge has been 

transferred from LD Lines’ Dover- 

Boulogne route, which closed earlier 

in the month. 

Grounded ship 

master jailed 

for drinking 

The master of a Dutch-owned 

Ageneral cargoship that ran 

aground off Sweden has been 

sentenced to a month in prison after 

tests showed he was four times over 

the alcohol limit. 

Captain Andrei Sharafonenko, 

from Ukraine, was arrested after the 

4,536dwt Flinterforest ran aground 

in the Oresund Strait on 13 August 

and was sentenced by a court in 

Malmo last month on a charge of 

aggravated drunkenness at sea. 

Prosecutors said the careless 

navigation of the Flinterforest in a 

narrow and busy waterway had 

presented a considerable risk to 

other vessels. At the time of the 

accident, the Flinterforest was 

carrying 700 tonnes of paper from 

Finland to Scotland. 

New role for catering officers 

Mr Philipsen — himself a former maritime 

catering officer with Maersk — said: ‘In Denmark, 

much emphasis is placed on you never being in a 

blind alley education-wise. There must always be an 

alternative route ahead.’ 

The oldest catering officer to have retrained was 

aged 62 and Mr Philipsen said everyone on the 

course had been very satisfied with the training. 

‘My view is that those who become captains will be 

good all-round seamen,’ he added. 

shortreports 

SWEDISH SLUMP: an official study of the 

Swedish maritime cluster paints a depressing picture, 

according to the SBF officers’ union. Supporting the 

grant-dependent cluster means an economic drain on 

the Swedish state, and bringing in an international 

register — with more shipping flagging in — would 

only make matters worse, the report claimed. The study 

says it is cheaper to use foreign crews and Swedish 

owners would be better off using other countries’ 

national support schemes. Swedish officers will still be 

needed, but the government would be best off funding 

training on foreign-flagged ships rather than 

maintaining its own training support measures, it adds. 

NORWEGIAN WELCOME: maritime unions in 

Norway have welcomed a research report that sets out 

ways in which the country can help to ensure 

Norwegian jobs at sea on national terms and 

conditions. The study — which has been presented to 

industry minister Trond Giske — notes how it is 

common practice for countries to have rules restricting 

access by foreign-flagged ships to domestic trade or 

regulations designed to ensure equal rights for all 

seafarers, irrespective of nationality. 

COASTAL PLANS: the US government is 

considering a series of plans to boost coastal shipping 

and inland waterways. A shortlist of schemes has been 

drawn up after 35 requests for subsidies under the 

US$7m Marine Highway Program. Maritime 

administrator David Matsuda said: ‘These projects will 

help make better use of America’s marine resources by 

reducing costly gridlock, improving the environment, 

and putting skilled mariners and shipbuilders to work.’ 

WATER WORK: Dutch electronics firm Philips has 

decided to use the Netherlands river system instead of 

the roads to carry goods between its distribution centre 

in Roosendal and Rotterdam following a pilot project 

with Maersk Line and the Port of Rotterdam. The move 

will save 80,000 road kilometres and reduce carbon 

dioxide emissions by 200 tonnes a year. 

ATTACK PROBED: the Israeli inquiry into the 30 

May attacks on humanitarian aid ships destined for 

Gaza has asked the Turkish master of the Mavi Marmara 

— onboard of which nine Turkish nationals were killed 

— to give evidence to the hearings. The commission is 

examining the legal aspects of the attack and will 

report to a UN group of experts. 

SPANISH SAFETY: Spanish unions have 

accused the country’s government of putting lives at risk 

with a package of cutbacks within the national 

maritime safety agency, Sasemar. They have warned 

that the cuts — which include the loss of more than 100 

jobs — will result in lower safety standards. 

ROTTERDAM BOOST: container traffic in 

Rotterdam — Europe’s biggest port — has bounced 

back to the levels of 2008, with a 14.8% increase in the 

first half of this year. The port has also had more calls by 

10,000TEU-plus containerships and handled its 100th 

ULCC in August. 

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YOUR LETTERS 

What’s on your mind 

Tell your colleagues in Nautilus International – and the wider world of shipping. Keep your letter to a 

maximum 300 words if you can – though longer contributions will be considered. Use a pen name or just 

your membership number if you don’t want to be identified – say so in an accompanying note – but you 

must let the Telegraph have your name, address and membership number. 

Send your letter to the Editor, Telegraph, Nautilus International, 750-760 High Road, Leytonstone, 

London E11 3BB, or use head office fax +44 (0)20 8530 1015, or email telegraph@nautilusint.org 

A ‘sea of red 

ensigns’ for 

MN tribute 

The poignant Sailors’ Society tribute at the Merchant Navy memorial 

The eleventh annual Merchant Navy Day was marked up and down the UK 

with a series of special events and ceremonies — including the ‘planting’ 

of hundreds of red ensigns to make a ‘Sea of Remembrance’ at the MN 

memorial in Tower Hill, London. 

The ‘ensign-planting’ was organised by the Sailors’ Society and each 

flag carried a message from the donor. The charity also placed a wreath in 

tribute in the centre of the flags, which were laid following the Merchant 

Navy Association’s annual service at the site. 

Guest of honour at this year’s service was former First Sea Lord Admiral 

The Lord West of Spithead, while former shipping minister and Poplar 

& Limehouse MP Jim Fitzpatrick read a greetings message from prime 

minister David Cameron. The service was conducted by Sailors’ Society 

principal chaplain Revd David Potterton, with other invited clergy and faith 

leaders taking part. 

Have your say online 

Last month we asked: Do you think there is a 

bullying problem at sea 

No 

34% 

Yes 

66% 

This month’s poll asks: Do you think lifeboats 

kill and injure more seafarers than they save 

Give us your views online, at nautilusint.org 

Shipmates 

Wish you’d kept in touch 

with that colleague 

from work 

visit www.nautilusint. 

org/time-out 

and click on Shipmates 

Reunited. 

We forget Nelson’s 

words at our peril 

On Merchant Navy Day, 

3 September, the Red Ensign was 

flying from some government and 

public buildings and I salute their 

consideration. But many public 

buildings were not flying the Red 

Duster. Why 

Our island nation seems to have 

forgotten about the Merchant Navy 

and its important part in bringing 

food to our table and essential 

goods to our homes. Ships carry 

about 92% of our international 

trade and 24% of internal trade goes 

by coastal shipping, thus relieving 

our busy, crowded roads and 

railways of freight. 

Some may say that the Merchant 

Navy is just another job, so why the 

national day I would remind them 

that 14,661 men of the Merchant 

Service were lost in the Great 

Battle of 

the sea 

was vital 

In the last few days the media has 

spent a considerable amount of time 

talking about the Battle of Britain 

and the RAF personnel that fought 

and died fighting the Luftwaffe. This 

subject is right and proper and our 

children should be made aware of the 

efforts made by their grandparents in 

the brave struggles to keep this land 

free. 

Now the thing that bothers me 

greatly is that during that period of 

time another Battle of Britain was 

being fought, and the men fighting it 

suffered terrible losses far worse than 

any of the three fighting services. 

The losses of those brave men were 

calculated as three in five — the other 

services were about one in 10. In real 

numbers, the fighting services were 

counted in hundreds of thousands. In 

the case of the Merchant Navy, they 

numbered only about 36,000. 

On Sunday 5 September the 

surviving veterans gathered near 

Tower Hill, London, at their memorial 

to honour those that were lost. I refer, 

of course, to the MN seamen, officers 

and men. But unfortunately there was 

no media coverage. 

Surely our children should be made 

aware of these brave people who died, 

went missing or were injured as they 

fought not only the human enemy but 

also the forces of nature that they fight 

every time they put to sea. 

Don’t be misled by the fact that we 

have the Channel tunnel — in times 

of conflict the enemy can destroy or 

block it very easily. Remember, we are 

an island nation and cannot survive 

without a merchant fleet and, for that 

matter, neither can the world. 

Capt T.J. SAX 

mem no 311993 

War and some 31,908 men of the 

Merchant Navy gave their lives in 

the Second World War. Nineteen 

merchant seamen were killed in the 

Falklands War of 1982. 

To be added to those figures 

are the thousands who died in 

accidents in the years and decades 

of peacetime sailing; I do not know 

the true number but it is likely, of 

course, to have been rather higher 

in the early years before 1914. 

All told, those figures mean that, 

on average, in the last century, at 

least one merchant seaman died 

every day; on average, nine to 10 

died every week. These chilling 

statistics are not those of any 

ordinary day-to-day job. 

Thus there’s every reason for our 

nation to mark Merchant Navy Day, 

both to acknowledge the sacrifice 

 

of some 50,000 Merchant Navy 

personnel in the last century and 

since, and to raise the profile of the 

maritime profession today. 

Indeed, the UK population has 

become sea-blind. Early signs are 

that the strategic defence review 

will give us a still smaller Royal 

Navy, with fewer ships. This will 

mean that the Navy’s important 

everyday task, in both peacetime 

and war, of policing the sea lanes, 

our nation’s lifelines, will be harder 

to do. Admiral Lord Nelson wrote, in 

1804: ‘I consider the protection of 

our trade the most essential service 

that can be performed.’ 

We forget those wise words 

at our peril, for maritime piracy is 

a reality and not just the stuff of 

Hollywood. 

LESTER MAY (Lt Cdr RN) 

What value a degree 

This is a letter in response to the 

question posed by Lt Cdr Harry 

Dormer RD RNR Rtd in the September 

issue of the Telegraph, with reference 

to the time it takes to acquire a 

Master’s ticket. 

I am an engineer officer, but I will 

assume that the Master’s and Chief’s 

tickets are the ultimate maritime 

achievement and that our starting 

points began after completion of 

GCSEs. I should also mention I took 

the graduate entry route. 

So far it has taken me 17 years 

and I’m yet to complete my Class 

2 engineering ticket. The greatest 

problem I have faced is an institution 

called the IAMI, which has been 

employed by the MCA to scrutinise 

graduate entry candidates. 

Despite the fact that my 

engineering degree took five years, 

with a year’s industrial placement 

(which I undertook at a power 

Anchoring Systems and Procedures 

Oil Companies International Marine Forum 

station), and the comparative marine 

HND takes two years with one year 

industrial placement, the IAMI has 

seen fit to find every opportunity to 

discredit my qualification, to field 

exams which have 80% failure rates, 

and to present a plethora of trades 

tests. 

I am currently in the situation 

where my Class II ticket is being 

withheld by the MCA because the 

IAMI has deemed it necessary that 

I take two Scotvec level exams. So 

I see little difference between the 

treatment of a graduate and having 

no qualifications whatsoever. 

But let’s return to the original 

question posed by Mr Dormer. His 

view is that it takes eight years to 

acquire a master’s. At my current rate 

of progress, I’m simply not going to 

get as far as the chief’s ticket. 

ANDREW SCOTT B.Eng (hons) 

3OE 

Witherby Seamanship International 

4 Dunlop Square, Livingston, 

Edinburgh, EH54 8SB, 

Scotland, UK 

Camden 

flies high 

The red ensign was flying high over 

the town hall in the London borough 

of Camden last month following a 

donation by a former Merchant Navy 

officer. 

Ex-engineer officer Jim Johnson 

presented a ‘three-yarder’ to the 

Mayor of Camden, Councillor 

Jonathan Simpson, so that Camden 

Council could mark Merchant Navy 

Day this year and in the future. 

Jim, a member of the Merchant 

Navy Association, served with the 

Pacific Steam Navigation Company 

and later worked for the Cunard Line. 

‘I hope that this Red Duster, flying on 

Merchant Navy Day this year, will serve 

to remind people of the importance 

of the sea to our island trading nation, 

and of the sacrifice of merchant 

mariners who served, and are now 

serving, in British ships at sea around 

the world,’ he said. 

‘The people of Camden are closer 

to the sea than they imagine, of 

course, with most UK international 

trade still going by sea.’ 

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YOUR LETTERS 

THE VIEW FROM MUIRHEAD 

Going overboard See the letter 

below, from Christian Rose 

We still 

have a 

long way 

to go... 

What is that story about plastic in 

the sea This is the cook cleaning 

up the leftovers and surely it 

would make the day of any Coast 

Guard Officer — and it had been 

going on for maybe weeks. 

It would seem that all the 

pamphlets and Marpol rules 

displayed in the galley are not 

getting to the core of the problem, 

which is total indifference and ‘all 

that bull... is not for me’. He was 

not even reported in the logbook 

because ‘it was only a few plastic 

bags in the Pacific’. 

Easy to lose hope. 

CHRISTIAN ROSE 

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your home copy may still be trying 

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if you gave us a temporary 

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BELVEDERE HOUSE provides 

quality nursing care, residential 

and sheltered accommodation 

primarily for Seafarers and their 

dependants offering modern en 

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To let us know your new address, 

go to www.nautilusint.org and 

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Head Office, Weston Acres, 

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Tel: 01737 353763 

www.royalalfredseafarers.com 

Reg Charity No 209776 Est 1865 

[ STAR LETTERS 

Cadet’s tragic death must 

lead to positive action 

Although long retired now, I 

regularly get the union’s mag and 

I am appalled as an ex-seafarer to 

read in the September issue of this 

poor young cadet’s rape and her 

being found dead over the side. She 

was alive at 1000hrs, but gone by 

1100hrs — very suspicious. 

With a Ukrainian chief officer 

on a British-flagged ship, I feel 

it is time to get all the world’s 

shipping companies to change their 

attitude to cadet training. I believe 

their sea time must now be done 

on a dedicated small passenger 

ship, sponsored by all companies 

worldwide, not on independent 

ships where this tragedy will occur 

again. 

I am certain we could find a ro-ro 

somewhere with a passenger ticket 

of 1,400 dedicated to international 

cadets. Cast your mind back to 

the school ships like Dunera, 

etc. It would need international 

cooperation and finance, but put 

a stop to the problems — it can be 

done. 

I hope Nautilus can promote 

this. It is my idea, but I hope it 

can be progressed as the training 

officers would be hand-picked and 

know how to handle young people! 

NIGEL SCHOFIELD 

Retired ETO+ 

Maritime ‘co-pilots’ 

can improve safety 

The new more targeted inspection 

regime enabled by the Port State 

Control Directive (2009/16/EC) 

should prove to be a much more 

successful tool in targeting those 

ships and operators who operate 

substandard vessels. 

For too long the old ‘quota’ system 

subjected responsible ship operators 

and their crews to unnecessary, 

burdensome inspections and the 

consequential workload that came 

with it. 

What I would now ask those 

signatories to the Paris MOU to 

consider is where a vessel has been 

The Red Duster — a flag to be proud 

of, or is it 

I’m somewhat disappointed by 

the low level of response by Nautilus 

to the death of the South African 

cadet Akohona Geveza onboard 

the UK-registered containership 

Safmarine Kariba. 

I think her tragic death and the 

allegations surrounding it required 

a more forceful approach: namely 

the general secretary requesting a 

meeting with senior government 

ministers and maybe even the PM. 

If the government wants to 

encourage ‘FoCs’, then it must also 

accept a duty of care towards those 

who sail upon them, especially the 

young and vulnerable cadets, no 

matter where any incident occurs. 

I have to agree with a lot of the 

comments made by the cadets in 

the Nautilus survey. The British 

(I use this term lightly) Merchant 

Navy is suffering from the use of an 

increasing number of seafarers who 

don’t speak English as their first 

language. To place cadets onboard 

such ships raises the risk of poor 

onboard training and could also 

result in an increase risk of personal 

injury. 

They need to be provided with 

good all-round training which 

should include accommodation and 

identified as a Category I High Risk 

Ship (HRS) under the Ship Risk Profile 

(SRP) calculator, due for or overdue 

a PSC inspection, that consideration 

should be given to requiring a suitably 

qualified deepsea pilot to board that 

vessel at the nearest safe embarkation 

point after entering European waters 

— thereby ensuring that it safely 

reaches its destination and that all 

risks to safety and the environment are 

minimised. 

Over the last few years the P&I 

clubs have at various times warned 

about a steep rise in ship accidents 

as global trade recovers and ships 

food whilst at college, like it used to 

be when I did mine in the late 70s/ 

early 80s. 

MALCOLM O’NEILL 

Master Mariner 

mem no 160738 

General secretary 

Mark Dickinson replies: 

It is good that members are 

concerned about the circumstances 

surrounding the death of 

Akhona Geveza. Our response to 

the tragic incident was strong, 

and we have indeed requested 

meetings with senior government 

ministers. We have also raised 

the case through an emergency 

motion at the ITF Congress, we 

are in talks with the Chamber of 

Shipping, and we are working with 

union colleagues in South Africa 

and elsewhere to make sure the 

case is not swept under the carpet. 

We have worked to highlight the 

incident in the media, and we are 

also keeping pressure up on the 

authorities in the UK, Croatia 

and South Africa to ensure that the 

incident is properly investigated, 

that justice is done and lessons 

are learned to prevent a 

repeat. 

Seafarers simply need respect 

Several years ago I noticed that 

Danish seafarers who had completed 

40 years’ service were featured in 

the company’s magazine. Having 

completed a similar period myself, 

I asked the company what their policy 

was towards commemorating long 

service for British officers. Strangely, 

my request was ignored. Last month 

I retired after 44 years’ service; a gold 

clock might have been nice but instead 

all I received was a P45. 

In the national newspapers today 

it was reported that the head of Stena 

Line’s North Sea operation described 

Britons as ‘tattooed and fat’ and that 

our ‘young people do not want to go 

to sea any more — they don’t want to 

be away from home’. I would suggest 

to Stena Line and other foreign 

shipowners that all British seafarers 

expect from their employer is RESPECT. 

In my years at sea, I have always 

been immensely proud of my fellow 

British seafarers, both officers and 

ratings. OK, in the 60s and 70s, some 

ratings embraced the left-wing union 

politics more commonly associated 

with the likes of British Leyland 

workers, but when push came to 

shove, they were always there for their 

ship and shipmates. OK, some were fat 

and some were tattooed, some were 

even both, but that didn’t stop them 

being the most dedicated seafarers I 

ever had the pleasure of sailing with. 

The Royal Navy has absolutely 

no problem in recruiting seafarers, 

including those from the ethnic 

minorities and women. This is not so 

in the Merchant Navy, where potential 

recruits know their continued 

employment will be governed by 

their shipowners’ next quarterly 

results. Young people these days are 

fully aware that their potential as 

individuals will never be recognised by 

their shipowner. They will always be 

viewed as just a part of the expensive 

British-based workforce which, while 

valued for their professionalism, 

can always be replaced by workers 

from low-wage countries when the 

economy heads south. 

When one of my children finished 

a temporary six-week contract in an 

office recently, she was given a nice 

present and a leaving party. I feel that 

my daughter received more respect 

from her employer in six weeks than I 

did in 44 years. 

I’m not bitter but I am 

disappointed at the way things 

have changed over the years. When 

I first came to sea, captains and 

chief engineers were invited to take 

their wives with them on their final 

voyage. Agents at each port of call 

were notified in advance and were 

expected to make an occasion of their 

visits including presentations of gifts, 

media calls, and wining and dining. Of 

course, nobody expects these sorts of 

things these days but a simple letter of 

thanks would have been appreciated. 

A letter alone would have indicted 

RESPECT, something seafarers today 

are being conditioned not to expect. 

Of course, it could be that my 

employer was just a little narked about 

all the letters and articles I’ve written 

for the Telegraph and the shipping 

media over the years. If that is the 

case, retirement is not going to shut 

me up! 

PETER NEWTON 

mem no 158963 

return to European waters, asked us 

to consider an aviation style co-pilot 

approach to bridge manning and 

published figures showing a steep rise 

in claims. 

Well, now they have an opportunity 

to be proactive in the move to improve 

standards and reduce accidents by 

using a ready-made team of co-pilots 

(master mariners actually), ready 

to board these ships and contribute 

to the safety of navigation and the 

reduction in the risk of pollution. 

Capt NEIL DOYLE 

mem no 171914 

telegraph 

STAFF 

editor: Andrew Linington 

production editor: June Cattini 

reporters: Mike Gerber 

Sarah Robinson 

web editor: Matthew Louw 

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GENERAL SECRETARY 

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yal Alfred 6 x 2.indd 1 20/2/09 14:17:46


YOUR LETTERS 

Private wrongs 

I recently received my copy of the August Telegraph, 

delayed in the post due to problems in Bangkok, and 

would like to make some observations. 

On page one we have the story under the 

headline, ‘Crew cabins aren’t private, court rules’. 

I would agree and also add that they never have 

been — rummagers of customs services worldwide 

have long entered crew cabins without permission 

and thoroughly searched them. The solution to Mr 

Alfaro-Moncada’s problem is to put his DVDs and 

notebook computer in the ship’s bond before arrival, 

which is then sealed by customs… 

On page nine we have the item, ‘Anchor appeal’ 

and a picture of the port bow of the RFA Sir Percivale 

showing its anchor, a Meon Mk3, originally known as 

a Danforth and usually used on warships, dredgers 

and oil rigs. Thus I think it a pity that such an anchor 

be used as a centrepiece at the Merchant Navy 

John Prescott, top, and seafarers from an Arklow 

vessel, above, send the charity riders on their way 

Convoy Memorial Arboreum commemorating those 

who lost their lives in convoys and who would never 

have sailed in a ship using such an anchor. Surely a 

Hall’s Stockless (popular since the 1880s) or similar 

could have been found somewhere. (The anchor 

shown on page 15, a Stokes Bower Stockless type, 

was only patented in 1966). 

On page 10, under the heading ‘Master shore 

management at Warsash’, we have Dr Wendy Leeks 

saying: ‘It seems there is often a presumption that 

because someone has been a senior officer on a 

ship they can come ashore and go straight into 

management...’ How right she is. When I came 

ashore after being master a number of years I was 

put under the assistant operations manager and 

after I had taken a chair in his office he said: ‘You 

masters think you know all, but in fact you know 

damn all except how to load and navigate a ship.’ 

Charity ride 

kicked off 

by Prescott 

Former deputy prime 

minister John Prescott 

has kicked off an ambitious 

round-Britain bike ride 

to raise money for the 

Apostleship of the Sea 

(AoS) and its work for 

seafarers. 

The charity ride — which 

aims to take in 60 towns in 

60 days — was launched at 

the Hull Seafarers’ Centre, 

with Lord Prescott joining 

the Lord Mayor of Hull and 

visiting ships’ crews to send 

the team of cyclists on their 

way. 

Lord Prescott told the 

team: ‘I used to be known 

as “two Jags”. I had a 

government car which was 

a Jag and I had my own old 

Jag, but what most people 

don’t know is that Raleigh 

gave me a bicycle and it too 

was a “Jaguar” — so then I 

Giving you a voice on your future 

had three Jags!’ 

The riders are being 

led by AoS trustee Captain 

David Savage, who 

took up cycling in 2005 

when working in London 

for the Oil Companies 

International Marine 

Forum. ‘I’m raising money 

for Apostleship of the 

Sea for several reasons, 

but most importantly the 

feeling of injustice towards 

seafarers,’ he said. ‘They 

often end up below the 

horizon, working in harsh 

conditions with low pay.’ 

The AoS riders are 

seeking to raise £100,000 

through their efforts. 

fFind out more 

and donate online at 

www.justgiving.com/ 

seawheeling or visit the 

blog: http://seawheeling. 

blogspot.com 

Worried about your retirement Join us! 

The Nautilus Pensions Association is a pressure group and support 

organisation that: 

z provides a new focal point for seafarer pensioners — increasing 

their influence within, and knowledge of, the Merchant Navy 

Officers’ Pension Fund and other schemes within the industry 

z serves as a channel for professional advice on all kinds of 

pensions, as well as offering specific information on legal and 

government developments on pensions, and supporting the Union 

in lobbying the government as required 

z provides a ‘one-stop shop’ for advice on other organisations 

providing support and assistance to pensioners 

z offers a range of specialised services and benefits tailored to 

meet the needs of retired members 

z operates as a democratic organisation, being a Nautilus Council 

body — with the secretary and secretariat provided by the Union 

Oceanair House, 750-760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BB 

t +44 (0)20 8989 6677 f +44 (0)20 8530 1015 

npa@nautilusint.org www.nautilusint.org 

Finally, on crew manning, several years ago 

as a surveyor I frequently carried out condition 

surveys for P&I clubs and never once did I sight a 

manning certificate indicating that a cook be carried 

onboard, whereas when I first went to sea in 1949 

a cook, duly certificated, was essential except only 

on the smallest of ships. Also on the question of 

manning — or under-manning really — that obliges 

officers to work very long hours, there used to a be a 

system of watchkeeping known as ‘Norwegian-style 

watches’ which divided the ‘day’ into five periods 

rather than the standard four hour watches dividing 

the ‘day’ into six periods. These were 0800h-1300h, 

1300h-1900h, 1900h-2400h, 0000h-0400h, 

0400h-0800h. If officers have to work longer hours, 

possibly this system could be used. 

Capt W.R. WOMERSLEY 

mem no 310660 

Debate! 

Have something 

to talk about with 

others at sea 

Members can take 

part in our seafarers’ 

discussion forum. 

Visit www.nautilusint. 

org/Time-Out and 

click on Debate 

‘Committed people working for safe, 

secure and clean seas’ as the theme 

of World Maritime Day is appropriate, 

but it should be remembered that 

commitment always starts from top. 

It is imperative that all concerned 

parties first realise their own 

commitment level towards seafarers. 

At present seafarers are being 

treated as casual labourers and 

lack of commitment on the part of 

employers is simply filtering down to 

the employees. 

Contracts stating words like ‘No 

payment shall be made for leave 

period’ are common. There are still 

many employers who do not insure 

their crew sufficiently for injury, death 

or disability, in order to cut down on 

operating costs. 

Standards at sea will continue to 

decline unless there is an enforceable 

minimum standard of crew wages 

and welfare. Presently a young person 

with three good A-levels can earn 

ashore as much on a 40-hour working 

week as does a third officer working 

at sea on a 80-hour working week. 

Hence he will be out of his mind to 

choose a seafaring profession. 

Most of the jobs at sea are now 

offered on a contract basis and 

there is no reason why international 

authorities such as ILO/IMO cannot 

come up with a minimum standard 

contract of employment specifying 

clauses such as work tenure/leave 

ratio, working hours, injury/death 

compensation and other benefits 

guaranteed for shore workers, which 

all seafarers certainly deserve. 

Further, inspection of these 

contracts should become a routine 

part of port state/IMO/ILO and oil 

major inspections so that rogue 

employers can be forced out of 

shipping by enforceable regulations 

Nautilus/ITF inspector Chris 

Jones was among the guests 

at the formal reopening of the 

refurbished facilities at the Queen 

Victoria Seamen’s Rest 

Facelift for 

Queen Vic 

Pictured above right is Queen Victoria Seamen’s Rest resident former 

seafarer David Stannard and QVSR chief executive Alexander Campbell at 

the official opening of refurbished facilities at the residential and welfare 

centre in east London. 

The improvements have enhanced the facilities offered at the Queen 

Vic, which is based in East India Dock Road, and will allow the organisation 

to further develop its welfare work among seafarers and their families, 

which it has been carrying out for more than 165 years. 

‘We would like to extend an invitation to anyone who is in the area to 

come and visit the new Queen Vic and see at first hand the improvements 

we have made to our facilities,’ said Mr Campbell. 

MLC has failed us 

as other measures have failed thus far. 

Unfortunately MLC 2006, the 

so called Bill of Rights, has failed to 

address seafarers’ concerns. New 

regulations were expected to bring 

seafarers’ working conditions in line 

with shore employees. However MLC 

2006 requires flag states to regulate 

either work hours (maximum 

72 hours per week) or rest hours 

(minimum 77 hours per week). 

Most of the flags of convenience 

will obviously choose the minimum 

77-hour rest option, which in effect 

means up to a 91-hour working week. 

Similarly, minimum leave for 

seafarers is being stipulated as 2.5 

days per month, the same as shore 

employees. However, seafarers rarely 

get any Saturdays or Sundays off. MLC 

should have included compensation 

for such worked weekends as 

additional paid leave. 

Even though MLC mentions 48 

hours per week as normal hours 

of work and one day rest per week 

rest, this has no relation to realities 

at sea as consolidated pay means 

all compensation for extra work is 

included in the wages, irrespective of 

hours worked. 

Sharing a room without privacy 

for six months with a person whose 

work/rest pattern may even be 

different should not be permitted in 

the 21st century. 

mem no 174875 

Crew clothing for a perfect performance 

For more information on how we can dress your crew 

T +44 (0)23 8033 3771 E sales@miller-rayner.co.uk W www.miller-rayner.co.uk


SAFETY AT SEA 

Some 2,300 passengers on 

the Jewel of the Seas took 

part in the latest Project 

Safeguard trials 

Order, order! 

Spotlight on 

evacuation 

EU-funded research into passenger responses in an emergency could help 

to rewrite the international evacuation rules for cruiseships and ferries… 

A 

The phenomenal growth 

of the passenger shipping 

industry over the 

past 20 years has been matched 

by massive increases in the capacity 

of cruiseships and ferries — 

in turn generating growing 

concerns about safety. 

Nautilus has been among a 

number of organisations highlighting 

the potential problems 

of evacuating vessels carrying as 

many people as a small town and 

providing suitable search and 

rescue resources — often in 

remote areas. 

A three-year European Unionfunded 

research project — Safeguard 

— is now under way in an 

attempt to address some of these 

concerns. And, as part of this work, 

a research team led by the University 

of Greenwich recently carried 

out what must surely rank as one 

of the biggest-ever experiments 

in ship evacuation and safety procedures. 

The University’s fire safety 

engineering group staged what 

was described as a unique and historic 

trial onboard the 90,090gt 

Royal Caribbean vessel Jewel of 

the Seas, in which more than 

2,300 passengers took part in a 

‘live’ assembly drill while at sea. 

Passengers’ response times 

once the evacuation alarm 

sounded were measured by 100 

video cameras — which included 

CCTV, fish-eye, digital and analogue 

cameras — carefully positioned 

by the research team. 

Passengers also wore specially 

developed infra-red tracking tags 

throughout the half-hour exercise, 

which allowed researchers to 

locate each person’s exact movements 

and reconstruct the paths 

passengers took as they made 

their way around the ship to the 

various muster points onboard. 

Professor Ed Galea, head of the 

research team, said the findings 

could help to set the benchmark 

for future regulation. ‘This assembly 

trial was unique in several 

aspects, as we collected data from 

a large cruiseship, during a virtually 

unannounced assembly drill 

and while we were actually at sea,’ 

he explained. 

‘The research measured realistic 

response times to the alarm, at 

a time when 2,300 passengers were 

spread over 12 decks. Although 

passengers had been told the day 

before that we would be doing 

a drill, they were largely unprepared 

— in their staterooms, in 

the bars, in the gym, in the shops, 

restaurants and elsewhere — as 

the alarm sounded. 

‘All of this represents a significant 

difference from a typical 

assembly trial, which is heavily 

announced beforehand, which 

takes place before the ship sails, 

and where many of the passengers 

are already at the assembly 

points simply waiting for the drill 

to begin.’ 

The trial onboard Jewel of the 

Seas was the third carried out by 

the University of Greenwich team. 

Two took place last year onboard 

a Color Line ferry with 900 passengers 

onboard, while two more 

will take place early next year 

onboard a Minoan Lines ferry that 

carries passengers in cabins. 

All of the data collected in these 

trials will be used to assess how 

long it takes passengers to react 

to the alarm being sounded and 

to start to move to a muster station. 

Researchers will also analyse 

the way in which they get to muster 

points, and the factors that 

influence their actions — such as 

whether they are in their cabin, 

Top: passengers move to the muster stations onboard 

Jewel of the Seas. Above: members of the Project 

Safeguard research team Pictures: University of 

Greenwich 

eating a meal, or in a group. 

‘When you measure all the 

response times for different activities 

you get a distribution and we 

have found quite significant difference 

in response times,’ Prof 

Galea said. 

The €3.5m Safeguard project is 

also using computer simulations 

to evaluate the effectiveness of 

Tagged: specially-developed infra-red tracking devices 

used in the trials Picture: University of Greenwich 

“ 

Nothing on this 

scale is likely to be 

attempted again 

” 

existing ship evacuation models 

and the results should help to 

determine whether International 

Maritime Organisation policies 

need to be changed. 

The project involves partners 

from countries including the UK, 

France, Norway, Finland, Greece 

and Canada. As well as the University 

of Greenwich, its members 

include the BMT Group, Principia, 

Safety at Sea, Bureau Veritas, the 

Marine Institute of Canada, Royal 

Caribbean International, Color 

Line and Minoan Lines. 

Safeguard builds on earlier 

research work — the Fire Exit 

project — which demonstrated 

that the response time data used 

as the basis for the IMO evacuation 

analysis protocol was not 

rich enough to accurately represent 

reality and failed to provide a 

suitable basis either for the use of 

evacuation simulation programs 

or for their validation. 

By developing this research 

further and obtaining detailed 

data on passenger response times 

and assembly times, Project 

Safeguard aims to result in an 

improved new version of the 

existing IMO circular, 1238. 

Prof Galea said that the scale of 

the operation onboard the Jewel 

of the Seas was vast. The exercise 

required nine months of planning, 

while at least six months 

will also be needed for frameby-frame 

analysis of the video 

footage, to measure the reaction 

times of passengers as they made 

their way to assembly points. 

Questionnaires filled in by passengers 

onboard at the time of the 

drill will also provide extra data 

for the researchers to analyse. 

The intense preparation paid 

off, however, as nearly all passengers 

cooperated with the 

assembly drill and wore their tags 

throughout the exercise. ‘We had 

been worried that ship operators 

might think we would annoy the 

passengers, but what we found 

was quite the opposite,’ Prof Galea 

told the Telegraph. 

‘They were extremely supportive 

and quite a lot came up 

to us and thanked us for doing it 

and looking after their safety,’ he 

added. ‘The senior members of 

the crew that we dealt with were 

also really helpful and behind 

what we are doing, and without 

their cooperation we could not 

have done what we did.’ 

Tracy Murrell, Royal Caribbean’s 

director of maritime safety 

and compliance, commented: ‘We 

are extremely pleased with the 

success of the exercise onboard 

Jewel of the Seas. The shipboard 

team embraced the spirit of 

the exercise and assisted in all 

aspects to ensure flawless execution. 

Royal Caribbean is proud 

to be part of the ongoing efforts 

to improve safety onboard passenger 

ships and looks forward to 

learning from the results of the 

project.’ 

Prof Galea described the 

work onboard Jewel of the Seas 

as ‘exhausting and exciting’ and 

said the results will be far-reaching. 

‘The response time data and 

the validation data we collected 

from the project is truly unique, 

and will help set an international 

standard for ship-based evacuation 

models in the future. 

‘Nothing on this scale is likely 

to be attempted again,’ he added. 

‘The research conducted by the 

Safeguard team will help shape 

future maritime law and, ultimately, 

by informing the design 

of better and safer ships, will help 

save lives.’


TRADE UNIONS 

Classroom struggle 

Trade union members from across 

the UK descended on a little Norfolk 

village last month to celebrate the 

anniversary of the start of what went 

on to be the longest strike in Britain’s 

history. MITCH HOWARD reports… 

a 

When Kitty and Tom 

Higdon, the teachers at 

Burston village school, 

were sacked on trumped-up 

charges on 1 April 1914 their pupils 

were no fools. They came out 

on strike to get their teachers 

reinstated. 

Led by Violet Potter playing 

her concertina, the children 

marched through the village 

and surrounding lanes behind 

a banner declaring: ‘Justice. We 

want our teachers back.’ 

So began the Burston strike 

school — the longest strike in 

history. For 15 years virtually all 

the village children attended the 

Norfolk village’s alternative school, 

set up by the Higdons and parents 

and supported by trade union 

branches throughout Britain. 

It is a remarkable story which 

was all but forgotten outside of 

Norfolk until 1984 when a rally 

marked the 70th anniversary 

of the strike. The rally is now 

an annual event, held on the 

first Sunday in September and 

organised by the union Unite and 

the South East region of the TUC. 

a 

The old school building is now a museum 

Headmistress Kitty 

Higdon and husband 

Tom, the assistant 

teacher, started at Burston, near 

Diss, in 1911. They complained 

about conditions in the school, 

particularly damp and poor 

heating, while Tom upset the local 

squirearchy by recruiting men 

into the agricultural workers’ 

union. 

Both fell out with the rector, 

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Former MP Tony Benn arrives in traditional style Pictures: Peter Smith 

also chairman of the school 

managers, who Tom defeated in 

the 1913 local council election. 

Then the school managers 

accused Kitty of lighting a fire 

without permission (to dry the 

clothes of children who had 

walked miles in the rain) as 

well as gross discourtesy when 

reprimanded and beating two 

Barnardo’s girls. 

A Norfolk education 

committee inquiry ignored the 

fire incident and declared the 

beating not proven, but gave the 

Higdons notice for discourtesy to 

the managers. 

After their dismissal and the 

children’s strike, lessons were held 

on the village green and parents 

were fined for not sending their 

children to the official church 

school. 

A national appeal raised funds 

for a new building and on 13 May 

1917, thanks to donations from 

miners’ and railway workers’ 

unions, trades councils and 

Independent Labour Party 

branches, the children’s leader 

Violet Potter declared the new 

school open. It continued until 

1939 when Tom Higdon died and 

Kitty could not carry on alone. She 

died in 1946. 

a 

This year’s rally saw 

2,000 union members 

and their families gather 

on the village green next to the 

school, now a museum dedicated 

to the strike, to celebrate the 

events that took place nearly 100 

years ago — and to have a good 

day out. 

Volunteers from the presentday 

village school served homemade 

pies, sandwiches and 

cakes, while elsewhere you could 

sample locally-made pastel de 

nata (Portuguese custard tarts), 

organic ice cream, and real ale. 

You could take your pick of 

campaign, union and community 

stalls, browse the bookstalls, listen 

to music from Diss High School 

Soul Band and Red Flags, or enjoy 

the dialectical patter and tricks of 

‘Marxist magician’ Ian Saville. 

At the head of a march following 

the steps of the schoolchildren in 

1914 was a horse-drawn farm cart 

with a distinguished passenger — 

veteran campaigner Tony Benn, 

who showed he has lost none of 

his fire. 

‘Kitty and Tom Higdon fought 

for basic rights. We need their 

example to inspire us now,’ he 

told the rally. ‘We have to preserve 

our confidence in what we want 

— jobs, pensions, homes, health, 

security in old age. These are 

things our society can afford if 

we share the wealth fairly. The 

coalition government is just 

Thatcherism reappeared. We 

must stand together in solidarity 

and fight for what we believe is 

just.’ 

The general secretaries of the 

two main teaching unions — 

Christine Blower from the NUT 

and Chris Keates of the NASUWT 

— and Unite assistant general 

secretary Len McCluskey also drew 

on the Higdons as inspiration 

for today’s fight to defend pubic 

services and jobs. 

Labour leadership contenders 

Diane Abbot and Ed Balls made an 

unexpected cameo appearance, 

standing side-by-side on the 

stage to deliver brief words of 

encouragement. 

a 

Meanwhile, in the quiet 

of the churchyard next 

to the green, Geoff 

Higdon, a descendant of Kitty and 

Tom Higdon, laid flowers on their 

graves. His daughter Natasha 

Higdon, a drama teacher in 

Ipswich, was with him. ‘Teaching 

must be in the Higdon blood,’ he 

said. ‘My niece Alice Higdon is a 

teacher as well.’ 

Also at the rally was Ann May 

Potter, niece of the strike leader 

Violet Potter. ‘I was brought up 

“ 

The Higdons fought 

for basic rights 

” 

and lived in Burston during and 

after the war until I was 13 and was 

totally imbued with the strike 

school,’ she recalled. 

Her father, Tom Potter, 

was named after Tom Higdon, 

attended the strike school and 

was a tenant farmer until he took 

over the village post office and 

stores. He was a parish and district 

councillor for many years. 

‘The Higdons were a great 

influence on my father who was 

both a humanist and communist,’ 

said Ann. ‘He believed in people 

having equal rights. 

‘He had a great love of 

literature and a store of poetry he 

had learned from Mrs Higdon. He 

loved singing and I am sure this 

came from Mrs Higdon’s love of 

music.’ 

Both personally and politically, 

the legacy of the Higdons and the 

Potters lives on in Burston and 

beyond. 

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Listening to speeches at the Burston Strike School rally


SEAFARER SAYINGS 

Charity minding 

your language 

w 

Britain’s long maritime 

heritage has helped to 

enrich the English language 

with a remarkable range of 

words and phrases that originated 

at sea. 

From giving someone a wide 

berth, to getting carried away, letting 

the cat out of the bag, being 

taken aback or starting with a 

clean slate, people routinely tap 

into this rich seam of nautical 

expressions. 

Now, to mark international 

Year of the Seafarer, the Royal 

Alfred Seafarers’ Society has 

launched an initiative designed 

to capture modern-day seafaring 

sayings, which will form part of 

the maritime linguistic inheritance 

that we perhaps unknowingly 

use every day. 

And the charity needs your 

help. It is calling on serving and 

retired members of the Merchant 

Navy, Royal Navy, fishing vessel 

crews and port workers to get 

involved in the ‘Royal Alfred Gung 

Ho Language Workshop’ and send 

in the modern words and sayings 

they use in everyday language, 

inspired by their time at sea. 

The Royal Alfred has teamed 

up with the author of the naval 

slang and jargon guide ‘Jackspeak’ 

to develop the project. Former RN 

Surgeon-Captain Rick Jolly will be 

using the material to produce a 

new compendium of modern 

nautical terms for the next edition 

of his book. 

‘The beauty of nautical language, 

just like all language, is that 

it is constantly evolving,’ said 

Capt Jolly, who also spent six years 

with the Merchant Navy, including 

with Saga Shipping and 

onboard RMS Saint Helena. 

‘Shaped by changing times 

and technologies, the expressions 

Your words can win! 

The Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society 

needs your help to support its 

nautical language project — and 

you can win a book by assisting the 

charity. 

You may know your caboose 

from your caboosh, your fid from 

your fiddle, your soojie moojie 

from your shuff duff, but the charity 

wants to know what you consider 

to be the best words in nautical 

language today. 

Telegraph readers are invited 

to send in modern nautical sayings 

and be entered into a prize draw 

to win one of three signed copies 

of Jackspeak, written by former 

maritime medic and author Dr Rick 

Jolly. 

The Royal Alfred has teamed 

up with the naval slang and jargon 

expert to celebrate the diversity of 

nautical language and to find even 

more unique sayings and words 

for a forthcoming new edition of 

Jackspeak. They are particularly 

Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society sets 

up new initiative to safeguard the 

terminology of the sea… 

An illustration from Rick Jolly’s book on maritime words and phrases 

used often carry that classic mariner 

sense of humour — inherent 

in sayings such as “kecks” which 

are underpants (or trousers in 

Liverpool!) and “spondoolicks”, a 

19th century word for money! 

‘Projects like this are vital in 

preserving the significance and 

awareness of nautical language 

and we look forward to hearing 

from today’s seafarers who may 

interested in 

hearing about the new words and 

sayings you and your colleagues use 

that may have been influenced by 

changing times and technologies 

from 1990 to the present day. 

The words and phrases you 

send will form part of the charity’s 

have their own “first rate” suggestions 

or may really “know the 

ropes” when it comes to modernday 

sailor speak,’ he added. 

The Society canvassed its 

retired seafarers at its Weston 

Acres Estate nursing and residential 

home in Surrey to reveal their 

favourite phrases coined from a 

life at sea. Most of these have 

passed into metaphorical usage, 

compendium of modern-day terms 

to be considered for the new edition 

of Dr Jolly’s book. 

g To enter, email: nauticaltalk@ 

acceleris-mc.com or post your 

words and sayings (a maximum 

of three per person), to: Nautical 

Talk, Acceleris Marketing 

Communications, Town Centre 

House, Cheltenham Crescent, 

Harrogate HG1 1DQ 

Closing date is Friday 22 October 

2010 — and the prize draw winners 

will be announced in the Telegraph. 

gYou can also order a signed copy 

of Jackspeak: a guide to British Naval 

Slang and Usage, by Dr Rick Jolly 

OBE, for just £10 including p&p — a 

saving of £2.50. Send a cheque or 

postal order for £10 to Palamando 

Publishing, PO Box 42, Torpoint, 

Cornwall, PL11 2YR, marking your 

order ‘Nautilus Telegraph Offer’. 

The author will personalise copies 

being bought as gifts on request. 

with their nautical origins virtually 

forgotten by the wider public. 

Some of the favourites 

included: 

1. The cat’s out of the bag — originates 

from the instrument of 

punishment in the Old Navy, the 

‘cat o’nine tails’. It would be taken 

out of its special storage bag 

before a flogging 

2. Brass monkeys — originates 

from the saying ‘cold enough to 

freeze the balls off a brass monkey’. 

Freezing temperatures would 

cause the brass monkey, a plate 

beside each gun on a ship to hold 

iron cannon balls, to contract and 

some of the balls to fall off 

3. Batten down — meaning to prepare 

for trouble or bad weather, 

originating from ships ‘battening 

down the hatches’ when bad 

weather was expected 

4. Splice the mainbrace! — the 

order given on ships for everyone 

onboard to enjoy an additional 

serving of rum as part of a traditional 

naval celebration. Nowadays 

this is used to describe a toast 

to royalty 

5. Three sheets to the wind — originates 

from an old description of a 

square sail flapping almost 

uncontrollably in the wind; now 

often used to describe an inebriated 

person 

Commander Brian Boxall- 

Hunt, chief executive of the Society, 

said: ‘Seafarers do literally 

have their own language, which is 

LEGAL 

evident every time our residents 

socialise together. But it’s astounding 

how much of this language is 

used by everyone — every day. 

‘This heritage must not be lost 

or forgotten, which is why we are 

embracing today’s generations of 

seafarers alongside the generation 

we care for at our residence in 

Surrey, to take that understanding 

to the wider public and celebrate 

it,’ he added. 

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MEMBERS AT WORK 

Thames 

work is 

London 

calling 

Thames Clippers launched with one boat in 1999 

and now carries more than 7,000 passengers a day 

w 

The Thames is liquid history 

— so said trade 

unionist John Burns in 

1929, who was MP for Battersea 

on the south bank of the river. 

Today, the tide of history is about 

to turn again on the Thames as 

Nautilus looks poised to gain bargaining 

rights for members that 

work on it. 

Following positive talks last 

month with passenger boat operator 

Thames Clippers, Nautilus 

industrial officer Jonathan 

Havard has been preparing a draft 

memorandum of understanding 

to send to management. The Union 

is also stepping up its recruitment 

drive at the company. 

‘We have a majority of masters 

in membership. So we could legitimately 

go for collective bargaining 

rights for masters and have a 

strong case,’ Mr Havard informs 

the Telegraph. ‘What we don’t yet 

have, although it’s increasing all 

the time, is a majority among the 

other grades.’ 

The other grades comprise 

mates, among whom Nautilus is 

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Southampton Solent University 

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MIKE GERBER meets the members who are maintaining a long 

tradition of passenger services on London’s river… 

also close to claiming majority 

membership, deckhands, and 

CSAs (customer service assistants) 

who may work on boats or 

ashore. Although CSAs are in a 

separate line of promotion to the 

boatmen grades, several CSAs 

have also joined the Union. 

Both masters and mates are 

qualified watermen, to use the 

generic term. In the time-honoured 

waterways’ lexicon, watermen 

are the boat workers that 

carry passengers, whereas those 

employed on cargo riverboats are 

known as lightermen. 

Since a 1555 Act of Parliament 

established the Company of 

Watermen & Lightermen guild, 

this body has administered the 

apprenticeship schemes, following 

successful completion of 

which one becomes a freeman of 

the Company. 

To become a master, one must 

qualify for the national boatmaster’s 

licence (BML). This came into 

force in 2007 and covers all the 

country’s inland waterways, 

bringing the UK into line with rest 

of the EU. 

As seen in the August Telegraph, 

which covered the Doggett’s 

Coat and Badge Race — the 

rowing contest organised annually 

for newly-qualified Thames 

watermen and lightermen — 

many who work on London’s river 

are following a long family tradition. 

w 

Nautilus member Dean 

Pettipher, 23, who finished 

second in the race, 

and who is now a Thames Clippers 

master, took his apprenticeship 

under his grandfather Reuben. 

The family connection goes 

back four generations, as Dean’s 

father, also named Reuben, 

explained to the Telegraph: ‘My 

grandfather and great-grandfather, 

they were on the river carrying 

lighterage to London, in and 

out the barges and tugs, and on 

the shipping side towing ships, 

barges and steamtugs up through 

London docks.’ 

During his apprenticeship, 

Dean also worked for other 

Thames operators — Catamaran 

Cruises, Bateaux London, City 

Cruise, and Capital Pleasure Boats. 

But, he added, ‘Thames Clippers is 

my favourite company to work for 

— I’ve been there for about four 

years.’ 

Those rooting for Dean on the 

Emma Crompton 

day included a number of Dean’s 

colleagues. ‘I don’t come from a 

river background as such,’ said 

Matt Parish, 27. ‘But my dad knew 

my boss and that’s how I got into 

it. I did a four and a half year 

apprenticeship and I’ve been a 

captain for three and a half years.’ 

When Matt started in 2002/03, 

there were only three boats in the 

Clippers’ fleet, but now he says 

there’s 14. ‘And we need more,’ he 

adds. ‘It’s getting busier because 

people are realising it’s a better 

way to either commute or to 

transport goods into London. And 

it’s good to see, because the river 

was such a vital part of London’s 

history — what with all the 

wharves, it still is. 

‘But it had a bit of a lull, and 

now it’s getting back up there 

again and it’s good to see there’s 

more lighterage and aggregate 

companies doing more to get stuff 

into London, I think it’s brilliant.’ 

w 

Dean Pettipher and his grandfather Reuben 

Emma Crompton, who 

turns 26 next month, is 

already a Nautilus member. 

A captain, she has worked for 

Clippers for three years. Previously 

she worked for a Thames 

company that teaches sailing. At 

Clippers, she started as a mate. ‘I 

was a mate for a year, then I was 

asked to attend a five-week training 

course to get my captain’s 

licence.’ 

Emma is the only female captain 

on the river. ‘There have been 

a few before me and there are 

more up and coming. We’ve got 

two female apprentices at Thames 

Clippers at the minute.’



Nautilus rep Graeme Faulkner and first officer Ben Gordon 

Several Thames Carriers’ boatmasters 

have Merchant Navy 

experience, including Nautilus rep 

Graeme Faulkner. ‘My career started 

on the river, based at Gravesend 

supplying fresh water to ships visiting 

and trading in the Thames 

— days when we had a Merchant 

Navy and the river was still used. 

‘I was apprenticed to my father 

and bound to the company of 

waterman and lightermen. During 

my apprenticeship I was fortunate 

to be able to operate near 

coastal waters as well as the river. 

‘After gaining my freedom of 

the river Thames, I remained in 

the river for a short time before 

joining a small family-run tug 

firm where I soon became a tugmaster,’ 

he recalls. ‘It was at this 

point that I gained the experience 

of coastal towage and working 

around the British isles. Within 

this time I obtained my tug masters 

and spent a considerable 

amount of time away from the 

Thames, but never so far as to lose 

touch.’ 

w 

Graeme also worked as 

operations and contract 

manager for GPS Marine 

contractors and spent 18 months 

with Belgian company Herbosch 

Kier, whose work was mostly 

around the south coast and Shetlands. 

‘The opportunity arose just 

over three years ago to join 

Thames Clippers, with the attraction 

of taking things a little slower 

and easier and the challenge of a 

new company — albeit as the position 

of master.’ 

Would Graeme recommend 

river-work to seafarers who, 

unlike him, had no previous background 

in the industry 

‘It’s hard to recommend a 

change for a seafarer to come to 

the River Thames purely for the 

fact that it cannot be compared to 

any other marine career,’ he says. 

Water works: the transport of the last decommissioned Concorde by river in April 2004 demonstrated the potential for freight on the Thames 

‘Hence why I served a five-year 

apprenticeship. Although the 

MCA has now made it easier for 

STCW 95 to operate in the river, 

unfortunately the nature of the 

river is unchanged and the older 

element tend to struggle in 

adapting. 

‘A typical day at Thames Clippers 

is unlike any position I have 

held before,’ Graeme told the Telegraph. 

‘Due to the high speed in 

such close quarters your concentration 

levels are stretched to the 

max, and in one 10-hour shift 

alone you will berth the vessel a 

minimum 80 times — often with 

limited breaks and rest.’ 

Graeme works a three days on, 

two days off shift pattern. ‘But at 

least you get home every night 

and you are not worried about a 

“ 

The camaraderie of 

the job and the river in 

general is great 

” 

gale and rolling out of your bunk,’ 

he adds. 

w 

Graeme joined Thames 

Clippers around the 

time that the company 

changed from being family-run 

to becoming part of the AEG multinational 

group, which also owns 

the O2 Arena. Clippers runs an 

express boat service between 

Waterloo Pier and the O2 at North 

Greenwich Pier at as part of its 

regular schedules. 

‘With such a large young age 

group within the company, the 

experience was limited and as the 

company doubled its labour force 

overnight it soon became apparent 

to the more mature crew 

members that a union had to be 

formed,’ Graeme recalls. 

‘After a few crew meetings set 

up by ourselves, I became elected 

as the crews’ rep and then concentrated 

on getting crews to join 

Nautilus.’ 

While there used to be a lot of 

disciplinary cases and staff turnover 

was high, Graeme points out: 

‘Through sensible approaches 

and the help of industrial officer 

Jonathan Havard we are slowly 

getting there and hope that in the 

near future Thames Clippers will 

recognise Nautilus. 

‘The camaraderie of the job 

and the Thames in general is 

great,’ he adds. ‘I can certainly see 

a future for Nautilus to gain more 

members throughout the river as 

more and more companies fall 

under the Safety Management 

Code.’

24 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | October 2010 October 2010 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 25 

TECHNOLOGY 

TECHNOLOGY 

Get ECDIS 

to work 

for you … 

Compulsory carriage of electronic charts is on the way 

for shipping. In this special report, chart agents Thomas 

Gunn consider the best ways of making the system work 

to everyone’s benefit 

O 

Only a type-approved electronic chart display and 

information system (ECDIS) operating with up-todate 

electronic navigational charts (ENCs) and with 

appropriate back-up may be used to replace all paper charts on 

a vessel. 

Where ENCs are not yet available, IMO regulations allow flag 

states to authorise the use of raster navigational charts (RNCs) 

together with an appropriate folio of paper charts. Note that in 

all other cases the vessel must carry all paper charts necessary for 

its intended voyage. 

From the regulatory perspective, the most important statement 

about the legal status of ECDIS is contained in the amended 

Chapter V of the SOLAS Convention, set into force on 1 July 

2002. ECDIS is specifically referred to in Regulation 19 ‘Carriage 

requirements for shipborne navigational systems and equipment’. 

However, in order to replace paper charts, such systems must 

fulfil considerable technical requirements laid down in ECDIS 

performance standards: 

zthe chart data in use must be official — ENCs where these are 

available — and the graphic display on the screen must meet the 

equipment-independent specification 

zthe equipment must support the full range of navigational 

functions that can be performed on the traditional paper 

charts. 

O 

No electronic system is completely failsafe. IMO performance 

standards therefore require that the ‘overall 

system’ includes both a primary ECDIS and an adequate 

independent back-up arrangement that provides: 

zindependent facilities enabling a safe takeover of the ECDIS 

functions in order to ensure that a system failure does not result 

in a critical situation 

za means to provide for safe navigation for the remaining part 

of the voyage in case of ECDIS failure 

However, these rather basic statements allow considerable 

leeway and there are various interpretations of the minimum 

functional requirements, or what constitutes ‘adequate’ backup 

arrangements. 

There are two commonly accepted options: 

za second ECDIS, connected to an independent power supply 

and a separate GPS position input 

zan appropriate up-to-date folio of official paper charts for the 

intended voyage 

Some flag states may permit other options (eg radar-based 

systems such as ‘Chart-Radar’). Shipowners should consult 

their national maritime administration for specific advice in 

Interpreting MSC 232/82 and, in a documented risk assessment, 

show that with regards to equipment and SMS procedures compliance 

has been achieved, and measures are in place to allow the 

mariner and vessels to comply with this. 

O 

Unlike the paper chart, ECDIS is a highly sophisticated 

system which, besides the navigational functions, 

includes components of a complex, computer-based 

information system. In total, the system includes hardware, 

operating system, ECDIS software (kernel and user interface), 

sensor input interfacing, electronic chart data, rules for presentation 

and display, status and parameters of alarms and indications. 

All these items are accessed through an appropriate humanmachine 

interface. As such, care must be taken when navigating 

with ECDIS to avoid false operation, misinterpretation, malfunction 

or — even worse — over-reliance on this highly-automated 

navigation system 

As with any type of shipboard navigation equipment, it can 

only be as good as those who use it and what it is being used for. 

In the case of ECDIS and electronic charts, if mariners are well 

trained the system provides the information flow that they need 

to make good decisions and therefore contributes significantly 

to safe and efficient navigation. 

The STCW Convention now has specific regulation 

and references to ECDIS training 

Stated another way, an ECDIS is another tool to enable mariners 

to perform their job better. However, just having some 

‘knowledge’ about ‘functions’ and ‘operational controls’ is insufficient 

to maximise the benefits of ECDIS. Proper training is 

absolutely necessary. 

O 

ECDIS and other electronic charting systems have 

become increasingly important to ship navigation 

and are already widely used either as a primary navigation 

tool or as an aid to navigation. 

The systems are increasingly complex, and require adequate 

and appropriate training in order to be operated correctly and 

safely. Without proper training, these systems will not be used 

to their full potential and could, under some circumstances, 

increase the hazard to navigation. 

The Standards of Training, Certification & Watchkeeping and 

International Safety Management codes put the responsibility 

firmly on the shipowner to ensure that mariners on their vessels 

are competent to carry out the duties they are expected to 

perform. If a ship is fitted with ECDIS, the owner has a duty to 

ensure that users are properly trained in the operation and use of 

electronic charts and are familiar with the shipboard equipment 

before using it operationally at sea. 

There is now specific regulation and reference to ECDIS 

systems in the STCW Convention, following the diplomatic 

conference in Manila in July. Additionally, since ECDIS systems 

are related to electronic charts, references to them are considered 

to be included in the material covered by the word ‘chart’. 

To encourage effective ECDIS education, the IMO approved 

a standardised model course for training on the operational 

use of ECDIS in 1999 (IMO course 1.27). This course is offered by 

approved training institutions and maritime academies. Maritime 

administrations can provide information on approved 

institutions. Some flag states have developed their own ECDIS 

training courses in order to be able to recognise the training 

certificates. 

Type specific ECDIS training is provided by equipment manufacturers. 

O 

Navigating with ECDIS is fundamentally different 

from navigating with paper charts. Important bridge 

work processes are significantly affected — in particular, 

voyage planning and voyage execution task. These require 

careful analysis and consideration. 

ECDIS provides a number of additional planning functions 

and features such as safety contours, alarms, and click-and-drop 

facilities for waypoints and markers. Whilst in many ways ECDIS 

makes voyage planning easier, it is still possible to make errors. 

However, these are likely to be of a different type from those 

encountered when using paper charts. 

Even though ENC coverage is increasing rapidly, many vessels 

will, to some degree, have to operate a dual — or even triple 

— system with ENCs, paper and raster charts. Planning and 

validation of the route has therefore to consider issues such as 

which chart types are available for the various segments of the 

voyage. 

The format of the voyage plan is likely to differ from the traditional 

alphanumeric lists of waypoints used with paper charts 

and should include information on the usability of connected 

electronic navigational devices such as GPS and AIS and their 

actual alarm settings. 

It is essential to make use of the in-built automatic check 

functions provided by ECDIS when validating and approving 

the voyage plan. Thought also needs to be given to ensuring that 

a back-up to the voyage plan on the ECDIS is available in case of 

equipment failure. 

It is important that there is good communication of the voyage 

plan to all bridge officers so that they are prepared for the 

intended voyage. This should include information on equipment 

status and back-up procedures. 

At the beginning of the voyage, as well as at any change of 

watch, the officers should review the voyage plan and agree the 

selected pre-settings of functions, alarms and indicators to be 

used on the ECDIS. 

Where vessels carry paper charts as well as an ECDIS, the role 

Don’t place too much reliance on electronic displays, 

Thomas Gunn warns, and don’t forget to look out of 

the window to cross-check information 

of the ECDIS and the charts should be considered. If the ECDIS 

is used for real-time navigation, the statutory requirements 

regarding monitoring of the progress of the voyage and marking 

of positions will need to be considered: 

zare positions marked in paper charts solely for record-keeping 

purposes 

zwhat steps are taken to ensure that intended tracks marked 

on the paper charts correspond with the ECDIS information 

zhave the bridge procedures set in place by the shipping company 

been adapted for the use of ECDIS and are all persons concerned 

with the navigation familiar with these adaptations 

O 

There is a tendency to put too much trust in computerbased 

systems and believe whatever is on the display. 

It is essential that officers do not become complacent, 

understand the limitations of the equipment, and employ the 

basic navigational skills to cross-check the information displayed 

by all other means available — especially by looking out 

the window and watching the radar! Bridge procedures must be 

adapted appropriately and ENC training must be carried out to 

alleviate these concerns. 

Support for 

the switch 

The British navigational 

systems firm Kelvin Hughes 

has launched a new product 

which claims to offer everything 

a vessel needs to comply 

with the new electronic chart 

requirements in a single 

package. 

The product, known as ECDIS 

Plus, promises users a ‘turnkey 

solution’ to the challenges 

of installing, updating and 

maintaining licences for ECDIS 

hardware and ENC charts. The 

idea is for each user to tailor the 

package to their own needs, 

taking up the elements required 

for a particular vessel. 

So, for example, if a ship 

already has ECDIS hardware 

but needs chart updates and 

maintenance support, the 

owners can buy a version of 

the ECDIS Plus package which 

reflects this — with the cost 

adjusted accordingly. For those 

installing electronic charts for 

the first time, the full package 

consists of the following 

elements: 

zECDIS hardware supply 

zECDIS backup provision 

zchart folio definition 

zinitial chart supply 

zChartCo update system 

zlicence and permit 

management 

zIMO approved training 

zglobal installation and 

service packages 

Kelvin Hughes CEO Russell 

Hughes welcomed the move 

towards mandatory ECDIS, 

adding: ‘Through ECDIS Plus, 

Kelvin Hughes can provide 

every component needed to 

make ECDIS easy and compliant 

and help customers make the 

journey from paper to electronic 

navigation.’ 

Practices can 

make perfect 

Things happen very quickly at 28 knots. A cable is covered 

cin 13 seconds and a mile in only 2 minutes 9 seconds. It 

feels even faster at night, close to shore, navigating with only a 

chart, the log and a stopwatch whilst under pressure to deliver 

three consorts into a coordinated anchorage on time. At least 

during the day you get the use of a sextant! 

This is what it is like to undertake the Specialist Navigator’s 

course, or SPEC N for short, the Royal Navy’s (RN) premier 

navigation course. Designed to test the student’s mental maths, 

quick thinking, initiative and raw navigational ability under 

intense pressure, it is seen as the ultimate test for any navigator. 

What makes the SPEC N course so challenging is the 

requirement to accurately fix the position of the ship and predict 

future position at high speed without the use of modern fixing 

aids such as radar and GPS. 

Instead, the student is forced to harness all available 

navigation techniques — in particular those contained within the 

Admiralty Manual of Navigation. These include fixing by a line of 

soundings, running fixes, sextant angles, doubling the angle on 

the bow and use of bearing pairs to calculate distance off an 

object. 

It is quite common on course to conduct an anchorage with a 

sextant in either hand, taking a vertical sextant angle with one 

and a horizontal angle with the other. 

Now, imagine plotting fixes in this manner on a paper chart. 

Would you know how to do it When was the last time you picked 

up a sextant or station pointer Now imagine planning and 

executing it with ECDIS as your primary means of navigation. 

Again, would you know how to do it and is your ECDIS capable of 

processing such information (At the moment the reader is 

probably thinking, who cares Who actually needs to do this in 

real life anyway...) 

Notwithstanding the questions above, you may be asking why 

one would need to go to such lengths when radar and GPS are 

available. The Royal Navy needs to be able to navigate in a 

sensor-deprived situation because operational areas could 

preclude the use of radar to avoid detection and where GPS 

jamming and other sensor denial is prevalent. 

The RN must train its navigators to acquire such skills. This 

necessitates pushing the ECDIS system to the limits of its 

capabilities and is why the warfare equivalent of ECDIS (WECDIS) 

gives access to increased functionality to facilitate underwater 

navigation, waterspace management and the input of position 

information from a variety of traditional sources. 

So that’s the RN, but realistically with today’s reliability of GPS 

and radar, are such advanced ECDIS techniques really relevant in 

the Merchant Navy 

The ability to perform some of the techniques mentioned 

above may be deemed unnecessary and old fashioned for 

commercial operation. However, the skill of manually fixing 

independent of radar and GPS and the ability to clearly display 

where your ship can and cannot go on the chart are techniques 

relevant to any mariner. 

Firstly, manual fixing independent of radar and GPS may be 

the only means of cross-checking the GPS or in the extreme, but 

not uncommon, navigating in an area of an unreliable datum or 

sensor input failure. 

Let’s not forget all the work conducted by Trinity House with 

regards to the very present danger of GPS jamming and the 

importance of being able to identify and manage such a 

situation. Secondly, calculating the safe water available when 

operating to minimal under keel clearance with a safety depth 

that falls in between charted contours is vital to safely manage 

today’s commercially pressured operations. 

It would therefore be prudent to develop procedures and 

practice them in case of such an outcome. I therefore advocate 

two techniques that should be utilised in ECDIS as common 

practice — manual fixing and the ability to implement a Limiting 

Danger Line (LDL). We at ECDIS Ltd feel so strongly about the 

relevance of these techniques that we teach them as part of our 

five-day STCW IMO 1.27 course. 

It is not enough to rely solely on GPS or radar to provide fix 

information. An ECDIS does not have to have a radar overlay 

under performance standards, but if it does have this facility, it is 

prudent to utilise it in its entirety. 

However, for GPS denial, the mindset you need to be in is not a 

case of ‘if you lose GPS’ but very much a case of ‘when you lose 

GPS’. The mariner must therefore utilise the ECDIS like any other 

navaid and question the accuracy of the data in order to quality 

control the information. 

The premise here is twofold — that manual fixing should be 

used to cross-reference GPS and that loss of GPS does not mean 

Traditional skills need to form the foundation for safe 

navigation in the digital era, says Malcolm Instone, 

ECDIS Ltd’s director of operations and standards… 

loss of ECDIS. I therefore recommend that manual fixing is 

incorporated by operators to prove the GPS position correct and 

good practice in case of ECDIS failure. 

Plotting a fix in ECDIS (Lines of Position) is a requirement 

under the performance standards and executing this function can 

be very quick. However, it does depend on the software and just as 

on paper, practice, practice, practice. It can easily be quicker to 

plot a fix on an ECDIS than on a paper chart so there should be no 

excuse for not doing it if needed. 

The importance of being able to perform this task swiftly is 

threefold: 

zit should not detract from looking out the window and driving 

the ship safely using all navaids 

zthe task is performed as a quick check at an appropriate time 

zoperators should be able to comfortably manage long periods 

of relative navigation for areas of the world that require it and in 

case of sudden need. 

In event of GPS failure, the operator can utilise the DR 

cfunction in ECDIS and revert to traditional fixing skills in 

order to provide accurate positional data. Note that loss of GPS 

may also mean loss of positional information on your radar. 

Ten pieces of advice from 

the experts at ECDIS Ltd 

1. To get the most out of your ECDIS you need to know your 

equipment. Ask questions of your equipment, such as Does it 

alarm for safety depth 

2. Effective use of ECDIS hinges on setting the system up 

correctly. There is a lot to remember, so use check-off cards to 

aid this process 

3. Always navigate on the best scale chart, as this is the 

only way you will see all the charted data whilst not being 

affected by SCAMIN 

4. Always navigate on the correct display setting. Base is 

not adequate for navigation and Standard may require 

customising 

5. Do not rely solely on the radar or GPS — prove ECDIS correct 

at every opportunity by visual and all available means 

6. Remember that after setting your safety contour value, 

it may vary depending on the scale of chart in use (system 

dependent) 

7. Where possible when route planning, use clearing 

bearings, clearing ranges and parallel index lines to enhance 

safety when executing a route. Many systems now offer such 

tools 

8. Improve your knowledge of ECDIS by getting yourself on 

the five-day MCA approved ECDIS 

course at ECDIS Ltd 

9. Improve your knowledge of your ECDIS system 

by arranging a type-specific course from ECDIS Ltd 

10. ECDIS is a navaid, so treat as such and question what it 

is telling you — if you put rubbish into the system, you get 

rubbish out! 

Furthermore, the environment you find yourself in may preclude 

or limit visual fixing to such an extent that the operator may have 

to use transferred position lines or fix by a line of soundings. 

Some systems can perform beyond the minimum 

performance standards in this regard by allowing the operator to 

plot visual bearings, radar ranges and other techniques 

accordingly. As well as being quick and easy to plot, the operator 

also benefits from a system that automatically calculates DR and 

EP based upon last known values such as set and drift, COG and 

SOG, when in ‘DR mode’. 

It can be seen therefore that manually entered positional 

information can very quickly establish where you are and where 

‘GPS failure need not be an emergency’ 

you will be to a high degree of accuracy. 

GPS failure need not be an emergency, although to maintain 

safety of navigation you may be forced to push your system 

further than you have ever done before. The prudent operator 

should therefore make it their business to know the capabilities 

and limitations of their system, how to prove positional 

information correct and what to do when GPS is unreliable. 

The ability of an ECDIS system to highlight a given safety 

contour based on a set Safety Depth is one of the great 

advantages of the system. In essence, the system displays clearly 

in bold the contour beyond which you do not wish to proceed. 

Furthermore, if you have activated your anti-grounding cone 

(AGC, also called Safety Frame or Guard Zone) the system will 

alarm when in contact with the safety contour, thereby giving 

prior warning of the proximity of danger. 

However, the lack of contour data currently available within 

ENCs means the operator is not able to fully harmonise the safety 

contour with the safety depth. If I set my safety depth value to 

6.5m, for example, the system will automatically highlight the 

next available contour, which is normally the 10m line. It can be 

seen therefore, that if the vessel by necessity has to proceed over 

soundings of less than 10m but greater than 6.5m, safe areas 

cannot be defined and it is therefore dangerous. Furthermore, the 

system will continuously alarm, causing alarm fatigue. 

This shortfall essentially means that vessels that need to 

reduce the safety contour in accordance with their safety depth in 

order to get into harbour safely will be faced with two options: 

zturn the anti-grounding cone off 

zreduce the safety contour value to 5m 

Both options are inherently dangerous. Turning the AGC off 

means that the system will only alarm when the ship symbol 

encounters them, which in most cases will be too late. Reducing 

the safety contour value below the value of safety depth is 

possible in many systems, although I do not recommend it, as the 

majority of systems only alarm crossing the safety contour — not 

the safety depth! 

A solution to this problem is the drawing of a limiting danger 

line or LDL. This is a tried and tested technique that works on RNCs 

as well as ENCs. Essentially, it is a manually inserted danger line 

that will alarm when the safety frame touches it, replacing the 

safety contour in extremis. The value of the LDL is calculated as 

follows: 

Draught + Safety + Squat — HoT (Time dependent) 

When the safety depth value is inserted, all soundings equal to 

or less than this value are highlighted in bold. Using the relevant 

function on your ECDIS system, draw a danger line around the 

soundings to produce the LDL. The safety value is a prime 

consideration and must be large enough to take into account the 

quality of data. Because the contour is being drawn manually you 

must take into account the inaccuracy of the data in use. It is of 

note that some systems can draw an LDL automatically. It must be 

remembered that a LDL is time dependent because it is based 

upon the height of tide and that when no longer required it must 

be ensured that the safety contour is reverted back to a value 

greater than safety depth. It goes without saying that you really 

must know what you are doing before attempting this technique. 

It may be seen that an advanced level of knowledge is required 

in order to ensure the best use of an ECDIS system on any given 

ship. However, what level of knowledge is required to manage 

and quality control a fleet of ECDIS systems The answer is that a 

level of expertise and understanding is required that goes beyond 

being an ECDIS operator at sea. Provision of expert 

guidance on managing a fleet with ECDIS 

is available from ECDIS Ltd in 

the form of the 

Quality Controlling 

ECDIS course.


SHIPS’ LIBRARIES 

Fully booked: a seafarer picks a title from the library supplied by the Marine Society 

“ The 

initial 

aim was 

sending 

tools of 

learning 

to sea 

” 

p 

Why is a book like a ship 

Because both take you 

on a voyage — in the 

book’s case, it may even transport 

you to the innermost shores of 

the human imagination, or the 

outermost reaches of human 

knowledge. 

Many seafarers we note are under the illusion that to qualify for the 100% 

foreign earnings deduction, all they have to do is spend 183 days out of 

the country on foreign going voyages. 

Many have found to their cost, when investigated by the Revenue that it is 

not that straightforward and of course it is then too late to rectify. 

Make sure you are not one of them by letting Seatax Ltd plan your future 

claim step by step. 

Can you afford not to join Seatax 

Seatax offers advice on all aspects of Personal Taxation with special emphasis on: 

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OUR FEES ARE AS FOLLOWS: 

Which may be why many seafarers 

eagerly love immersing 

themselves in a good book while 

away at sea. As Brian Thomas, 

director of the Marine Society 

charity — whose ships’ library 

service marks its 90th anniversary 

this year — recalls: ‘I know from 

The first ship’s library was onboard Alfred Holt’s Aeneas 

my time at sea in the Royal Navy, 

when you’re leading a very busy 

life — great hardships, constant 

noise, constant vibration, and 

perpetual motion — just get into 

a bed, pull the curtain and put the 

light on and curl up with a book, 

you’re in your own little space and 

whatever the subject matter of 

that book, you can escape. 

‘You can’t choose your neighbours, 

and you can’t choose your 

shipmates either, so it’s a great 

way of escaping from reality,’ he 

adds. ‘It’s one way of looking at the 

service that we provide.’ 

But only one way, because a 

core function of the ships’ library 

service remains to provide educational 

and instructional books — 

the very reason it came into being 

90 years ago. 

Annual Return ......................................................................................................... £175.00 including VAT at 17.5% 

The write 

service to 

seafarers 

The Marine Society marks the 90th anniversary of its 

ships’ library service this year. MIKE GERBER finds out 

about some exciting new developments… 

p 

Brian relates the history: 

‘Seafarers’ libraries were 

part of the brainchild of 

Alfred Mansbridge, who founded 

the Workers’ Educational Association 

in 1903. 

‘Having suffered from TB in 

1912, he took himself off to sea to 

recover, but when he was on that 

voyage — thinking that he was 

going to die — he resolved that 

if he got off the ship alive, he was 

going to do for seafarers what he 

had already achieved for the main 

population. 

‘He realised that seafarers were 

denied access to the tools of education, 

and education itself. Most 

seafarers at that time were illiterate. 

He did survive, and he was 

true to his word.’ 

So in 1920, Mansbridge 

founded what became the Seafarers’ 

Education Service. ‘The initial 

arm was the idea of sending the 

tools of learning to sea,’ Brian 

explains. ‘Those tools were books. 

He believed that if everybody had 

access to books, then they could 

become self-taught, as he himself 

was.’ 

With shipowners’ support, 

the first library — onboard the ss 

Aeneas — was established that 

same year and the idea caught on. 

‘It was so successful that in 

1926 he realised that seafarers 

needed something a little more 

than simply books to educate 

them, so he introduced what he 

called the College of the Sea — and 

this was to be the other arm of the 

SES,’ Brian adds. 

The College, officially inaugurated 

in 1938, introduced course 

texts to help seafarers study to 

advance their careers. 

Following merger with the 

Marine Society in 1976, the SES 

name was dropped, and that, says 

Brian, brings us to the present day. 

‘We make tremendous efforts on 

the education side, through what 

used to be the College of the Sea, 

and through the seafarers’ libraries, 

to find out what our readers 

need, and we take great pains to 

provide for them.’ 

p 

In January this year, the 

Society appointed a new 

book services manager, 

Mark Jackson. An Oxford graduate 

in English language and literature, 

Mark has spent most 

of his career in the book trade 

— including time as manager 

at the Museum of Modern Art, 

Hammicks, Ottakar’s, and Waterstones. 

Latterly, he worked at the 

House of Commons Parliamentary 

Bookshop and he continues 

to run book events for Langtons, 

his local independent bookshop 

in Twickenham. 

Mark’s love of books is palpable: 

‘A book to me represents 

potential — it’s nothing until you 

read it, but once you read it, it’s a 

gateway into new experience, a 

new world, a whole dimension of 

knowledge. And books to me are 

always linked to opportunity and 

going forward, and I like the idea 

of people having books in their 

hands and having these opportunities.’ 

At the Marine Society, besides 

the library service, he runs the 

charity’s new online bookstore 

No commission charged on refunds gained. 

NAUTILUS members in the UK sailing under a foreign flag agreement on gross remuneration can obtain a 10% reduction 

on the above enrolment fee by quoting their NAUTILUS membership number and a 5% reduction on re-enrolment. 

Write, or 

phone now 

for more 

details: 

Elgin House, 83 Thorne Road, Doncaster DN1 2ES. 

Tel: (01302) 364673 - Fax No: (01302) 738526 - E-mail: info@seatax.ltd.uk 

www.seatax.ltd.uk 

Library service founder Alfred Mansbridge


SHIPS’ LIBRARIES 

The Marine Society’s ships’ libraries service team sends out more than 40,000 books a year to ships and installations around the world 

which sells new books at competitive 

discounts (see box below). 

One can also buy e-books for 

the geeky new e-readers, about 

whom Mark observes: ‘Working 

with nautical documents, there’s 

a whole dimension there where 

e-books probably have the advantage 

in terms of texts over print 

documents; simply, they’re easier 

to handle. But in terms of the seafarers’ 

libraries, there’s still nothing 

like a book.’ 

Books, he says, are egalitarian. 

‘A lot of our seafarers may not be 

computer literate, but they have 

reading skills, and so there’s a fairness 

in putting these hundred 

books of all categories on a ship 

and saying, take your pick, rather 

Picture: Thinkstock 

than here’s an e-reader, this is a 

vast catalogue of 40,000 books, 

try and find something you would 

like.’ 

Now for some Gradgrindian 

hard facts: 

fthe Marine Society has 150,000 

books in its exchange library and 

supports around 40 shipping 

companies with book services 

covering some 320 ships worldwide 

feach ship gets between 20 and 

2,000 titles, and the largest libraries 

on passenger cruise liners 

number 1,300 books 

fbooks stay on ships for four to 

six months, and are delivered one 

to three times annually 

f5,000 new books a year are 

brought in to replenish the 

library 

fduring the last financial year, 

346 libraries were sent out to 319 

vessels and 27 installations and 

40,332 books were dispatched 

worldwide 

The books are sent via a landing 

agent and then either reexchanged 

— possibly many 

times — or shipped back to the 

UK. The four main book exchange 

depots are in Rotterdam, Fujairah, 

Singapore and Hong Kong. 

But books can be off-loaded anywhere 

in the world. Although 

shipping companies are not formally 

charged, Marine Society 

does invoice for a requested contribution. 

Discounts at 

Society shop 

The ships’ library service is a wonderful resource, but seafarers may 

owant to purchase books as well as borrowing them. Nautilus urges 

members, and others in the industry, to first check out the Marine Society’s 

new online bookshop at www.marine-society.org/bookshop 

The online shop can supply any book in print, e-books and CD-roms at 

competitive discounted prices, as well as nautical revision aids. It also runs 

an out-of-print book service which aims to source hard-to-find books at a 

reasonable price. 

The Society has strong links with key industry organisations like 

Marisec, IMO and the Nautical Institute which enables it to offer nautical 

and maritime titles at competitive discounts. Its customer service is based 

on knowledge and empathy with seafarers. 

And it’s a not-for-profit service. Books services manager Mark Jackson 

explains: ‘We’re not bothered about making a fast buck, we just want 

to cover our costs. And it’s part of our charitable objective that we’re 

providing books as cheaply as we can across the whole spectrum of what 

our readers are interested in.’ 

gSo remember, if you want to bag a book, bookmark www.marinesociety.org/bookshop 

The ratio of fiction to factual 

books is 60/40, and the most 

popular title read by seafarers is 

the classic To Kill a Mockingbird 

by Harper Lee. The most popular 

book in the last year has been Dan 

Brown’s The Lost Symbol. 

On seafarers’ reading preferences, 

Mark notes: ‘I thought, 

before I joined, that they would 

all be reading Patrick O’Brian 

and Conrad and nautical fiction. 

In fact, they’re not a popular element 

of the library at all — seafarers 

have got very wide-ranging 

interests. 

‘The whole point of what we do 

is to give them some recreation, 

escapism, but also to expand their 

minds and imaginations. 

‘I didn’t think that something 

like gardening would be very popular 

onboard ships’ he adds, ‘but 

gardening books are very popular.’ 

p 

With a new initiative, 

launched this month, 

the Marine Society 

hopes to discover even more about 

seafarers’ reading habits. It has 

picked out a mega-popular title 

— Bill Bryson’s latest, At Home: A 

History of Private Life — several 

copies of which will be supplied to 

each ship’s library. These copies 

will be tracked as they travel the 

globe, and the Society will seek 

readers’ feedback. 

Once the initiative is underway 

the Society plans to monitor 

seafarers’ reading habits and will 

nominate their best loved book of 

the year, with a view to asking seafarers 

to nominate their choice 

for future awards. 

‘This might give us a bit of a 

photofit of what our average readers 

are like,’ notes Mark. ‘If indeed 

we have average readers. We might 

find this wonderful diversity.’ 

“ 

There’s still nothing 

like a book... 

” 

CHRISTMAS 

CARD APPEAL 

Every year the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society pays over 

£1m in grants to the dependants of those lost at sea, as well 

as sick, disabled and retired seafarers struggling to make 

ends meet. Please help us to continue this important work. 

• Quality Christmas Cards • Correspondence Cards 

• Heroism at Sea E-Book • Nautical Heritage Calendar 

• Birthday Cards • Gift Items 

To receive a copy of our new 2010 brochure 

and order form please contact: 

Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, Dept NI, 1 North Pallant, 

Chichester PO19 1TL. Tel: 01243 789329 Fax: 01243 530853 

e-mail: general@shipwreckedmariners.org.uk 

website: www.shipwreckedmariners.org.uk 

Reg Charity No 212034 

Inst. 1839 

Shipwrecked 

Mariners’ Society 

Supporting the seafaring community 

for over 170 years


SEAFARER WELFARE 

29 years of vessel visits 

Ship visitor Buddy Hincke has clocked up almost three 

decades of work for seafarers in the US port of Coos Bay. 

But as he now approaches his 83rd birthday, he says 

his legs are getting tired, and he will start his second 

retirement next year. Here, he looks back on an eventful life 

closely intertwined with the sea… 

MN rating 

wanting to 

move ahead 

Collect up to £15,500 

to help your studies 

Are you a Merchant Navy rating 

considering career progression 

The JW Slater Fund, 

administered by Nautilus 

International, offers awards of 

up to £15,500 to help ratings 

study for a first certificate of 

competency. 

And there is a discretionary 

bonus of £1,000 on obtaining 

an approved OOW Certificate. 

More than 1,100 Slater Fund 

awards have been made by the 

Union since the scheme was 

launched in 1997. 

Named in honour of former 

MNAOA general secretary 

John Slater, the awards are 

made to selected UK-resident 

ratings aged 20 or over. 

The money can be used 

towards the costs of any 

necessary full- or part-time 

education, and to provide some 

financial support during college 

phases for those off pay. 


is now inviting applications 

for the 2010 awards. If you 

want to make the next move, 

don’t leave things to chance — 

fill in the form on the right, 

or apply via 


The Marine Society provides 

education and careers 

advice for applicants. 

Scenes from a fascinating 

ng 

life: Buddy Hincke with 

seafarers onboard ship and 

in his home; in the forces 

(including a meeting with 

Bob Hope); and with his 

collection of international 

bank notes, above 

COMPLETE THIS FORM 

AND SEND IT TO: 

The Marine Society 

202 Lambeth Road 

London SE1 7JW. 

I am over 20 years of age 

and a rating normally resident 

in the United Kingdom. 

Please send me details of the 

John Slater Award. 

Name: _______________________________________ 

__________________________________________________ 

Address: ____________________________________ 

__________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________ 

Email: ________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________ 

Details are also available online 

at: www.nautilusint.org 

or email your name, address 

and request for Slater Fund 

details to: careers@ms-sc.org 

500 

F 

During the last year of 

WWII I sailed as a messman 

on troop transports 

in the Atlantic: the USAT George 

Washington and the USAT Laconia 

Victory. We always travelled in 

convoys of 80 to 150 ships. 

On both of these ships we carried 

fresh soldiers and German 

prisoners back to Europe, landing 

at Le Havre and Antwerp. On the 

return trips to the USA we brought 

back soldiers who had enough 

points to return to the States, as 

well as the wounded. 

When the war ended with 

Germany, I went to San Francisco 

and sailed throughout the Pacific 

until the war ended with Japan. 

I was sailing on a Standard Oil 

tanker and we sailed alone. This 

was a strange feeling for me after 

sailing in convoys. 

In later years I was a telegraph 

operator for several railroads, and 

served in the US Air Force for five 

years as a radio operator. I spent 

three years in the Japanese occupation 

and was also in the beginning 

of the Korean War, working 

our way by land from Pusan 

(now Busan) up to Wonson, North 

Korea. 

Later I was a prison officer 

and counsellor at a prison site in 

California for 18 years and retired 

from there. 

F 

After my retirement, 

my wife and I travelled 

throughout the US and 

Canada for two years with a travel 

trailer, and while gone, someone 

burned my house down — so 

through other circumstances we 

ended up in Coos Bay, Oregon. 

When we arrived here, I found 

that there was a seamen’s centre 

in town and dropped by one 

afternoon to see how I could get 

involved. The manager happened 

to be there, and I asked him about 

working there as a volunteer. He 

gruffly said, ‘We do not need anyone 

now, and besides, you have 

to belong to one of our member 

churches.’ I said OK and then left. 

I watched a certain dock where 

ships often came in to load lumber 

and did not see anyone visiting 

the ships. One day I grabbed 

some newspapers and magazines 

and went to the guard gate, telling 

the man I was from the seamen’s 

centre. This worked and I went 

aboard the ship and many ships 

after that. Then I stopped at the 

centre again, told the man that 

I was doing this and asked if he 

had any flyers to take onboard the 

ships. He did, and was now happy 

to give them to me. 

After a few years of ship visiting, 

the board declared me the 

official ‘ship greeter’ and a few 

years after that they asked me if I 

would consider becoming manager. 

I said yes and did that for 14 

more years. All of this was as a volunteer 

only. No pay. 

F 

Like any normal seamen’s 

club, we would 

often take ship crews to 

town to go shopping or on sightseeing 

trips. 

The centre was originally at 

another site but when we had a 

chance to move to a place that 

had more foot traffic, we did so. 

I helped build phone booths, 

moved a giant wall, rebuilt a 

restroom and set up a maintenance 

shop. I also put in a request 

for a grant from NUMAST/ITF for 

a van, and received it. 

In all of the years with the centre, 

I cannot remember any seamen 

giving us any problems such 

as drunkenness or rowdiness. 

When the New Carissa ran 

aground here, I went to the Coast 

Guard station where the crew had 

been received by airlift, and took 

them to a nearby motel to make 

sure that they had rooms and 

their first meal. 

During these years, we would 

receive ships from all over the 

world as well as different nationality 

crews. Over this period, I do 

not remember many seamen who 

did not get a pass to come ashore 

— not like today when sometimes 

the whole crew cannot go ashore. 

F 

The Russian ships would 

come in and I made 

it known that I loved 

borscht. Later, when a Russian 

ship arrived, the cook or some 

crewman would tell me, ‘We have 

borscht’. This was my invitation to 

dinner. I also loved to eat Lumpia 

on the Filipino-manned ships. 

A Greek crew who had made 

several stops here once invited 

my wife and me to eat a Greek 

meal onboard. We had an eightcourse 

meal with Greek music 

playing on a cassette. It was times 

like that that really made the ship 

greeting job a real pleasure. 

A German ro-ro ship stopped 

here a few times and I made 

mention to the chief officer that 

I would sure enjoy making a trip 

on this ship. The captain agreed 

to take me on as a work-a-way 

passenger, and I soon set off for two 

months as an ordinary seaman 

and occasional radio operator. 

I was the oldest person and the only 

American on the ship. The officers 

and crew were German and Spanish. 

In the evenings, when off duty, 

we would often play cards or dominoes 

and would speak in three 

different languages. Lots of fun. 

F 

We had to close down 

the centre eventually 

because of lack of ships. 

A lot of the lumber and ore companies 

had closed down. When I 

first started there, we were getting 

over 300 ships per year. Now we 

are lucky to get 30 ships per year. 

I have continued visiting, but 

at the time of writing, my legs are 

starting to bother me from just 

walking or climbing up and down 

the various gangways. Most gangways 

are about four storeys up, 

and then you walk half the ship 

and another three storeys up to 

see the captain. I have been doing 

this since 1981... 

Note-worthy... 

fBuddy Hincke’s hobby, which 

started in WWII, is collecting 

international paper money. All 

donations of old or new currency 

would be very welcome. 

His website is http: //mysite/ 

verizon.net/reqzj7e, which can 

also be easily found by entering 

‘Buddy Hincke’ into a search 

engine.



Members in the Royal Fleet 

Auxiliary have taken part in a 

major multinational exercise to 

demonstrate the UK’s ability to 

deploy, operate and sustain a task 

group out of area for a prolonged 

period. First officer Richard 

Lavender reports… 

“ They 

delivered 

where, 

when 

and as 

required 

” 

Cdre Simon Ancona, Commander 

of the Carrier Strike Group, and 

Captain Dale Worthington, CO of 

RFA Fort George 

s 

Ospreys overhead, ORCs 

on the deck, LCVPs heading 

to the beach and 

the lean green eating machine is 

already queuing for lunch — it’s 

just another day for RFA Largs Bay 

on Auriga 10! 

The mighty RFA Largs Bay 

was deployed from early June 

as part of Exercise Auriga 10. A 

combined operation involving 

the carrier battle group, under 

the command of Commodore 

Simon Ancona in HMS Ark Royal 

and the amphibious task group, 

commanded by Commodore Paul 

Bennett in HMS Albion. 

During its deployment, the 

group exercised with several 

nations’ assets — including the 

United States — off the eastern 

seaboard of America. 

RFA Largs Bay operated as 

part of the amphibious task 

group and embarked elements 

of 42 Commando Royal Marines 

and supporting echelons, which 

allowed us to demonstrate the 

utility, flexibility and adaptability 

of this outstanding littoral 

support platform. 

s 

The presence of such a 

large number of troops 

onboard for such an 

extended period provided a 

significant challenge for the 

ship’s company but — as ever in 

the Royal Fleet Auxiliary — they 

succeeded in supporting and 

delivering as required, when 

required and where required. 

The galley team produced 

Living it Largs on 

Exercise Auriga 

over a thousand meals a day, the 

deck team supported round-theclock 

docking operations, the 

technical branches kept essential 

services online, the Royal Logistics 

Corps provided their expertise 

and the flight deck team, as well 

as doing their respective day 

jobs, were ready at a moment’s 

notice — or 15 minutes to be more 

precise. 

Sailing in company with 

HMS Albion and HMS Ocean, 

the 4,600nm passage across the 

Atlantic was relatively benign 

and the ship concentrated on 

integrating with the task group 

and — perhaps more importantly 

— integrating the Royal Marines 

into the ship. For many of the 

young Marines this was their first 

experience at sea, but the booties 

are, as ever, adaptable and the ship 

soon echoed to their never ending 

quest for physical training and 

food. 

s 

After a two-week 

crossing, Largs Bay 

stopped briefly in 

Morehead City, North Carolina, 

to offload some of the troops 

and wheeled vehicles for further 

move to Camp Lejeune, where the 

land force exercises took place. A 

problematic stern door was cause 

for concern, but a hard day and 

night’s work saw the technical 

branches succeed in fixing 

the problem, and the offload 

continued. 

From Morehead we sailed to 

the exercise area and began to 

offload troops by air and landing 

craft. It was then that we got to 

see some of the Royal Marines’ 

equipment at work, as the ORCs 

(Offshore Raiding Craft) and the 

LCACs (Landing Craft Air Cushion, 

aka hovercraft) were put through 

their paces. 

Following an underway 

replenishment with the USNS 

Leroy Gruman, the ship’s next port 

of call was Norfolk, Virginia, where 

defence regional engagement 

was conducted by some of the 

ship’s company. The officers had 

a pleasant evening entertaining 

their opposite numbers from 

our host ship, the USS Carter Hall, 

whilst some personnel took the 

opportunity to visit Washington 

DC and New York. 

RFA Wave Ruler was alongside 

as well, conducting a maintenance 

period as part of her upkeep prior 

to taking up her duties conducting 

drug interdiction and disaster 

relief. 

s 

Too soon the visit was 

over and our friends in 

green were re-embarked 

and the ship returned to its 

day job. On departing Norfolk, 

the amphibious task group 

rendezvoused with the carrier 

battle group under the command 

of HMS Ark Royal but also 

included RFA Fort George to 

form the Mighty Expeditionary 

Strike Force. The exercise was 

set in a fictitious country where, 

following a natural disaster, UK 

forces are put in place to protect 

the delivery of aid to the civilian 

population whilst insurgents 

threatened the supply line. 

As the exercise moved into the 

free play phase and the mighty 

USS Kearsarge came into view, 

life got even busier as round-theclock 

dock operations demanded 

even more of the ship. 

Finally, the end was in sight 

and the UK side of the exercise 

was handed over to a US Marine 

Expeditionary Unit via a relief in 

place and Largs Bay headed into 

Mayport, Florida via Morehead 

City, where we conducted a vehicle 

on and off load for a much-needed 

port visit to replenish the ship’s 

stores. 

Florida saw a quiet time for 

the ship and some of the ship’s 

company visited Kennedy Space 

Centre but, in general, it was 

preparing the ship for the return 

to the UK… 

Seafarers onboard the RFA vessel Fort George carry out a replenishment at sea with HMS Sutherland RFA Fort George in company with the task group during Exercise Auriga 10 

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MARITIME HISTORY 

Cadet became 

master writer 

John Masefield in his later years. He died in 1967, at the age of 89 

No.1 

Global 

 

 

 

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Technical Services covering FMEA’s and Audits etc to IMCA 

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Consultancy services available worldwide offices in Marine 

centre’s London, Houston, Singapore and Spilt, Croatia 

From Merchant Navy trainee to Poet Laureate is quite some career path. 

Trevor Boult tells the story of the seafarer-turned-writer John Masefield… 

F 

John Masefield has been 

described as ‘A brightness 

not of this world’. To 

seafarers, and many former pupils 

of school-taught English, he will 

be largely remembered for two 

poems: Sea-Fever, and Cargoes. 

This is a testament to his talent, 

for these poems were amongst 

the earliest of his published writ- 

*Based on total number of students 

ings, which were to span a period 

of some seven decades. 

Masefield was able to pen 

such verses in his early 20s from 

the conviction and sensitivity of 

youthful personal experience — 

a potent quality openly acknowledged 

by the great writer of the 

seas, Joseph Conrad. 

His current reputation largely 

rests on these sea poems, but this 

obscures his wider 

achievements. 

He was as much 

a celebrant of 

the English countryside, 

was Poet 

Laureate for many 

years, and became e a 

best-selling author 

— publishing many 

volumes of verse, 

plays, novels, historical 

works and volumes 

for children. 

Yet Masefield was 

so much more than a 

writer. Regarded as a sea 

poet, his actual experiences 

of sea life were relatively 

short. But they were 

intense, and of a nature 

that quickly gave his ing undeniable and lasting 

writ- 

authority. 

F 

Born in Herefordshire 

in 1878, Masefield’s early 

years were spent in idyllic 

rural surroundings. Beyond 

the garden of the family home 

lay a reach of the Hereford and 

Gloucester Canal, then still active 

in the movement of coal. To the 

young lad the canal was one of the 

wonders of the world, the barges 

carrying ‘hearts of gold and 

cargoes of wonder, and always, 

always, returning a salute, even at 

a distance’. 

Water had a compelling attraction 

for Masefield, and the early 

experiences which meant most 

to him were those which occurred 

when he was alone amidst the 

beauty of nature. 

His mother was an able inventor 

of stories for her children, also 

delighting in poetry, and the first 

ever poem which moved young 

John he learnt by heart for her. 

Poignantly, it was Tennyson’s The 

Dying Swan. 

Before Masefield was seven 

years old, his mother succumbed 

to a fatal illness. Her 

son became ‘a 

swift, eager, 

gluttonous 

reader’, par- 

ticularlyo 

of 

exciting 

fiction. 

Such 

avid reading 

was to bear rich fruit, ling both his creative imagination 

fuel- 

and his innate abilities to retell 

out loud the stories he had read. 

Inspired by a godmother whose 

supportive influence shaped his 

ideas and tastes, these were the 

positive elements in Masefield’s 

life, which countered the grievous 

family loss and the increasing disruption 

to family life. 

John Masefield began life as a 

boarder at Warwick School before 

he was 10 years old and for the 

first time he committed verses 

to paper. ‘I was too young... and 

they found that I wrote poetry. I 

tried to kill myself once by eating 

laurel leaves but only gave myself 

a horrible headache.’ But he soon 

adapted and came to enjoy life at 

the school. 

After his father died, Masefield 

was taken under the guardianship 

of an uncle and aunt. Although 

this was considered a courageous 

and unselfish act of family loyalty, 

the aunt’s personality did not permit 

a happy atmosphere. To John, 

especially, she was brutally scathing. 

His artistic leanings were 

met with crushing disapproval, 

whilst his love of books aroused 

her scorn. 

To toughen him up, it was 

she who first 

suggested 

that he should 

be trained to 

go to sea. Such 

were the work- 

ings of fate 

that a callously 

motivated 

act 

should 

unwit- 

tingly combine 

with 

an inspir- 

ing 

account of 

life on 

the school 

ship HMS Conway, 

and 

John Mase- 

field scuppered his 

aunt’s intent in the 

onrush of his enthu- 

siasm to enrol. 

I 

F 

In common 

with 

other 

such school 

ships of the period, HMS Conway 

provided initial training and a certain 

amount of general education 

for boys wishing to become officers 

in the merchant service. The 

transition from sail to steam was 

well advanced at this time, but 

an apprenticeship in sail was still 

considered the best preparation 

for a career at sea. 

At this time the Conway was 

moored in the River Mersey. 

Masefield joined her when he was 

13. He was overawed by his first 

sight of the great port of Liverpool, 

but he had no inkling of ships or 

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Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack, 

Butting through the Channel in the mad March days, 

With a cargo of Tyne coal, 

Road-rails, pig-lead, 

Firewood, iron-ware, and cheap tin trays. 

from Cargoes by John Masefield


MARITIME HISTORY 

their ways and his first glimpse of 

the four-masted barque Wanderer 

became branded on his memory. 

Amidst the general turmoil of 

settling in, to his joy and amazement 

Masefield was invited to 

‘spin some ghost yarns’. He also 

discovered a talent for making 

sketches and drawings of 

ships which he kept in dedicated 

albums. It was to become a lifelong 

hobby. 

The second year on Conway 

was a happy time. Masefield had 

adapted to the ways of shipboard 

life. In class, under a sympathetic 

master, he was able to concentrate 

on history and English — subjects 

which really interested him. 

Devoted to reading books from 

the ship’s library, they were to 

imbue him with a deeply romantic 

attitude towards the sea and 

ships. 

In his final summer as a cadet 

he won an essay prize — a magnificent 

telescope. Still not yet 16, 

Masefield left Conway in 1894. He 

had been a senior petty officer for 

a term, and recognised as a youth 

who could take responsibility — a 

definite leader in his age group. 

Yet he was younger than most 

who were taken on as apprentices 

by the sailing ship companies. 

F 

Masefield’s first ship 

was the Gilcruix, a fourmasted 

barque belonging 

to White Star Line. He joined 

her in Cardiff, as she prepared for 

a voyage to Chile, which meant 

facing Cape Horn and being out 

of touch with land for several 

months. One of his duties was 

to keep a daily journal, which 

he did conscientiously until the 

ship reached Cape Horn. He later 

recalled climbing to the top of 

the masts: ‘I lay out on the yard, 

and the sail hit me in the face and 

knocked my cap away. It beat me 

and banged me, and blew from 

my hands. The wind pinned me 

flat against the yards; and seemed 

to be blowing all my clothes to 

shreds. I felt like a king, like an 

emperor.’ 

He also recalled: ‘We got caught 

in the ice off the Horn and had our 

bows stove in, and had 32 days of 

such storm and cold I hope never 

to see again.’ 

The Gilcruix eventually 

reached her destination of 

Iquique some 13 weeks after leaving 

Cardiff. At Iquique Masefield 

climbed alone into the steep 

hinterland behind the town: ‘It 

was a beautiful sight that anchorage 

with the ships lying there so 

lovely, all their troubles at an end. 

But I knew that aboard each ship 

there were young men going to 

the devil, and mature men wasted, 

and old men wrecked; and I wondered 

at the misery and sin which 

went to make each ship so perfect 

an image of beauty.’ 

John Masefield became seriously 

ill in Chile — to the extent 

that he was classified as a Distressed 

British Seaman, which 

assured him a passage back to 

England by steamship. Convalescing 

during this leisurely voyage, 

he resolved not to finish his 

apprenticeship and abandon all 

ideas of pursuing a sea career. 

In hindsight he acknowledged: 

‘I shall always be glad of my short 

sea time. It was real, naked life... 

At sea you got manhood knocked 

bare, and it is a fine thing, a splendid 

thing.’ 

F 

Masefield held to his 

earlier aspirations to be 

a writer, but his guardians 

scorned this determination. 

Arrangements were made for him 

to join another sailing ship, this 

time in America. Once there he 

felt free to obey his own impulses: 

‘I deserted my ship in New York, 

and cut myself adrift from her, 

and from my home. I was going to 

be a writer, come what might.’ 

At the age of 17 John Masefield 

became a homeless vagrant, 

like innumerable others at this 

time of acute depression. It was 

to give him a lifelong sympathy 

with drifters, menials and the 

unemployed. Half-starved and 

unkempt, he later declared that 

he was also ‘marvellously happy’. 

Eventually finding work in a hotel, 

he then secured a job at a carpet 

mill. He was soon on friendly 

terms with his fellow workers 

in the cutting shop. Calling him 

‘Masey’, they good-humouredly 

teased him and mocked his English 

accent. 

One of his greatest joys in that 

two-year period was the time 

he had to read books. They were 

then so cheap he built up his own 

library. Acquiring a book by Chaucer, 

and knowing only that he was 

evidently considered the father 

of English poetry, Masefield was 

transfixed by what he read. In 

the language of Chaucer’s Middle 

English, he found validation of his 

own most treasured intuitions; 

that ‘life is very brief, and that the 

use of life is to discover the law of 

one’s being, and to follow that law, 

at whatever cost, to the utmost’. 

For Masefield, it was to be a poet. 

Practical realities tempered his 

ideals, but with sharpened resolve 

he returned to Britain, working his 

passage as a steerage steward on a 

steamer bound for Liverpool. 

F 

In his Conway days Liverpool’s 

Walker Art Gallery 

had been an enchanted 

place, mainly for its paintings 

of ships. Returning home with a 

maturity well beyond his years, 

Masefield had strong views on 

how sea life should be presented: 

‘It will be a good thing for England 

when painters and poets leave off 

painting and ranting about fishing 

smacks and pirates and “the 

dark blue sea”, and take to showing 

with their best ability the real 

life of the poor fellows who bring 

them not only their luxuries but 

their very food.’ 

Over the next several years, 

whilst holding a job as a bank 

clerk in London, Masefield experimented 

with verse, children’s 

books, plays, naval histories, novels, 

and literary criticism. At the 

time of his 21st birthday, he had 

his first publishing success with a 

sea poem, now known as The Turn 

of the Tide. 

He also discovered the poetry 

of WB Yeats, describing the Irishman 

as ‘the only living poet whose 

heart has not got the moneygrubs 

and who writes from sheer 

joy much as a lark might sing’. 

Masefield and Yeats were to forge 

a close and lasting friendship, 

through which the sphere of new 

acquaintances admitted him into 

an intellectual circle that nurtured 

his talent and aspirations. 

F 

At the age of 23 he decided 

to sacrifice the security 

of a regular job and to 

embark on the uncertain life of a 

freelance writer. To his eventual 

successes in publications such as 

Tatler and Pall Mall Magazine he 

enthused: ‘My ballads are being 

taken as fast as I can write them.’ 

I must go down to the seas again, 

to the lonely sea and the sky, 

And all I ask is a tall ship 

and a star to steer her by, 

And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s 

song and the white sail’s shaking, 

And a grey mist on the sea’s face, 

and a grey dawn breaking. 

from Sea Fever by John Masefield 

He was becoming known to a 

widening circle. Of his first published 

book of verse he level-headedly 

remarked: ‘Genius I’m not, 

but I’m pretty sure that I’ve kept 

my talents unrusted under pretty 

tough circumstances... I think the 

book deserves the recognition of a 

maritime people. It is something 

new said newly.’ Entitled Salt- 

Water Ballads, it attracted immediate 

attention, and included Sea- 

Fever, later to become his most 

widely-known poem. 

Masefield married Constance 

Crommelin, who was 11 years his 

senior. A gifted teacher, she took 

a sincere and enabling interest in 

his writing. Intensifying his freelance 

journalism, his book reviews 

were praised as ‘the shortest and 

most incisive we had. He could 

pack an extraordinary amount of 

criticism into a small paragraph’ 

and as a playwright he received 

the annoying compliment of having 

his work plagiarised. 

By 1913, Masefield’s contribution 

to English literature meant 

that he had become a public figure. 

Shortly before the outbreak 

of the First World War his verse 

play Philip the King unusually 

depicted the defeat of the Armada 

as if seen through Spanish eyes. 

Such perspective proved a precursor 

to his unique interpretation 

of the Dardanelles campaign, and 

later of Dunkirk. His poem August 

1914 caught the anguish of the 

reality of war and set a sombre 

stage for the varied roles he was 

to play during forthcoming years, 

in England, France, the Mediterranean, 

and America. 

F 

Too old for the army, 

Masefield worked as an 

orderly for the British 

Red Cross at a hospital in France 

and was invited by the organisation 

to lead an expedition to the 

Dardanelles. An appeal for reinforcements 

had been made 

by the motor boat ambulance 

service, which carried wounded 

from the battle areas to a distant 

hospital on the island of Lemnos. 

Masefield secured funds, 

purchased launches and a barge 

and made passage from England. 

They arrived only to witness the 

final annihilation of Allied hopes 

on the Gallipoli peninsula. 

In early 1916 Masefield visited 

America on a lecture tour which 

was also an intelligence mission. 

In the German-dominated areas 

of the Mid-West, he was persistently 

questioned about the failure 

of the Dardanelles campaign. 

To counter such calculated negativity 

Masefield wrote his book 

Gallipoli, and its success led to 

him being invited by the British 

Commander-in-Chief, Sir Douglas 

Haig, to observe and chronicle 

the unfolding of the Battle of the 

Somme. 

Masefield came to believe that 

the Somme battle was the ‘biggest 

thing’ that England had ever 

been engaged in, that it must be 

a ‘possession of the English mind 

for ever’. He was thus aware of the 

John Masefield at home with his sister, Norah, and the telescope he won as 

an essay prize whilst training as a cadet onboard HMS Conway 

privilege of being its chronicler. 

Yet because of bureaucracy and 

politics he was hamstrung in his 

endeavour, to the probable detriment 

of recorded history. 

In 1918 Masefield was summoned 

for a second American lecture 

tour. He spoke impromptu, 

with great success, to vast audiences 

of enlisted men who would 

soon be fighting in Europe. 

F 

Always a countryman 

at heart, Masefield settled 

back into rural 

surroundings after the war. Like 

John Masefield was recognised as a potential leader during his time onboard the school ship HMS Conway 

so many others, he and his wife 

shared the urge to create a ‘better 

England’. Active once more in 

the promotion and recognition of 

poetry in Britain, famed on both 

sides of the Atlantic for his affinity 

with the common man, he was 

appointed Poet Laureate by King 

George V. 

For the rest of his life he brought 

dedication and dignity to that 

office. He was to write with boyish 

enthusiasm on the launching of 

what became the great Cunarder 

Queen Mary: ‘…Parting the seas 

in sunder in a surge/Treading a 

trackway like a mile of snow…’ 

In the second world war, Masefield’s 

son Lewis — a conscientious 

objector — enlisted in the 

Royal Army Medical Corps and 

was killed by artillery fire in the 

African desert. 

John Masefield produced a 

book about the evacuation of 

Dunkirk, but for security reasons 

it was not published in full until 

1973, as The Twenty Five Days. 

Masefield’s wife died in 1960, 

after which he became increasingly 

solitary. He remained an 

elder beloved for his courtesy and 

kindness, who faced up to the burdens 

of being in the public limelight, 

and to the end was ‘a devotee 

of beauty in all its forms, and a 

searcher for ultimate truths’. 

He passed away in 1967; his 

remains lie in Poets’ Corner at 

Westminster Abbey. 

Of his two most celebrated 

poems — Sea-Fever, and Cargoes 

— written at the start of his 

literary career, no less an authority 

than John Betjeman has suggested 

that they would be ‘remembered 

as long as the language lasts’… 

i The author kindly 

acknowledges the material 

assistance of Constance 

Babington Smith and Philip 

Errington.


OFFWATCH 

ships of the past 

General details 

Built: 1898: by Messrs Pool, Skinner 

& Williams of The Bar, Falmouth. 

Dimensions: 106 x 20 x 11ft; 153gt. 

Cornish steam tug that 

ran coastal excursions 

by Trevor Boult 

The Cornish Peninsula has 

Flong been a major landfall 

for shipping entering the western 

approaches of the English 

Channel. The rugged coastal cliffs 

of Cornwall and Devon stand 

bastion against the fury of 

Atlantic gales and, thankfully for 

mariners, this historically 

daunting coastline is breached at 

intervals by safe havens. 

The greatest natural harbour 

of them all is Carrick Roads, 

known worldwide after the town 

that stands on its western shores 

— Falmouth — and of the river 

that echoes its name, the Fal. 

Falmouth has profited from 

its strategic maritime position. 

A steady increase in the resident 

population was accompanied by 

a growth in the number of 

visitors which followed the 

arrival of the railway in 1865. 

Many types of local craft 

plied the extensive system of 

tidal creeks and rivers 

encompassed by St Anthony’s 

Head. Perhaps the most 

ubiquitous were the steam tugs. 

In addition to towage these tugs 

also served as boarding craft, 

tenders, salvage vessels, and 

passenger steamers. 

With the upsurge of visitors 

some tug owners introduced 

purpose-built steamers, fully 

fitted for passenger comfort, 

whilst retaining a towage 

capability as a secondary 

function. Such a dual role was not 

unique to the Fal, but nowhere 

else in Britain did passenger-tugs 

so completely dominate ferry 

and excursion services. 

For over 60 years the Fal 

steamers offered excursions, 

gracing their surroundings and 

providing the means of visiting 

otherwise isolated villages along 

the south Cornwall coast. In 

other parts of the country were 

to be found funfairs, 

promenades, pavilions and piers. 

For excursionists outwardbound 

from Falmouth no such 

frivolous attractions were 

thought necessary to augment 

the natural beauty. 

Until the beginning of the 

Second World War the passengertug 

fleets maintained local 

steamer services in the 60 miles 

of waterways which were then 

navigable. Coastal excursions 

along the length of the south 

Cornwall coast, with landings at 

jetties and coves, demanded an 

intimate knowledge of these 

challenging waters. 

One such notable vessel was 

the Victor. Built in 1898 for 

owners William Thomas & 

Family, her name was to become 

synonymous with both local and 

long distance excursions. She 

was once to be found attending 

virtually every regatta along 

Cornwall’s SE coast. The Victor’s 

regular programme of 

excursions westward along the 

Lizard coast offered landings 

which included Coverack and 

Church Cove. Longer trips also 

visited Mevagissey, Fowey and 

Plymouth. She also shared in 

deputising for short periods on 

the Isles of Scilly packet run 

from Penzance. 

The Victor, with her easilyrecognisable 

dark green hull and 

Maltese Cross funnel motif, 

survived to become the last true 

passenger-tug in the district. At 

the end of each season her 

comfortable after saloon was 

secured and her crew sought 

winter work in the local coastal 

and salvage tug trades. 

The Victor, along with other 

local tugs, was regularly called 

out for salvage work. Examples 

include attending the sinking 

Atlantic liner Mohegan; also the 

grounded liner Paris, where the 

full complement of passengers 

was ferried to safety. The Victor 

later helped re-float the Paris, 

having in the meantime earned 

a substantial income by running 

sightseeing trips to view the 

stranded ship. 

The Victor was requisitioned 

by the Admiralty during the 

First World War, renamed Ictor 

for the duration. She returned 

to public service at Falmouth in 

1920, continuing to provide 

coastal excursions for a further 

14 years, after which time she 

was sold to a Swansea owner 

and her long career at Falmouth 

came to an end. 

In the autumn of 1939 the 

vessel was hired by the Ministry 

of War Transport, being used 

initially on examination service. 

For the final three years of the 

war she served as a harbour tug 

on the Clyde, after which her 

history becomes obscure. 

The characterful steam 

passenger-tugs have long 

disappeared from the waters of 

the Falmouth district, but the 

inspiring and varied coastline 

around the beautiful Fal estuary 

can still be appreciated from the 

decks of their present day 

successors. 

50 YEARS AGO 

After a study of 199 collisions which took place within its jurisdiction over the 

last three years, the US Coast Guard has found that 77 were due to excess 

speed, 58 to ships being on the wrong side of channels, 45 to failure of sound 

signals, 29 to overtaking ships failing to keep clear, 27 to turning to port when 

meeting end-on, 24 to give-way ships failing to do so in a crossing situation, 

21 to evasive manoeuvres which were too little or too late, 15 to failure to stop 

or go astern, 12 to wind, sea or current factors, nine to insufficient power and 

six to ships being overtaken failing to maintain their course. The incidents 

caused 55 deaths and more than £7m damage and the Coast Guard says the 

findings show the need for a comprehensive analysis of the causes of 

collisions MN Journal, October 1960 

25 YEARS AGO 

NUMAST is seeking comments from members about proposals to set a new 

series of shipboard noise limits. The Department of Transport is planning to 

revise its noise code to bring levels on UK ships into line with those laid down 

by the International Maritime Organisation. Under the proposals, which 

would affect merchant ships of 500gt and over, exposure limits would be 

brought down from 90dB(A) to 85dB(A) for eight-hour periods and 80dB(A) 

over a 24-hour day. Changes in maximum recommended noise levels would 

be: workshops 85dB(A); listening posts, including bridge wings 70dB(A); 

galleys and pantries 75dB(A); and day rooms and sleeping cabins 60dB(A) 

The Telegraph, October 1985 

10 YEARS AGO 

The demise of Britain as a major maritime nation was starkly illustrated last 

month during an episode of the TV game show Who Wants to be a 

Millionaire Presenter Chris Tarrant asked a contestant: ‘The red ensign 

signifies which of the following — the Royal Yacht Squadron, the Merchant 

Navy, the Royal Navy or the RNLI’ The woman in the hot seat had no idea 

and opted to ask the audience — only 8% of which identified the red ensign 

as the symbol of the MN, with the vast majority choosing the RN or RNLI. 

NUMAST has urged the Chamber of Shipping to take note of this ignorance 

and to launch a sustained campaign to increase public awareness of the UK 

shipping industry, including material directed at parents and teachers as well 

as potential new recruits The Telegraph, October 2000 

THEQUIZ 

1 Which country’s shipowners 

have the largest amount of 

tonnage on order 

(in deadweight terms) 

2 What is the total deadweight 

capacity of the world oil tanker 

fleet at present 

3 In which year was the world’s 

first pure car carrier built 

4 How many years did it take ot 

construct the Panama Canal 

5 Dolphin strikers were fitted to 

many sailing ships. What were 

they 

6 On which river is the French port 

of Rouen 

J Answers to the quiz and 

quick crossword 

are on page 46. 

Telegraph prize crossword 

The winner of this month’s cryptic crossword competition 

will win a copy of the book Seaspray and Whiskey by 

Norman Freeman (reviewed on the facing page). 

To enter, simply complete the form right and send it, 

along with your completed crossword, to: Nautilus 

International, Telegraph Crossword Competition, 

Oceanair House, 750–760 High Road, 

Leytonstone, London E11 3BB, 

or fax +44 (0)20 8530 1015. 

You can also enter by email, by sending your list of 

answers and your contact details to: 

telegraph@nautilusint.org. 

Closing date is Wednesday 13 October 2010. 

Name: 

Address: 

Telephone: 

Membership No.: 

QUICK CLUES 

Across 

1. Gusher (3,4) 

5. & 10. Thackeray (7,9) 

9. Conflict (5) 

10. (See 5 across) 

11. Dramatic Relief (9) 

12. Vote in (5) 

13. Straws (5) 

15. Plated creature (9) 

18. Form of strength (9) 

19. Old Scandinavian (5) 

21. Find suitable partner (5) 

23. Vital fluids (9) 

25. Means (9) 

26. Attuned new engine (3,2) 

27. Late ticket (7) 

28. Watch (7) 

Down 

1. Rank (7) 

2. Astronomical mileage (5.4) 

3. Addition (5) 

4. Light covering (9) 

5. Vigils (5) 

6. Visual listener (3-6) 

7. Angry (5) 

8. Conductor (7) 

14. Dirty money (5,4) 

16. Policy document (9) 

17. Splash of red on lawn signifies 

the one in possession (9) 

18. Funny bone (7) 

20. Vocal movement (7) 

22. Coil (5) 

23. Fortunate (5) 

24. London mayor (5) 

CRYPTIC CLUES 

Across 

1. It raises 25 to lubricate 

economy (3,4) 

5. & 10. Fair author’s Pacifist Bill 

(7,9) 

9. Worthless fruit, but precedes 

high tension conflict (5) 

10. (See 5 across) 

11. Relief to get out of theatre (9) 

12. Leave with a seat (5) 

13. From which some musical 

sound stems (5) 

15. Ill or mad, a changeable 

creature (9) 

18. The woman’s a small copper 

and slim, but shows great 

strength (9) 

19. Old Scandinavian was to incur 

change (5) 

21. Lighter one of a pair (5) 

23. Replacement of old bile with 

more vital transfusion (9) 

25. Means to do with origins (9) 

26. Take to police station but drive 

gently (3,2) 

27. Last minute ticket, without 

seating (7) 

28. Abide by the rule, see (7) 

Down 

1. Not on frozen surface right, 

policeman sir (7) 

2. Astronomical mileage (5.4) 

3. One in crowd for film, given 

another run (5) 

4. 50 units of current, had 

electronic cover (9) 

5. Gatherings in Ireland where 

the ships have sailed (5) 

6. One can see what you’re 

saying (3-6) 

7. Angry about rodent that is (5) 

8. Or team’s built around 

conductor (7) 

14. From which backhanders are 

paid for snowploughs (5,4) 

16. Obvious nothing put together 

to make policy document (9) 

17. Splash of red on lawn signifies 

the one in possession (9) 

18. Sounds like the funny bone (7) 

20. ‘So in majestic — rise and fall/ 

The mighty undulations of thy 

song’ (Longfellow: Milton) (7) 

22. Coiled tales (5) 

23. Fortunate to be waiting for 

Samuel Beckett (5) 

24. Sir, old boy has been returned 

mayor (5) 

J Crossword answers 

are on page 46.

A CalMac officer 

trainee wins the 

Bevis Minter award 

Volume 43 | Number 08 | August 2010 | £3.35 €3.50 

News from the first 

Nautilus UK and NL 

branch conferences 

Union alarm as US judges warn of ‘no inspection-free zones’ onboard visiting foreign ships 

P 



Nederland 

Amid shipowner warnings of arising from the equal pay plans 

Fmass flag-outs from the UK would put their UK operations 

register in response to plans to end ‘under intolerable pressure’. 

pay discrimination for foreign 


seafarers, Nautilus has urged the Dickinson said he was concerned by 

government to adopt its compromise the owners’ warnings, but pointed 

package of proposals. 

out that the existing rules have to 

Ministers are due to decide soon change to bring the UK into line with 

on whether to accept the 

European law. 

recommendations, made in an 

‘However, we are also realists 

independent report, to close the and we recognise the risk of flagging 

legal loopholes that presently permit out if the costs of using the UK 

operators to pay different rates to register are significantly increased in 

non-UK resident seafarers. 

these economically difficult times. 

Leading owners have warned 

‘That’s why we have written to 

that the proposals will leave many the shipping minister setting out a 

major companies with ‘little choice practical alternative that respects EU 

but to re-register their ships away law and adheres to international 

from the UK’. 

benchmark standards negotiated by 

In a letter to the national press, shipowners and their union 

the heads of shipping firms including counterparts at the international 

Shell, Maersk, Carnival UK, P&O level,’ he added. ‘We believe this is 

Ferries, Stena and James Fisher the option the UK should choose.’ Nautilus members on the Greenpeace ship Esperanza, above, have been working with German scientists on an important climate change research 

warned that the increase in costs g Full story — page 3. 

project to investigate the acidification of the Arctic Ocean ‒ find out more on page 29 Picture: Nick Cobbing/Greenpeace 

F 

F 

F 

F 

Shipowners have voiced concern after an 

investigation last month confirmed that tanker 

damaged by a blast in the Strait of Hormuz had b en the 

victim of a te rorist a tack. 

One crew member was injured, a lifeboat was 

damaged, windows were broken and five 

a co modation d ors were blown off in the incident 

involving the 314,016dwt VL C M. Star. 

The Marsha l Islands-fla ged ve sel, operated by 

Mitsui OSK Lines, wa sailing from the United Arab 

Emirates to Japan with a 270,204 to ne carg of crude 

when the incident o cu red just after midnight on 28 July 

at 26°27’ N 56°14’ E. 

Although som expert su gested the ve sel may 

have b en struck by a freak wave or an ol drifting mine, 

an investigation ca ried out by UAE authorities found 

remains of homemad explosives in a 14m by 7m dent on 

the starboard side of the ship, just above the waterline. 

The state-ru news agency WAM said investigators 

had concluded the a tack had b en ca ried out by a sma l 

boat packed with explosives. 

Just a few days earlier, a group known as the 

Abdu lah A zam Brigade said it had ca ried out a suicide 

a tack agains the tanker to avenge the plunder of 

Muslim wealth and to destabilise international markets. 

Transnet cadet Akhona Geveza 

F 

F 

F 

g 

Fu l report — pages 24-25. 


books 

OFFWATCH 

How MN saved the day 

Ebb and Flow 

by Roy Martin 

Brook House, £13.99 pbk, £18.99 hbk 

ISBN 978-0-9557441-2-9 

It is only in recent years, after concerted 

Kcampaigning by organisations including 

Nautilus, that the role of merchant seafarers 

during the Second World War has become more 

widely appreciated. More than one in six, from all 

parts of the British Empire, were killed, mainly 

while undertaking the shipping of food, fuel and 

materials. 

In his new study Ebb and Flow: Evacuations 

and Landings by Merchant Ships in World War 

Two, Roy Martin documents the less known story 

of the part seafarers played in evacuations from 

countries overrun by Axis powers. They saved 

more than 90,000 troops from Dunkirk, more 

than 200,000 troops and civilians from other 

parts of France, and helped many escape when 

Singapore fell to the Japanese. 

Mr Martin — a merchant mariner who spent 

much of his working life in the marine salvage 

industry — had his fascination with the theme 

sparked when he joined his first ship in 1953: ‘… the 

officers had mostly served through the war and 

had the medal ribbons to prove it’. 

On Britain’s dire predicament in 1941 and 1942, 

he writes: ‘It is not possible to see how Britain 

would have got through this low point without the 

unstinting support of both the merchant fleets and 

Empire.’ 

Yet he notes that the evacuations carried out 

after Dunkirk have received very little attention: 

‘Even now it would seem that many want to cling 

to the idea of the “Miracle of Dunkirk” when the 

Navy and the little ships alone saved “every last 

man” of the BEF [British Expeditionary Force]’ 

Noting how Churchill prevented the news of the 

loss of the Lancastria getting more than limited 

coverage because the public had had enough bad 

news, Mr Martin comments: ‘Possibly the idea that 

civilian merchantmen had to “finish the job” did 

not make the right sort of story.’ 

The role of non-British ships is also 

documented; for instance the Perseus, owned by 

Holt of Amsterdam, which, when the German 

troops were overrunning the neutral Low 

Countries, was said to have carried part of the 

Dutch gold reserve to the UK. 

And the author does not neglect to mention the 

women who served on merchant ships during 

the conflict. Their numbers were small but 

several were awarded medals, including 

Victoria Drummond, god-daughter of Queen 

Victoria, who served as an engineer officer. Mr 

Martin records: ‘Miss Drummond was 

awarded an MBE and the Lloyd’s War Medal 

for Bravery at Sea for single-handedly 

remaining at the controls of the cargo ship 

Bonita during an attack by a German 

bomber. She also volunteered for service 

during the Normandy landings.’ 

Ebb and Flow is a valuable addition to 

the historiography of the immense wartime 

contribution and sacrifices of our merchant 

seafarers. Most images were supplied free of 

charge to the author by the Imperial War 

Museum, in an arrangement whereby £2 

from the sale of each copy goes to 

Merchant Seamen’s War Memorial Society, 

the charity that supports the Springbok 

Estate for seafarers in Surrey. 

Ebb and Flow can be bought directly 

Kfrom the author — adding p&p of 

£1.71 for paperback, £2.01 for hardback — 

by contacting him at roy@risdonbeazley.co.uk 

Story from the 

seamy side of 

60s shipping 

Seaspray and Whisky 

by Norman Freeman 

Ian Allen Publishing, £9.99 

ISBN 978-0-7110-3532-4 

Many maritime memoirs 

Kbask in the rosy glow of the 

good old days, recalling the 

heyday of the shipping 

industry and reflecting on the 

subsequent decline. Norman 

Freeman’s account of an early 

voyage as radio officer in the 

early 1960s is very, very 

different. 

The opening sentence sets 

the scene perfectly: ‘The MV 

Allenwell was one of those 

ships most seafarers were 

careful to avoid.’ 

Over the following 235 pages 

he tells how this ‘dirty and 

decrepit’ vessel and its crew of 

misfits and ne’er-do-wells sailed 

from Liverpool to the United 

States and back fuelled by 

frequent raids on the cargo of 

Scottish whisky. 

In these days of dry ships and 

rigorous alcohol policies, it is 

incredible to reflect back to 

times when each crew member 

had a daily allowance of six cans 

of beer. But for the seafarers on 

Norman Freeman’s vessel, this 

was by no means sufficient — 

and they managed to ‘lose’ 

almost 1,000 bottles of VAT 69 

on their transatlantic crossing 

and in a sordid six-day stay in 

the port of New Orleans. 

How they worked their way 

through the whisky and the 

ramifications of what they did is 

well told in this entertaining 

book, which was originally 

published in Ireland in 1993. Put 

together from notes made at the 

time — but with names changed 

to protect the not-so innocent — 

the book captures the gritty 

reality of tramp shipping and a 

way of life far removed from 

more romantic stories of 

seafaring in the past. 

The descriptions of the 

stodgy food, squalid cabins and 

testing sea conditions are 

extremely well done, and Mr 

Freeman evokes the scenes with 

superb clarity — perhaps 

because he was one of the few 

onboard who had not been 

dipping into the cargo. 

Along the way, he drops in 

fascinating anecdotes about 

such the work of the RO — ‘Every 

Morse-man has his own 

individual style and rhythm’ — 

and Geordie ships — ‘Hardy 

seafarers, reared under the cold 

grey skies of the North Sea, they 

had little time for frills and 

niceties.’ 

The cast of characters 

onboard the Allenwell are also 

vividly drawn and include a laidback 

master whose fine seafaring 

skills were somewhat obscured 

by his relaxed attitude to 

management, an erudite chief 

engineer who never ventures 

into the engineroom, and a 

miserable mate. 

These were the days when 

ships spent weeks — not hours 

— in port and the book tells how 

the ship’s crew hit new heights 

of debauchery during their time 

in New Orleans. 

But, of course, there’s a price 

to be paid — and the tone of the 

book changes as the 

repercussions of the long binge 

start to play out. Whether 

today’s seafarers are also paying 

the price for such behaviour 

with alcohol bans and rigorous 

inspections by shore authorities 

is a moot point, but this 

entertaining and evocative 

account provides an enjoyable 

meander through the seamier 

side of seafaring in the 60s. 

Titanic tales 

that are 

worth a read 

Titanic: 9 Hours to Hell, the 

Survivors’ Story 

by W.B. Bartlett 

Amberley Publishing, £20 

ISBN 978-1-84868-4225 

www.amberleybooks.com 

New edition 

of handy 

guidebook 

for ETOs 

Essential Handbook for ETOs 

by Clive Evans 

£30 

Former Nautilus Council member 

KClive Evans has published a second 

edition of his Essential Handbook for 

Electro-Technical Officers. 

The timing could hardly be better, as 

the post of ETO has — after years of 

campaigning by the Union — been given 

international recognition through the 

training and certification requirements of 

the revised STCW Convention. 

In his introduction, Mr Evans explains 

how the work of the ETO is evolving 

rapidly in response to the remarkable 

changes in shipboard technology. From 

KTelegraph readers: rejoice! 

After two months with no 

Titanic book review, here is news 

of a fresh account of the famous 

shipping disaster. 

Perhaps ‘fresh’ isn’t quite the 

word, given that all the book’s 

source material has been in the 

public domain for some time, 

but WB Bartlett’s Titanic is a 

decent enough history. The 

author strikes a good balance 

between scholarly thoroughness 

and a readable style, and there’s 

no truck with conspiracy 

theories. 

An effort is made to highlight 

the stories of some less wellknown 

passengers, such as the 

poor Syrian family hoping to 

make a better life in the USA. 

And the book does well to evoke 

the atmosphere of the period — 

noting, for example, how easily 

rumours would flourish when 

people had to wait a painfully 

long time for reliable reports. 

There is a good description of 

the scene in New York when the 

Carpathia arrived with the 

Titanic survivors, and waiting 

relatives finally learned the full 

widespread use of shoreside 

maintenance contracts — particularly 

with regard to GMDSS equipment — he 

suggests things have now come full circle 

and owners are likely find it considerably 

more cost-effective to recruit, train and 

retain ETOs for their ships. 

Aimed at ETOs about to go to sea for 

the first time, the handy guide gives 

inside information about the job role and 

the ever-growing list of equipment and 

systems that the ETO is responsible for. 

Some of the new sections in this second 

edition give more detailed practical 

advice, including common faults and 

high-voltage working. 

With subjects ranging from joining 

your first ship to tax and pension 

arrangements, there’s also plenty of 

practical information that would be of 

relevance to all seafarers about to 

embark on their first voyage, and it is all 

backed up with a DVD containing dozens 

of pictures and presentations showing 

life and work at sea. 

The handbook costs £30 including UK 

postage, or £25 per copy for bulk orders. 

For further information, email: 

georgecliveevans@yahoo.co.uk 

truth of who had lived and who 

had died. 

As well as covering the 

sinking and its immediate 

aftermath, Titanic gives a 

detailed account of the public 

inquiries into the disaster, and 

describes the maritime safety 

laws that were introduced as a 

result of the findings. 

The author’s conscientious 

approach means that relevant 

events from later years are also 

included — whereupon a 

Nautilus predecessor union, the 

Mercantile Marine Service 

Association, makes an 

appearance. In the late 1950s, 

the MMSA supported the 

octogenarian Captain Stanley 

Lord of the Californian in his 

fight to clear his name after 

being negatively presented in 

the Titanic film A Night to 

Remember. 

‘In some ways, it is a battle 

that is still being fought,’ 

comments Mr Bartlett. And 

while there is still a public 

appetite for debate about any 

aspect of the Titanic disaster, 

there are surely yet more books 

to be written. Watch this space… 

Union offers ‘third 

way’ on equal pay 

MCA’s new leader 

te ls of his plans to 

restore reputation 

Volume 43 | Number 09 | September 2010 | £3.35 €3.50 

Crew cabins aren’t 

private, court rules 

Nautilus research 

reveals the big 

i sues for trainees 

Investigators found traces of homemad explosives on the hu l of the M. Star Picture: Mosab Omar/Reuters 

Tanker blast ‘a terror attack’ 

The tanker owners’ organisation Intertanko said it 

was ‘disturbed’ by the incident. ‘This a most wo rying 

development, said MD Peter Swift. ‘Tanker owners 

natura ly remain concerned at any developmen that 

could put crew, ship and cargo at risk, and thereby also 

threaten to inte rup the flow o fr e trade.’ 

The incident bear similarities to the case of the 

tanker Limburg, which was ra med by a boat packed 

with explosives off the coast of Yemen in October 2 02. 

One crewman died and 12 were injured the incident, 

which was believed to have b en the work of Al Qaeda. 



Nederland 

‘A wake-up 

call for the 

industry’ 

Union ca ls for UK to lead inquiries into cadet’s death 

To advertise 

your products 

& services in 

the Telegraph 

please contact: 

CENTURY ONE 

PUBLISHING 

Tel: 01727 893 894 

Fax: 01727 893 895 

Email: sean@century 

onepublishing.ltd.uk 

P


NL NEWS 

Uit de dienstgang 

Zo nu en dan maken we mee 

xdat in onze bedrijfstakken 

zeevaart, binnenvaart en offshore 

bedrijven failliet gaan. Dat betreffen 

echter niet alleen de scheepvaartbedrijven, 

maar ook ondernemingen 

die slechts zijdelings betrokken zijn bij 

het varen. Vaak werken bij deze 

bedrijven leden die vroeger gevaren 

hebben. Zij blijven lid van Nautilus 

International om zo van alle ins en 

outs op maritiem gebied op de 

hoogte te blijven. Daarnaast kunnen 

zij rekenen op alle mogelijke 

juridische bijstand wanneer het bij het 

walbedrijf fout dreigt te gaan, zoals 

ook bij onderstaande kwestie het 

geval was... 

Eind maart 2009 ging de 

BlueStream Group in Den Helder 

failliet. Onder verschillende firmanamen 

leverde deze organisatie 

onder andere diving support vessels 

en ROV-diensten aan de offshore. Een 

ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) is 

een klein duikbootje dat aan een 

kabel te water wordt gelaten en dat in 

staat is filmbeelden van onderwaterwerk 

te maken. De laatste paar jaar 

hebben de ROV’s een enorme 

ontwikkeling doorgemaakt; vandaag 

de dag zijn het zelfs complete 

onderwaterrobots geworden dankzij 

hun unieke werkarmen. 

De BlueStream Group kon echter 

niet goed mee en redde het niet. Bij 

het faillissement waren twee leden 

van Nautilus International betrokken, 

waarvan het dienstverband was 

opgezegd door de curator (een door 

de rechtbank benoemde advocaat die 

het faillissement afhandelt) vanaf de 

faillissementsdatum. 

Deze datum is van belang voor de 

verdere financiële afhandeling van 

onder andere de tegoeden van de 

getroffen werknemers. Het is 

ondermeer de datum van ingang van 

de opzegtermijn. Bij een faillissement 

geldt de opzegtermijn zoals vermeld 

in de arbeidsovereenkomst of de CAO, 

met een wettelijk geldend maximum 

van zes weken. Op grond van de 

werkloosheidwet, neemt het UWV de 

betalingsverplichting over van 

achterstallig salaris, het salaris over 

de opzegtermijn, vakantiegeld, niet 

opgenomen vakantie en verlofdagen. 

Nee 

64% 

De curator regelde dat het UWV naar 

het bedrijf kwam om de 

medewerkers in de gelegenheid te 

stellen zich hier direct in te schrijven 

voor de uitkering. 

Gelukkig vonden onze leden op 

zeer korte termijn ander werk, zodat 

de kwestie kon worden beperkt tot 

uitkering van het UWV over achterstallig 

loon en loon over de 

opzegtermijn. Dat ging bij het ene lid 

zonder slag of stoot, maar bij ons 

andere lid verliep het allemaal heel 

moeizaam. Hij werkte in de buitendienst 

van het bedrijf en vloog de 

hele wereld over. Ons lid had naast 

zijn gewone loon, ook nog overuren, 

reiskosten, kilometervergoeding en 

buitenlandvergoeding tegoed. Keer 

op keer werd hem toegezegd door 

het UWV dat dit deel van de 

vordering betaald zou worden, maar 

evenzoveel keren gebeurde er niets. 

Toen het UWV na zes maanden nog 

steeds niet had betaald, besloot hij 

de zaak over te dragen aan Nautilus 

International. Toen Nautilus het UWV 

benaderde kregen wij tot onze 

verbazing te horen dat de kwestie al 

was afgewikkeld en het dossier was 

gearchiveerd. Wij stuurden dus alle 

relevante documenten opnieuw in, 

maar kregen vervolgens geen enkele 

reactie. Na tal van telefoontjes van 

onze zijde, waarin ons werd verzekerd 

dat we zouden worden teruggebeld, 

bleef het angstvallig stil. Wat kun je 

verder dan nog doen als zo’n log 

UWV niet meewerkt 

Een andere manier bedenken om 

de instantie tot actie aan te sporen... 

Via de website van het UWV dienden 

wij een klacht in over de hele gang 

van zaken. En dat hielp direct. Want 

al de volgende dag werden we 

gebeld door het UWV klachtenbureau 

en binnen drie dagen had de uitkeringsinstantie 

de claim boven water 

én afgehandeld. Binnen een week 

had ons lid zijn geld. Ruim een jaar 

na het faillissement was het toch nog 

eind goed al goed. 

De BlueStream Group heeft na 

het faillissement overigens een 

doorstart gemaakt onder de naam 

Bluestream Offshore, en daarmee 

kon een aantal werknemers zijn baan 

alsnog behouden. 

Geef uw mening 

Vorige maand vroegen wij: Denkt u dat er een 

intimidatie probleem is aan boord 

Ja 

36% 

De poll van deze maand vraagt: Denkt u dat 

reddingsboten meer zeevarenden verwonden 

en doden dan dat ze redden Geef ons uw 

mening online, op nautilusnl.org 

Onderhandelingsresultaat 

bereikt voor 

CAO Handelsvaart tot 

9.000 GT 

Een tweejarige CAO met 

ondermeer een gageverhoging van 

P1% per 1 april 2011 en 2% per 1 april 

2012, is het resultaat van de CAO-onderhandelingen 

voor de Handels vaart tot 

9.000 GT. Op 9 augustus jongstleden 

kwamen Nautilus International en de 

onderhandelingsdelegatie VWH tot 

overeenstemming over de voorstellen. Het 

resultaat wordt binnenkort met een 

positief advies aan de leden voorgelegd. 

Wat ging er aan vooraf Na de ledenvergadering 

van 9 februari 2010 waarin de 

voorstellen voor een nieuwe CAO voor de 

Handelsvaart werden besproken, werd de 

bestaande CAO op per 31 maart 2010 

opgezegd. Op 5 maart jongstleden ging de 

voorstellenbrief de deur uit met daarin de 

volgende voorstellen: een cao voor een jaar, 

gageverhoging in lijn met het FNV loon- en 

arbeidsvoorwaardenbeleid, extra verlof 

voor kaderleden, vergoeding van alle 

tweejarige keuringskosten en, last but not 

least, het voorstel om de werkingssfeer van 

de CAO uit te breiden voor schepen boven 

de 9.000 GT. 

Het resultaat 

Op 9 augustus werd met de werkgevers 

onderhandelingsdelegatie VWH een 

onderhandelingsresultaat bereikt. De CAO 

heeft een looptijd van twee jaar, lopend van 

1 april 2010 tot en met 31 maart 2012. Er is 

een gageverhoging overeengekomen van 1% 

per 1 april 2011 en een verhoging van 2% per 

1 april 2012. Vanaf 1 januari 2011 vervalt de 

tabel met extra verlof voor oudere werknemers. 

De waarde van deze verlofdagen 

zijn eerder door TNO berekend op 

0,24% van het loon. Dit budget komt 

beschikbaar voor maatregelen die passen in 

leeftijdsfasebewust personeelsbeleid. Het 

In de vorige uitgave kon u 

Cal lezen dat de distributieovereenkomst 

met Garmin 

afloopt omdat Garmin de 

distributie in eigen beheer 

neemt. Voor de werknemers 

heeft dit natuurlijk de nodige 

consequenties. Het sociaal plan 

moet hierin voorzien. 

Vijftien jaar geleden sloten 

Sailtron en Garmin een overeenkomst 

waarin werd 

afgesproken dat Sailtron 

exclusief de distributie voor de 

navigatiesystemen van Garmin 

op zijn schouders zou nemen. 

Dit heeft geleid tot een formatieuitbreiding 

van 35 medewerkers 

bij Sailtron dat rechtstreeks 

onder Radio Holland 

Netherlands valt. Nu de 

distributieovereenkomst 

aantal leeftijdsdagen waarop individuele 

werknemers al recht hadden per 31 december 

2010 blijft ongewijzigd. Verder worden alle 

kosten van de tweejaarlijkse keuring vergoed. 

Ook is overeengekomen dat de partijen de 

CAO algemeen verbindend laten verklaren 

bij het ministerie van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid. 

Tot slot is afgesproken een 

commissie in te stellen om de mogelijkheden 

te onderzoeken voor modernisering 

van de beloningssystematiek. Onderdeel van 

afloopt, raken werknemers 

overcompleet en moet voor hen 

aan de hand van het sociaal plan 

een passende oplossing worden 

gevonden. 

Herplaatsing 

Nautilus International is 

momenteel in gesprek met 

Radio Holland Netherlands over 

de mogelijkheden van werk naar 

werk: 

z Herplaatsing intern bij Radio 

Holland Netherlands in een 

gelijkwaardige functie. 

z Wanneer dit niet mogelijk is, 

wordt gekeken of er een 

passende functie beschikbaar is 

bij Garmin of bij een van de 

andere ondernemingen van 

moederbedrijf Imtech. 

z Als herplaatsing niet tot de 

mogelijkheden behoort, volgt 

bemiddeling via een outplacementbureau. 

Toch zijn er enkele 

geschilpunten. Een punt van 

geschil is dat Radio Holland 

werknemers, die ingaan op een 

aanbod van Garmin, de ontslagvergoeding 

wil onthouden. De 

leden zijn het pensionen hier 

niet mee eens, omdat een 

overgang naar Garmin gebeurt 

onder dreiging van de 

omstandigheden, waardoor er in 

feite geen vrije keus is. Voorts 

wordt vaak een langjarig 

dienstverband opgegeven met 

alle onzekerheden van dien. De 

de opdracht is om ook te kijken naar de 

mogelijkheden de CAO uit te breiden naar 

schepen groter dan 9.000 GT. Bij het ter 

perse gaan van deze editie wordt het 

onderhandelingsresultaat nader uitgewerkt 

waarna vervolgens een ledenvergadering 

wordt georganiseerd. Gezien de 

moeilijke situatie van de scheepvaartsector 

in 2009/2010, adviseert Nautilus 

International zijn leden dit resultaat goed te 

keuren. 

Sociaal plan Sailtron nader uitgewerkt 

ontslagvergoeding is bedoeld 

om hierin te voorzien. Voor 

herplaatsing binnen Imtech ligt 

dat anders. Het betreft hier 

immers een interne herplaatsing 

waarbij dienstjaren gewoon 

worden meegenomen. 

De ontslagvergoeding is 

gebaseerd op de kantonrechtersformule, 

verhoogd met de 

correctiefactor van 1,25. Mocht de 

vergoeding boven de werkelijke 

inkomensschade tot het 

pensioen uitstijgen, dan wil Radio 

Holland Netherlands de 

vergoeding matigen. De vakbond 

heeft begrip voor dit standpunt, 

maar wil dan wel met de 

werkgever afspreken op welke 

wijze dit gebeurt. Tot op heden 

wil de werkgever daar niet op 

ingaan.


NL NEWS 

Motie Nautilus International goedgekeurd door ITF: 

Unanieme steun voor vergaande 

internationale standaardisering sector 

binnenvaart 

PTijdens het vierjaarlijkse 

congres van de Internationale 

Transportwerkers’ Federatie 

(ITF) dat in augustus jl. werd gehouden 

in Mexicostad, heeft Nautilus 

International unanieme steun gekregen 

voor zijn ideeën om tot vergaande 

standaardisering te komen in de 

binnenvaart naar goed voorbeeld uit de 

zeescheepvaart. 

Nautilus International’s woordvoerder 

Rob Pauptit, die de motie mede indiende 

namens de Zwitserse bond Unia en de 

Oostenrijkse bond Vida, stelt dat het de 

hoogste tijd is om in te spelen op een 

reeks nieuwe tendensen in de binnenvaart. 

Het uitvlaggen van schepen, 

onduidelijkheid over werkgeverschap, 

verhuizen van rederijen naar postbusadressen 

alsmede de introductie van 

werknemers uit lagelonenlanden, hebben 

in toenemende mate een negatieve 

uitwerking op de veiligheid en 

rechtspositie van het binnenvaartpersoneel. 

Er ontstaat immers 

concurrentie op loon- en 

arbeidsvoorwaarden over de ruggen van 

de werknemers. Daarbij laten de 

supervisie en controle van autoriteiten te 

wensen over, die overigens niet eens 

wordt ondersteund door uniforme 

internationale weten regelgeving. 

Hierdoor bestaat een wirwar van regels 

omtrent belangrijke zaken als opleiding, 

werktijden, bemanningsgrootte én, niet 

te vergeten, sociale zekerheid. 

Zowel de ITF-leiding als de ITF 

binnenvaartsectie hebben door de motie 

van Nautilus International de opdracht 

gekregen om de navolgende zaken in 

gang te zetten: 

1. Onderzoeken of het Maritiem 

Arbeidsverdrag 2006 van de 

Internationale Arbeidsorganisatie (in het 

Engels bekend als ILO), ook wel de 

grondwet voor zeevarenden genoemd, 

Nautilus 

verkiezingen 

Zoals bepaald in artikel 14 van 

gonze statuten zullen in 2011 

verkiezingen worden gehouden voor 

de Council van Nautilus International. 

De Council bestaat uit 32 leden, 

waarvan er 24 uit het Verenigd 

Koninkrijk komen en 8 uit Nederland. 

Om de twee jaar treedt ongeveer de 

helft van de Council af. Voor verdere 

info zie pagina 36. 

deels van toepassing kan worden 

verklaard op de sector binnenvaart. 

2. Onderhandelingen te starten met de 

ILO, de Internationale Maritieme 

Organisatie en andere organen om ook in 

de sector binnenvaart tot internationale 

standaarden te komen voor: 

zveiligheid en zekerheid; 

z bemanningssamenstelling 

en werkuren; 

z opleiding; 

zsociale zekerheid en minimumloon. 

Via de motie heeft de ITF tevens de 

opdracht gekregen om geld ter beschikking 

te stellen voor de oprichting van een 

ITF Binnenvaart Inspectoraat voor de 

assistentie en coördinatie van het werk 

van nationale binnenvaartbonden. 

Nu de motie is goedgekeurd door het 

congres, verwacht Nautilus International 

dat de hiervoor beschreven problemen 

sneller en beter kunnen worden 

aangepakt. Wordt vervolgd! 

Geen onderhandelingsresultaat, 

wel eindbod van Jumbo Crew 

Services BV 

Na een aantal 

Fonderhandelingsronden 

heeft Jumbo Crew Services BV 

een eindbod neergelegd. Bij 

Jumbo worden er bedrijfsbreed 

(kantoorpersoneel en zeevarenden) 

geen gageverhogingen 

doorgevoerd, vandaar dat de 

resultaten zijn vastgelegd in 

een eindbod. 

In dit eindbod van Jumbo 

voor een CAO met een looptijd 

van één jaar (1 mei 2010 tot en 

met 30 april 2011) zijn 

verbeterpunten te vinden over 

de vaste overwerkvergoeding 

van € 488,- per maand voor de 

functies in loongroep 4 

(waaronder scheepsvakman, 

bootsman en kok). Het aanbod 

van Jumbo is om deze 

vergoeding te vervangen door 

150% van de uurverdienste. 

Daarnaast zijn in het eindbod 

afspraken opgenomen over de 

faciliteiten voor kaderleden. Er 

komt een maximale vergoeding 

van twee verlofdagen per jaar 

voor personeelsleden van Jumbo 

die zijn aangesteld als 

kaderleden en op verzoek van 


deelnemen aan bijeenkomsten. 

Andere verbeterpunten 

Met betrekking tot de 

mentorpremie biedt Jumbo aan 

om deze te verhogen. Deze 

bedroeg € 39,- per maand met 

een maximum van € 78,= per 

maand per schip, maar wordt nu 

opgetrokken naar € 100,- per 

mentor per maand. Het 

maximum per schip vervalt. 

Het wordt aantrekkelijker om 

extra periodieke verlofdagen in 

te kopen; de waarde hiervan 

wordt namelijk verlaagd met 30 

à 35 %. Een andere positieve 

ontwikkeling is dat de werkgever 

heeft toegezegd dat er gewerkt 

wordt aan internet - 

voorzieningen op alle schepen 

. 

Oprichting OR 

Last but not least is men bij 

Jumbo gestart met de oprichting 

van een OR. Er is een oprichtingscommissie 

van de OR 

samengesteld en de doelstelling 

van deze commissie is om per 1 

januari 2011 een 

ondernemingsraad bij Jumbo te 

kunnen installeren. In een eerste 

nieuwsbrief uit april 2010 stond 

dat er in deze commissie nog 

plaats was voor varende 

collega’s. Het is goed om te 

weten dat Nautilus International 

leden die in een OR plaatsnemen 

begeleidt en adviseert bij ORaangelegenheden. 

Het eindbod is inmiddels met 

een neutraal advies naar de 

leden gestuurd en tijdens de 

komende ledenvergadering 

wordt een besluit genomen over 

de afronding van de CAO. 

Clearwater Group beloont extra kwaliteit 

van werknemer in zware vrachtenmarkt 

Het nieuwe management bij 

AClearwater Group wil de 

kwaliteit van de officieren die 

bovengemiddeld presteren extra belonen 

met anciënniteiten in het zogenaamd 

excellerend gebied. Dit is 

slechts een van de opmerkelijke verbeteringen 

van de rederij die in de 

nieuwe CAO zijn vastgelegd. 

De CAO heeft een looptijd van één 

jaar en loopt van 1 april 2010 tot 1 april 

2011. Voor de kapitein, 1ste stuurman 

en HWTK komen er drie loonschalen, 

gebaseerd op de grootte van het schip 

en de beoordeling. De beoordeling, 

uitgevoerd aan de hand van een 

tiental kwaliteitspunten, zorgt voor 

stijging of daling in de nieuwe schalen. 

Niet alleen kunnen met dit systeem in 

totaal tot vijf extra anciënniteiten 

(bovenop de tien vaste) worden 

verdiend. Ook kunnen genoemde 

medewerkers in een hogere 

gageschaal geplaatst worden. De 

overige officieren kunnen met deze 

beoordeling in de bestaande schalen 

stijgen naar 13 anciënniteiten, wat 

drie meer is dan de huidige tien 

stappen. Waar sommige werkgevers 

het zoeken in beoordelingssystemen 

die bepalen of wel of niet een 

bestaande anciënniteit binnen de 

schaal wordt toegekend, heeft 

Clearwater Group nu een systeem dat 

een goede beoordeling extra beloond. 

En dat zouden meer werkgevers 

moeten doen! 

Werkdagen 

De tweede, door werknemers zeer 

gewenste, verbetering is de dag van 

aanmonstering. Vanaf de invoering 

van het 1 op 1 af varen, werd deze dag 

als verlofdag geboekt. In de nieuwe 

CAO is ook deze dag een werkdag, 

zodat alle dagen ‘van huis’ nu 

werkdagen zijn. De rederij voldoet 

verder aan het FNV loon- en 

arbeidsvoor waardenbeleid voor 2010 

met een gageverhoging van 1,25% 

vanaf 1 april 2010 voor alle 

werknemers en de toezegging dat de 

werkgelegenheid behouden blijft. 

Verder wordt de maaltijdvergoeding 

verhoogd van € 10,- naar € 15 ,-en de 

mentorpremie van € 150,- naar 

€ 200,-. Daarnaast worden de 

mogelijkheden onderzocht voor het 

versturen en ontvangen van hotmails, 

gmails en andere webmails. De 

werkgever heeft laten weten de 

internet-faciliteiten hiervoor aan boord 

waar mogelijk gedurende de CAOlooptijd 

te installeren. 

Bovengenoemd resultaat is tijdens 

de ledenvergadering voorgelegd. 

Rekening houdend met het gegeven 

dat de chemicaliëntankermarkt op dit 

moment zeker niet eenvoudig te 

noemen is, stemden de leden van 

Nautilus International er unaniem 

mee in. 

Een sprookje krijgt een onverwachte wending: 

Chemical Tankers Europe binnen een jaar failliet 

Het begon allemaal zo mooi met de plannen 

Hom met vier nieuwe, in Turkije gebouwde 

chemicaliëntankers, een nieuwe Nederlandse rederij 

te starten. In de tweede helft van 2010 zouden dan 

nog eens vier schepen opgeleverd worden om door te 

groeien naar maximaal 12 schepen in 2011/2012. De 

oprichting van de Barendrechtse chemicaliëntanker 

rederij Chemical Tankers Europe (CTE) vond plaats in 

september 2009. Helaas was de vreugde van korte 

duur, want in augustus 2010 ging de rederij failliet. 

In december 2009 werd Nautilus International 

uitgenodigd op het hoofdkantoor en werd het 

bedrijfsplan gepresenteerd. Doel was om zo snel 

mogelijk schepen in te vlaggen en met Nederlandse 

officieren te bemannen. Daartoe werd met Nautilus 

International een bedrijfs-CAO afgesproken. De 

eerste tanker, mt Toli werd begin februari 2010 in 

Rotterdam ingevlagd en opgenomen in het 

bareboat register. Door de bedrijfsbeëindiging van 

Jo Tankers in Nederland waren er op dat moment 

toevallig een flink aantal Nederlandse officieren 

beschikbaar met de zo broodnodige chemicaliën - 

tankerervaring. De toekomst zag er rooskleurig uit, 

al werden de volgende schepen later dan gepland 

opgeleverd door de Turkse werf. Door technische 

aanpassingen werd mt Nosi pas in april ingevlagd 

en mt Nena K volgde in mei. Dat het niet goed zat 

met de financiering werd duidelijker toen mt Vital 

werd toegevoegd om al snel weer door de Turkse 

partners teruggetrokken te worden. Het keer op 

keer uitstellen van de oplevering van mt Loya 

bracht CTE meer financiele schade. Deze 

ontwikkelingen, in combinatie met een zwakke 

markt waren voor CTE’s geldverstrekker, de 

Rabobank, het teken om het vertrouwen in het 

bedrijfsplan op te zeggen. Voor CTE kwam dit als 

een volslagen verrassing. Omdat de schepen geen 

eigendom zijn van de rederij, lukte het niet om 

nieuwe investeerders te vinden. Begin augustus 

volgde surseance van betaling en op 16 augustus 

2010 is het faillissement uitgesproken. De rederij is 

toen het onheil naderde, op zoek gegaan naar 

mogelijkheden om de werkgelegenheid van haar 

werknemers zeker te stellen. En dat is gelukt bij 

Unifleet/North Sea Tankers in Krimpen aan den 

IJssel. Deze rederij heeft chemicaliëntankers onder 

Gibraltar vlag die op korte termijn onder de 

Nederlandse vlag gebracht zullen worden. 

Nagenoeg het gehele personeel van CTE, inclusief 

de walorganisatie, wordt ondergebracht bij Unifleet. 

De CTE schepen zijn inmiddels weer uitgevlagd 

naar Turkije en Malta. Vanzelfsprekend zal Nautilus 

International de leden bijstaan die door dit 

faillissement getroffen worden en hen helpen 

eventuele achterstallige gage en verlofdagen via het 

UWV te incasseren. Samen staan we sterk!


NAUTILUS ELECTIONS 

Wilt U zich 

kandidaat 

stellen 

voor de 

Kiesgroep 

1. Kapiteins en Stuurlieden 

2. Werktuigkundigen 

3. Gezellen 

4. Binnenvaart 

5. Wal 

totaal aantal UK NL 

zetels totaal vacant totaal vacant 

14 

12 

2 

1 

3 

11 6 

1 by-election 

10 6 

by-election 

1 1 

0 0 

2 1 

(incl. 1 dual) 

3 2* 

2 1 

1 0 

1 1 

1 0 

Council 


Hoe kunt u 

dat doen 

AVeel leden van 


houden zich bezig 

met de problemen waarmee 

de maritieme sectoren 

geconfronteerd worden en 

hebben bovendien goede 

ideeën hoe ze de bond daarbij 

kunnen helpen. Om die reden 

moedigen wij onze leden ook 

aan om zich kandidaat te stellen 

voor de Council, het hoogste 

gezaghebbende orgaan van onze 

vakbond. 

De Council is daarnaast ook 

nog ‘trustee’ van het Nautilus 

Welfare Fund, een charitatieve 

instelling beheert door Nautilus. 

De Council wordt gevormd 

Adoor leden die actief 

werkzaam zijn in de maritieme 

sector. Kandidaten worden 

gekozen voor een termijn 

van 4 jaar. In totaal bestaat de 

Council uit 32 leden. Daarvan 

komen 24 leden uit Engeland 

en 8 uit Nederland. Elke twee 

jaar is ongeveer de helft van de 

Council aftredend en worden er 

verkiezingen georganiseerd. 

In bovenstaand schema 

ziet u de zetelverdeling en de 

vacatures die in 2011 ontstaan. 

Ook de verdeling tussen Engelse 

en Nederlandse zetels blijkt uit 

het schema. Nogmaals wijzen 

wij er op dat alleen actieve 

leden(statutair de volle leden) 

met inbegrip van stagiaires zich 

kandidaat kunnen stellen. 

Naar de huisadressen van alle 

leden die zich kandidaat kunnen 

stellen zal een zogenaamd 

voordrachtsformulier worden 

gestuurd. Wilt u zichzelf 

kandidaat stellen, controleer 

dan wel eerst of er in uw 

categorie vacatures ontstaan. 

Indien dat het geval is en u 

wenst zich kandidaat te stellen, 

vul dan de bovenste helft in 

van formulier A en laat twee 

andere actieve leden uit dezelfde 

categorie als de uwe hun naam, 

adres, lidmaatschapsnummer, 

handtekening en datum van 

ondertekening invullen op de 

daarvoor bestemde plaats. De 

formulieren moeten binnen 

zijn op het hoofdkantoor van 

Nautilus International uiterlijk 

op woensdag 19 januari 2011 om 

17.00 uur lokale tijd. 

Als u door verblijf aan 

Aboord of anderszins 

niet in staat bent om de 

handtekeningen van leden die u 

voordragen zelf te verkrijgen, vul 

dan zelf de bovenste helft in van 

formulier A en stuur dit naar het 

hoofdkantoor. Vraagt de leden 

die u voordragen om formulier B 

in te vullen en dit afzonderlijk op 

te sturen. Ook hiervoor geldt dat 

het formulier uiterlijk woensdag 

19 januari 2011 om 17.00 uur 

binnen moet zijn. 

U kunt niet iemand 

voordragen uit een 

andere categorie. Zo kan 

bijvoorbeeld een kapitein geen 

werktuigkundige voordragen. 

Ook kunt u niet meer kandidaten 

voordragen als er vacatures zijn 

in uw categorie. 

Wordt uw voordracht 

Aaanvaard, dan zal 

u worden gevraagd wat 

informatie over uzelf te 

verstrekken ter vermelding 

op het stemformulier. De 

stemformulieren zullen op 

vrijdag 18 maart 2011 aan 

de stemgerechtigde leden 

worden toegestuurd. Uiterlijk 

donderdag 5 mei 2011 moet uw 

stembiljet dan binnen zijn bij de 

stemopnemer. De uitslag wordt 

bekend gemaakt op vrijdag 20 

mei 2011. 

De stemopnemer is 

vastgesteld door de algemene 

ledenvergadering in 2009 en is 

Electoral Reform Society (ballot 

services) Ltd. 

Voordrachtsformulieren 

Aan alle stemgerechtigde 

volle leden zal een 

voordrachtsformulier worden 

gestuurd voor de verkiezingen 

van de Council voor 16 oktober 

2010. De formulieren zijn 

ook verkrijgbaar op het 

hoofdkantoor bij Paul Moloney. 

TOTAAL 

VOOR KANDIDATEN 

nominatieformulier A 

It formulier MOET worden ingevuld door de kandidaat en mag eventueel 

worden gebruikt door één of meer supporters. 

Retourneer het UITERLIJK op Woensdag 19 Januari 2011 om 17.00 uur t.a.v.: 

Nautilus International Head Office, Oceanair House, 750-760 High Road, 

Leytonstone, London E11 3BB. 

tel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 fax: +44 (0)20 8530 1015 

In te vullen in BLOKLETTERS 

IN TE VULLEN DOOR DE KANDIDAAT 

Kiescategorie 

Naam 

Lidnr 

Adres 

Postcode 

Tel nr 

Rang 

Bedrijf 

Ik stel mij verkiesbaar voor de Bestuursverkiezingen 2011. Ik verklaar bij deze dat 

ik een volledig betalend lid van Nautilus International in de bovenstaande 

categorie ben en aan de regels van de Union voldoe. 

Handtekening 

Datum 

IN TE VULLEN DOOR SUPPORTERS 

Ik ondersteun de nominatie van de bovenvermelde persoon voor 

de Bestuursverkiezingen in de vermelde kiescategorie. Ik bevestig dat ik een 

volledig betalend lid in dezelfde kiescategorie ben. 

1. Naam Lidnr 

Adres 

Postcode 

Rang 

Handtekening 

Tel nr 

Bedrijf 

Datum 

2. Naam Lidnr 

Adres 

Postcode 

Rang 

Handtekening 

Tel nr 

Bedrijf 

Datum 

32 

Bestuursverkiezingen Nautilus 2011 

24 

* van de twee vacatures is er één bestemd voor een maritieme officier 

VOOR SUPPORTERS 

nominatieformulierB 

Dit formulier kan door één of meerdere supporters worden ingevuld. 

Er kunnen meerdere formulieren worden gebruikt. Daarbij MOET de kandidaat 

een Formulier A invullen, ondertekenen en retourneren. Retourneer het 

UITERLIJK op Woensdag 19 Januari 2011 om 17.00 uur t.a.v.: 



tel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 fax: +44 (0)20 8530 1015 

In te vullen in BLOKLETTERS 

IN TE VULLEN DOOR SUPPORTERS 

Kiescategorie 

Naam van Kandidaat Ik ondersteun 

Adres Kandidaat 

Postcode 

Lidnr 

1. Ik ondersteun de nominatie van de bovenvermelde persoon voor de Bestuursverkiezingen 

in de vermelde kiescategorie. Ik bevestig dat ik een volledig 

betalend lid in dezelfde kiescategorie ben. 

Naam 

Adres 

Postcode 

Rang 

Handtekening 

Lidnr 

Tel nr 

Bedrijf 

Datum 

2. Ik ondersteun de nominatie van de bovenvermelde persoon voor de Bestuursverkiezingen 

in de vermelde kiescategorie. Ik bevestig dat ik een volledig 

betalend lid in dezelfde kiescategorie ben. 

Naam 

Adres 

Postcode 

Rang 

Handtekening 

Lidnr 

Tel nr 

Bedrijf 

Datum 

Bestuursverkiezingen Nautilus 2011 

8


NAUTILUS ELECTIONS 

Category 

1. Navigators, inc. Shipmasters 

2. Engineers inc. ETOs/Elec/RO 

3. Ratings 

4. Inland Navigation 

5. Other Particular Categories 

inc. Hotel Services & 

Shore-based members 

TOTALS 

2011 Elections UK Seats NL Seats 

Total Seats No. of seats Vacancies No. of seats Vacancies 

14 

12 

2 

1 

3 

32 

11 6 

10 6 

1 1 

0 0 

24 

1 by-election 

by-election 

2 1 

3 2 

2 1 

1 0 

1 1 

1 0 

8 

(incl. 1 dual) 

Have YOU 

thought of 

standing 

for 

council 


FOR CANDIDATES 

nomination form A 

This form MUST be completed by the candidate and in addition may be used 

by one or more supporters. 

It MUST be returned, by 1700hrs on Wednesday 19 January 2011, to: 



tel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 fax: +44 (0)20 8530 1015 

Please complete in BLOCK CAPITALS 

TO BE COMPLETED BY THE CANDIDATE 

Electoral Category 

Name 

Mem No 

Address 

Postcode 

Tel no 

Rank 

Company 

I wish to stand for election in the 2011 Council elections. I declare that I am a full 

member of Nautilus International in the above mentioned category and am in 

conformity with the rules of the Union. 

Signature 

Date 

TO BE COMPLETED BY SUPPORTERS 

I wish to support the nomination of the above named for election to Council 

in the election category shown. I confirm that I am a full member in the same 

electoral category. 

1. Name Mem No 

Address 

Postcode 

Rank 

Signature 

Tel no 

Company 

Date 

2. Name Mem No 

Address 

Postcode 

Rank 

Signature 

Tel no 

Company 

Date 

Nautilus Council Elections 2011 

FOR SUPPORTERS 

nomination form B 

This form can be completed by one or more supporters. More than one 

form can be used. The candidate MUST, in addition, complete, sign 

and return a Form A. Forms MUST be returned, by 1700hrs on Wednesday 

19 January 2011, to: 



tel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 fax: +44 (0)20 8530 1015 

Please complete in BLOCK CAPITALS 

TO BE COMPLETED BY SUPPORTERS 

Electoral Category 

Name of Candidate I wish to support 

Candidate’s Address 

Postcode 

Candidate’s Mem No 

1. I wish to support the nomination of the above named for election to Council 



Name 

Address 

Postcode 

Rank 

Signature 

Date 

Mem No 

Tel no 

Company 

2. I wish to support the nomination of the above named for election to Council 



Name 

Address 

Postcode 

Rank 

Signature 

Date 

Mem No 

Tel no 

Company 

Nautilus Council Elections 2011 

Are you concerned about 

issues such as training, safety, 

criminalisation and piracy 

Do you want to see action to 

improve pay and conditions for 

maritime professionals 

AMany members are 

concerned about the 

challenges ahead in 

our industry and have ideas for 

helping Nautilus International 

to meet those challenges. 

Members are therefore 

encouraged to stand for election 

to the Council, which is the 

Union’s governing body. 

The Council is also the 

Trustee of the Nautilus Welfare 

Fund, which is the registered 

charity administered by 

Nautilus International. 

With the Union still only a 

little over one year old now is an 

important time to stand. 

The Council is made up 

Aof serving members like 

yourself, each elected to serve 

a four-year term. 24 of the 32 

places will be for members of 

the UK branch and eight places 

will be for members of the 

Netherlands branch. 

Elections are held on a rolling 

basis, which normally means 

that just about half the Council 

places come up for election each 

year. 

The table shows the number 

of seats and also those vacancies 

which are for election in 2011. 

The table also shows the split 

between NL and UK. 

Full paid-up members 

(including cadets ) in categories 

for which there are vacancies 

(see box above) are entitled to 

stand for election. 

Nomination forms for the 

elections are being sent to full 

members’ home addresses. 

First, check there is a 

Avacancy in your category. 

Then fill in the top half of Form A 

and get two other full members 

— also paid-up and in the same 

category as you — to add their 

names, addresses, membership 

numbers, signature and date of 

signing in the appropriate space, 

to reach head office by 1700 hrs 

on Tuesday 19th January 2011. 

If you can’t personally 

Aget the signatures of your 

supporters (they may sail on 

different ships, for instance) fill 

in the top half of Form A yourself 

and send it to head office. 

Ask your supporters to fill in 

Form B and send it in separately 

— both forms must reach head 

office by 1700 on Tuesday 19 

January 2011. 

“ 

Please use this 

chance to stand up for 

what you believe in 

” 

Mark Dickinson, 

Nautilus general secretary


SEAFARER WELFARE 

Boxing clever 

over satcoms 

Seafarers should benefit from a new ‘one-stop shop’ integrated maritime 

communications system that was launched in London last month... 

Globe Wireless runs a 24/7 support desk for users of its systems 

The Globe i250 voice and data communications router 

incorporates a FleetBroadband 250 terminal and is 

designed to fit into a 19-inch rack 

J 

’Built for mariners by mariners’ is the sales 

pitch behind a new maritime communications 

system launched last month by the 

US-based company Globe Wireless. 

The firm claims its new Globe iFusion system 

should deliver major benefits to seafarers — opening 

up a range of new options for keeping in touch 

while at sea, with instant access to voice calling, SMS 

and email via mobile phones. 

Specifically designed for IP satellite services, 

Globe iFusion incorporates Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband 

250 and aims to provide a ‘one-stop shop’ that 

fully integrates all shipboard satellite communications 

with shore-side administrative control, GSM 

voice and data, firewalls, and crew communications 

in a single system. 

Company president Frank Coles — a former Merchant 

Navy shipmaster — says the integrated system 

will avoid the ‘spaghetti junction’ that ships 

usually require to provide such a range of services. 

‘This is an industry first and represents a new 

phase in maritime communications,’ he told the 

Telegraph. ‘What we have is a single box that takes 

care of all the ship’s business and crew communications, 

and fuses service, applications and support 

into a single platform.’ 

The Globe i250 allows the user to make voice calls 

using a GSM handset or a normal fixed-line telephone, 

and to send and receive emails and faxes, 

browse the internet, and upload or download files. 

A shore-based portal takes care of the configuration 

and maintenance of the system, allowing companies 

to administer user profiles, browsing capabilities, 

firewall settings, spending limits and least 

cost network routeing. 

To access the onboard GSM, seafarers will need to 

use a Globe Wireless SIM card and an unlocked 

mobile phone. Once a prepaid account is set up, the 

crew member will have instant access to voice calling, 

SMS and e-mail via their mobile phone. 

Voice calls will be charged at a flat rate of 55 cents 

per minute, anywhere in the world, and the system 

enables mobile phones to be used to make free calls 

to others onboard. 

SMS will cost around 25 cents, while e-mail will 

be charged at $5.50 per megabyte. 

Globe Wireless — which already provides services 

for more than 550 companies operating some 

10,000 ships — says the system will give seafarers 

much more privacy when they make calls home. It 

displays call costs and the amount remaining on 

the account, as well as allowing ‘virtual’ reloads. The 

account can also follow seafarers from ship to ship 

within a company fleet. 

Mr Coles said Globe iFusion is the result of three 

years of planning and its launch follows successful 

three-week trials onboard two US containerships, 

the Washington Express and the Charleston 

Express. 

Described as a ‘plug and play’ system, Globe iFusion 

can be easily installed onboard and is suitable 

for ships of all sizes. Globe will provide hardware, 

installation, airtime, applications and maintenance 

as part of the package, as required. The company 

says that it will be offering the complete integrated 

onboard setup for a price of US$12,000 — which, it 

claims, is some $8,000 less than the cost of providing 

all the elements of the package separately. 

‘The fact that it is all in one box makes it easier to 

install and maintain,’ Mr Coles added. ‘The user 

experience is more akin to what you would have on 

an iPhone, and in most cases will be better than you 

would normally get on a mobile. We believe it adds 

up to a major step forward in maritime communications.’ 

Training Opportunities 

DECK 

• Officer of the Watch 

Classroom - dates on application 

Flexible Route - start anytime 

Upgrade Modules - start anytime 

• Chief Mate 

Classroom - dates on application 

Flexible Route - start anytime 

• Master Orals 

dates on application 

• Deck Oral Preparation Courses for all Certificates 


• Class 1 & 2 Fishing Courses 


NAUTICAL CATERING 

• Food Hygiene Courses on request 

(Basic/Cert/Diploma) 

• Ships Cooks Certificates of Competency 

Part 1 & Part 2: 6 week course 

• Highers: 4 week course 

Dates for the above courses are on application 

ENGINEERING 

• Chief Engineer 111/2 (Class 1) 

3 Jan 2011, 18 April 2011, 2 Sept 2011 

• 2nd Engineer 111/2 (Class 2) 

3 Jan 2011, 18 April 2011, 2 Sept 2011 

ENGINEERING (continued) 

• EOOW (Class 4) all pathways 

3 Jan 2011, 18 April 2011, 2 Sept 2011 

• 2nd Engineer 111/3 (Class 3) 

3 Jan 2011, 18 April 2011, 2 Sept 2011 

• Chief Engineer / 2nd Engineer EK only Courses 

25 Oct 2010, 7 Feb 2011, 6 June 2011 

• 2nd Engineer 111/2 (Class 2) with direct entry 

to Chief Engineer Academic Subjects 

3 Jan 2011, 18 April 2011, 2 Sept 2011 

ELECTRICAL 

To book a place on the following short courses, 

contact: Marine Booking Centre, 

Tel: +44 (0)191 427 3772, Fax: +44 (0)191 427 3918, 

E-mail: marineshortcourse@stc.ac.uk 

SHORT COURSES 

• Abrasive Wheels 

• Compass Adjusters - Distance Learning 

• Control and Instrumentation 

• ECDIS 

• Diesel Electrical Propulsion 

• Electrical Equipment in Hazardous Areas 

15 Nov 2010, 24 Jan 2011, 13 June 2011 

• GMDSS SRC 

• GMDSS Radio Maintenance 

• IMDG Dangerous Goods 

3 Jan 2011, 18 April 2011 

• Marine Control 

• Marine Electrical Maintenance 

8 Nov 2010, 31 Jan 2011, 27 June 2011 

• OPITO Approved Offshore Safety Bridge, Engine and Cargo Simulation 

• Electronic Navigation Equipment Maintenance 

• Refrigeration 

18 April 2011 

• Shipboard Safety Officer 

• GMDSS GOC 

• Ship Security Officer 

1 Nov 2010, 15 Nov 2011, 14 March 2011, 9 May 2011, 6 June 2011, 4 July 2011 

• STCW 95 short courses required for MCA Certification 

• High Voltage Awareness 

5 Nov 2010, 17 Jan 2011, 7 March 2011, 16 May 2011, 20 June 2011 • Tanker Familiarisation 

• GMDSS Restricted Operators Certificate 

• Tanker Safety Courses, Oil, Gas, Chemical Advanced Inert Gas + Crude 

25 April 2011 

Oil Washing 

• GMDSS Long Range Certificate 

• VTS Operators and Supervisors 

7 March 2011 

• Welding Appreciation 

For further information on marine courses, contact: 

Tel: +44 (0)191 427 3900 | E-mail: marine@stc.ac.uk | Web: www.stc.ac.uk South Tyneside College, St. George’s Avenue, 

South Shields, Tyne & Wear, NE34 6ET and Marine Safety Training Centre (MSTC), Wapping Street, South Shields, Tyne & Wear, NE33 1LQ


SHIP TO SHORE 

M-Notices 

M-Notices, Marine Information 

Notes and Marine Guidance Notes 

issued by the Maritime & 

Coastguard Agency recently include: 

MSN 1825 (F) — Certificates of 

equivalent competency: fishing 

vessels; training & certification 

guidance part F2 

This notice describes the certification 

requirements for officers on UKregistered 

fishing vessels, and the 

responsibilities of the owners and 

operators relating to crew members’ 

knowledge. It replaces MGN 220 (F) 

and the information for fishermen 

contained in MIN 340 (M+F). 

The key points in MSN 1825 are as 

follows: 

zTo serve as an officer onboard a 

UK-registered fishing vessel, a seafarer 

must hold a UK certificate of 

competency (CoC) or a certificate of 

equivalent competency (CEC) issued 

by the MCA. 

zTo be eligible for a Fishing CEC, the 

seafarer must hold a Fishing CoC from 

a maritime administration approved 

by the MCA. 

zApplicants for a Fishing CEC do not 

have to provide evidence of 

knowledge of the English language. 

However, owners and operators must 

ensure that at least one person 

onboard every fishing vessel is 

competent in the English language to 

the standard specified in MSN 1825 

Annex 3. 

zAll skippers must hold UK Legal 

and Administrative Processes (UKLAP) 

Grade 1 before a full Fishing CEC is 

issued. 

zOwners and operators are 

responsible for ensuring that second 

hands and engineers have knowledge 

of UKLAP to enable efficient ship 

operation as detailed in the UKLAP 

Grade 2 syllabus. 

zApplication forms for CECs are 

available to download from the MCA 

website. Only original signed copies 

are accepted. 

zApplicants for Fishing CECs must 

submit a completed application form, 

two passport-approved photographs, 

an accepted non-UK Fishing CoC, a 

passport or discharge book and the 

current fee. 

MGN 420 (M) — Measures to 

counter piracy, armed robbery and 

other acts of violence against 

merchant shipping 

This note contains the official 

Department for Transport guidance 

on tackling piracy, replacing advice 

issued in 2005 as MGN 298 (M). It 

should be read in conjunction with the 

IMO document MSC1/Circ 1334 Piracy 

and armed robbery against ships: 

Guidance to ship owners, ship 

operators, shipmasters and crews on 

preventing and suppressing acts of 

piracy and armed robbery against 

ships. Appendices to MGN 420 cover 

ship communications and the format 

for reporting incidents. 

The key messages in MGN 420 (M) 

are as follows: 

zPlan the voyage. Carry out a risk 

assessment and make an assessment 

of the measures required when 

transiting high-risk areas. 

zMany attempted piracy and armed 

robbery attacks are unsuccessful, 

countered by ships’ crew who have 

planned and trained in advance. 

zBe vigilant. 

zMaintain high speed where 

possible in high-risk areas. 

zGood communication with 

relevant authorities is vital. Report to 

the relevant authorities before, during 

or after an attack. 

Crews travelling in the vicinity of 

Somalia should also refer to the 

document Best Management Practices 

to Deter Piracy off the Coast of 

Somalia and in the Arabian Sea Area 

(available at www.dft.gov.uk), and to 

the advice on the EU NAVFOR 

Maritime Security Centre website 

(www.mschoa.org). 

MGN 422 (M) — Use of equipment 

to undertake work over the side on 

yachts and other vessels 

This note reports that there has 

recently been a substantial increase in 

the use of ‘rail and trolley’ systems to 

work outside conventional guardrails 

for cleaning and maintenance — 

particularly on large yachts. 

The MCA has noted a number of 

accidents using substandard 

equipment of this type, and also says 

there is evidence that manufacturers’ 

instructions on the use of equipment 

are not being followed. 

The purpose of MGN 422 is to give 

guidance to shipowners, masters and 

crew on the use of rail and trolley 

systems. 

The main points are as follows: 

zto ensure that new systems comply 

with BS standards 

zto ensure that existing systems 

have been checked to an equivalent 

standard 

zto ensure operators have been 

trained in the use of the equipment 

zto ensure maintenance is carried 

out according to the manufacturer’s 

advice 

Annex 1 to MGN 422 gives details 

of relevant legislation, and Annex 2 

sets out the requirements for testing 

and operation. 

The note should be read with 

chapters 4 and 15 of the Code of Safe 

Working Practices for Merchant 

Seamen. 

MIN 214 (M) Amendment 1 — 

Certificates of competency: radio 

personnel 

This note sets out an amendment to 

section 3.2 of MGN 214. The 

amendment relates to radio 

personnel applying for a STCW 

endorsement to their GMDSS 

certificate. 

In addition to submitting an 

original UK GOC/ROC, a valid medical 

fitness certificate and the four 

elements of STCW basic training 

certificates, candidates for the STCW 

endorsement must now also submit 

an original discharge book or sea 

service testimonial. 

z M-Notices are available in three 

ways: a set of bound volumes, 

a yearly subscription, and individual 

documents. 

zA consolidated set of M-Notices is 

published by the Stationery Office. 

This contains all M-Notices current 

on 31 July 2009 (ISBN 

9780115530555) and costs £210 — 

www.tsoshop.co.uk 

zAnnual subscriptions and copies of 

individual notices are available from 

the official distributors, 

EC Group. Contact: M-Notices 

Subscriptions, PO Box 362, 

Europa Park, Grays, Essex RM17 9AY 

Tel: +44 (0)1375 484 548 

fax: +44 (0)1375 484 556 

email: mnotices@ecgroup.co.uk 

zIndividual copies can be collected 

from MCA offices, electronically 

subscribed to or downloaded from 

the MCA website — 

www.mcga.gov.uk — click on 

‘Ships and Cargoes’, then 

‘Legislation and Guidance’. 

The face of Nautilus 

Daan Troost, industrial officer 

Nautilus International is 

gfortunate in having many longserving 

members of staff — people 

who have developed their careers inhouse 

and are still giving the Union 

the benefit of their experience. Daan 

Troost is one such employee: he has 

been working for the Union since 

1979, when he joined FWZ in 

Rotterdam as an administrator. 

‘I liked the idea of working for a 

union and helping people,’ he says. 

He found his job interesting, 

particularly when providing support 

to the Rotterdam-based ITF 

inspectors, but by 1986 he was ready 

for a new challenge. FWZ — later 

Nautilus NL branch — has long had a 

g National Pensions Association 

Wednesday 10 November 2010 

11:00hrs 

Leytonstone Public Library 

London 

The meeting will cover developments 

in the MNOPF, MNOPP and TMSP 

schemes. Open to all UK members, 

including associate and affiliate. 

Contact Adele McDonald to let us 

know you’re coming: 

role in helping seafarers with their 

tax returns and appeal cases. Daan 

enjoyed taking on this work, not least 

because it gave him more direct 

contact with the Union’s members 

and their families. 

‘Then my job gradually developed 

so I was doing CBAs [collective 

bargaining agreements],’ he recalls. 

‘At first these were for shore-based 

firms, and then for ships.’ This work 

often involves some travel — which 

he appreciates because of the 

opportunities to polish his skills as a 

photographer. 

‘There’s good variety in my job,’ 

he observes. As he always thought, 

however, the main satisfaction comes 

Member meetings and seminars 

+44 (0)20 8989 6677 

amcdonald@nautilusint.org 

g Professional & Technical Forum 

Wednesday 8 December 2010 

13:00hrs 

Cardiff 

At a venue to be announced later 

The forum will deal with technical, 

safety, welfare and other professional 

topics relevant to shipmaster and chief 

from helping members. For example, 

two years ago a Dutch member’s 

widow ended up with a high tax bill 

on the compensation payment for her 

husband’s fatal accident. ‘She was 

struggling; she really didn’t need 

that,’ says Daan. ‘We went to court 

and won the case to reduce the bill.’ 

And with the creation of Nautilus 

International has come the chance to 

help British seafarers, too — most 

recently a UK member who needed 

advice on a Belgian tax form (‘It’s the 

same language’, Daan points out). 

It has also been good to work 

with UK colleagues, Daan stresses. 

‘I like England very much, especially 

the people and the seaside.’ 

Nautilus International organises regular meetings, forums and seminars for members to discuss pensions, technical 

matters and legal issues. Coming up in the next few months are: 

College contacts 

Induction visits 

Nautilus International’s recruitment team carry out 

regular induction visits to UK nautical colleges to provide 

information and help trainee officers join the Union. The 

team are also available for consultation by all members 

at these sessions. 

See www.nautilusint.org/newsandevents for dates of 

upcoming college visits by Garry Elliott and Blossom Bell 

(scroll down to ‘latest events’). For further information, 

Blackpool and the Fylde College 

(Fleetwood) 

Derek Byrne 

Tel: +44 (0)151 639 8454 

dbyrne@nautilusint.org 

Glasgow College of Nautical Studies 

Gary Leech 

Tel: +44 (0)151 639 8454 

gleech@ 


UK 

Head office 


Oceanair House 

750-760 High Road 

Leytonstone 

London E11 3BB 

Tel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 

Fax: +44 (0)20 8530 1015 


Northern office 


Nautilus House 

Mariners’ Park 

Wallasey CH45 7PH 

Tel: +44 (0)151 639 8454 

Fax: +44 (0)151 346 8801 


National Maritime College of Ireland 

(Cork) 

Ian Cloke 

Tel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 

icloke@nautilusint.org 

South Tyneside College 

Steve Doran 

Tel: +44 (0)151 639 8454 

sdoran@ 


Contact Nautilus International 

Offshore sector contact 

point 

Members working for 

companies based in the 

east of Scotland or UK 

offshore oil and gas sector 

can call: 

+44 (0)1224 638882 

THE NETHERLANDS 

Postal Address 


Postbus 8575 

3009 An Rotterdam 

Physical Address 


Schorpioenstraat 266 

3067 KW Rotterdam 

engineer officer members. 

Contact Sharon Suckling to let us 

know you’re coming: 

+44 (0)20 8989 6677 

protech@nautilusint.org 

See www.nautilusint.org/ 

newsandevents for the most 

up-to-date information on member 

meetings and seminars (scroll down 

to ‘latest events’) 

email recruitment@nautilusint.org or call Garry and 

Blossom on +44 (0)151 639 8454 

Industrial support 

Nautilus International has assigned named industrial 

officials to support cadet members at the five main 

colleges in the British Isles, as well as providing contact 

points for trainees at other colleges in the UK and 

Netherlands. For queries about employer relations, 

workplace conditions or legal matters, please contact 

your industrial official, who will help you via phone or 

email or arrange a visit to your college. 

Tel: +31 (0)10 477 1188 

Fax: +31 (0)10 477 3846 

infonl@nautilusint.org 

SINGAPORE 


10a Braddell Hill #05-03 

Singapore 579720 

Tel: +65 (0)625 61933 

Mobile: +65 (0)973 10154 

singapore@ 


FRANCE 

Yacht sector office in 

partnership with D&B 

Services 

3 Bd. d’Aguillon 

Warsash Maritime Academy — 

Southampton Solent University 

Gavin Williams 

Tel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 

gwilliams@nautilusint.org 

Other colleges (UK and Netherlands) 

Garry Elliott or Blossom Bell 

Tel: +44 (0)151 639 8454 

gelliott@nautilusint.org 

bbell@nautilusint.org 

Nautilus International welcomes contact from members at any time. Please send a message to one of our department 

email addresses (see page 17) or get in touch with us at one of our offices around the world. 

For urgent matters, we can also arrange to visit your ship in a UK port. Nautilus officials make some 200 ship visits 

every year at the request of members. If you need to request a visit, please give your vessel’s ETA and as much 

information as possible about the issue that needs addressing. 

06600 Antibes 

France 

Tel: +33 (0)962 616 140 

recruitment@ 


www.dandbservices.com 

SPAIN 

Yacht sector office in 

partnership with dovaston 

C/Joan de Saridakis 2 

Edificion Goya, Local 1A 

Marivent 

07015 Palma de Mallorca 

Spain 

Tel: +34 971 677 375 

recruitment@ 


www.dovaston.com 

Quiz and 

crossword 

answers 

ACDB 

Quiz answers 

1. Chinese owners have the largest 

amount of tonnage on order — a total 

of 52.7m dwt. 

2. The world oil tanker fleet had a total 

capacity of 419.5m dwt at 1 May 2010. 

3. The first pure car carrier was built in 

1970. It was the Toyota Maru No.10, 

built for K Line of Japan. 

4. Work on the Panama Canal began in 

1904, with the waterway opening for 

navigation in 1914. 

5. A spar vertically below the end of the 

bowsprit which gave a downward lead 

to the martingales of the jib boom and 

flying job boom. 

6. The French port of Rouen is on the 

river Seine. 

Crossword answers 

Quick Answers 

Across: 1. Oil well; 5. William; 9. Fight; 

10. Makepeace; 11. Catharsis; 

12. Elect; 13. Reeds; 15. Armadillo; 

18. Herculean; 19. Runic; 21. Match; 

23. Lifeblood; 25. Resources; 

26. Ran in; 27. Standby; 28. Observe. 

Down: 1. Officer; 2. Light year; 

3. Extra; 4. Lampshade; 5. Wakes; 

6. Lip-reader; 7. Irate; 8. Maestro; 

14. Slush fund; 16. Manifesto; 

17. Landowner; 18. Humerus; 

20. Cadence; 22. Tesla; 23. Lucky; 

24. Boris. 

This month’s cryptic crossword is a prize 

competition, and the answers will 

appear in next month’s Telegraph. 

Congratulations to Nautilus member 

Mr R.D. Neal, whose name wa s the 

first to be drawn from those who 

successfully completed the September 

cryptic crossword. 

Cryptic answers from September 

Across: 1. Bun fight; 5. Rabies; 

9. Taoiseach; 11. Safer; 

12. Alphabetical; 15. Hail; 

16. Coronation; 18. Enthusiast; 

19. Guts; 21. Stratosphere; 24, Ascot; 

25. Nailbrush; 26, Killer; 

27. Well-read. 

Down: 1. Byte; 2. Noon; 3. Insult; 

4. Heath Robinson; 6. Alsatian; 

7. Infectious; 8. Shrillness; 

10. Hobson’s choice; 13. Sheepshank; 

14. Historical; 17. Subtitle; 20. Tribal; 

22. Mule; 23 Shed.


JOIN NAUTILUS 

CALL NOW TO JOIN NAUTILUS ON: +44 (0)151 639 8454 

Ten good reasons why you should be a member: 

1. Pay and conditions 

Nautilus International negotiates on your behalf 

with an increasing number of British, Dutch and 

foreign flag employers on issues including pay, 

conditions, leave, hours and pensions. The 

Union also takes part in top-level international 

meetings on the pay and conditions of maritime 

professionals in the world fleets. 

2. Legal services 

With the maritime profession under increasing 

risk of criminalisation, Nautilus Legal offers 

members and their families an extensive range 

of legal services provided by specialist lawyers. 

Free initial advice is available on anything from 

employment-related matters to accident claims 

and wills. There’s also a free legal helpline, open 

from Monday to Fridays from 9am to 5pm. 

3. Certificate protection 

As a full member, you have free financial 

protection, worth up to £105,000, against loss of 

income if your certificate of competency is 

cancelled, suspended or downgraded following a 

formal inquiry. Full members are also entitled to 

representation during accident investigations or 

inquiries. 

4. Compensation 

Nautilus International’s legal services 

department recovers substantial compensation 

for members who have suffered work-related 

illness or injuries. 

5. Workplace support 

Nautilus International officials provide expert 

advice on work-related problems such as 

contracts, redundancy, bullying or 

discrimination, non-payment of wages, and 

pensions. 

6. Safety and welfare 

Nautilus International plays a vital role in 

national and international discussions on such 

key issues as hours of work, crewing levels, 

shipboard conditions, vessel design, and 

technical and training standards. Nautilus 

International has a major say in the running of 

the industry-wide pension schemes in the UK 

and the Netherlands. 

7. Savings 

Being a Nautilus International member costs less 

than buying a newspaper 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 

taking advantage of specially-negotiated rates on 

a variety of commercial services ranging from 

tax advice to UK credit cards, and household, 

motoring, travel and specialist insurance. 

8. In touch 

As a Nautilus International member, help is 

never far away — wherever in the world you are. 

Officials regularly visit members onboard their 

ships and further support and advice is available 

at regular ‘surgeries’ and college visits 

throughout the UK and the Netherlands. There is 

also an official based in Singapore. 

9. Your union, your voice 

Nautilus International is the voice of some 

25,000 maritime professionals working in all 

sectors of the shipping industry, at sea and 

ashore. As one of the largest and most influential 

international bodies representing maritime 

professionals, the Union campaigns tirelessly to 

promote your views. 

10. Get involved! 

Nautilus International is a dynamic and 

democratic union, offering members many 

opportunities to be fully involved and have your 

say in our work — at local, national and 

international levels. 


It’s never been more important to be a member and it’s never been 

easier to apply for membership. You can now join over the phone, 

or online at www.nautilusint.org — or post us this form to begin: 

SURNAME 

FIRST NAMES 

GEN DER 

ADDRESS 

POSTCODE 

PERSONAL EMAIL 

HOME TEL 

EMPLOYER 

SHIP NAME 

DISCHARGE BOOK NO (IF APPLICABLE) 

DATE OF BIRTH 

MOBILE 

RANK 

If you are, or have been, a member of another union please state: 

NAME OF UNION 

SUBSCRIPTIONS PAID UNTIL 

MEMBERSHIP NO (IF KNOWN) 

DATE OF LEAVING 

Please post this form to: 

Membership services department 


Nautilus House, Mariners’ Park 

Wallasey CH45 7PH, United Kingdom


NEWS 

Navies take tougher 

line against pirates 

Sharp rise in attacks reported on merchant ships off Somalia and in the South China Sea 

PWarnings of a surge in 

piracy off Somalia following 

the monsoon lull 

have materialised, with a flurry of 

hijackings and attempted attacks 

last month. 

But Nautilus has welcomed 

signs of a tougher response from 

naval forces in the region, along 

with a top-level pledge from the 

United Nations of fresh initiatives 

to tackle the problem. 

After almost a month with no 

successful attacks on shipping off 

Somalia, September witnessed a 

series of incidents — including 

two hijackings in the Gulf of 

Aden. 

Naval ships in the area have 

shown an increased readiness to 

actively protect shipping — and 

in one case last month US 

marines boarded a Germanowned 

containership that had 

been hijacked in the Internationally 

Recognised Transit Corridor. 

Both Nautilus and the tanker 

owners’ organisation Intertanko 

welcomed the action, which saw 

control of the Antigua & Barbuda 

registered Magellan Star regained 

by the US military without a shot 

being fired. 

The ship’s 11 crew had managed 

to stop the engine and take 

refuge in a safe room, leaving the 

vessel adrift. At one point the 

frustrated pirates telephoned the 

German owners to ask where the 

crew were hiding and how they 

could re-start the engine. 

Nine pirates were captured by 

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel 

AFort Victoria is being pressed 

into action against pirates around the 

Horn of Africa and Gulf of Aden. 

The fleet replenishment ship has 

been brought back from a period of 

extended readiness and has had 

additional equipment fitted — MK44 

weapon positions and an enhanced 

medical capability — for the 

deployment to the Middle East. 

Fort Victoria will carry a Royal Navy 

Merlin helicopter squadron — 

A team of 24 US Marines from a special maritime raid force approach the containership Magellan Star three days 

after it was hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden 

the US Marines during the dawn 

raid to recover the Magellan Star. 

In another case, the Indian 

Navy launched a helicopter and a 

special operations force team to 

beat off a group of eight pirate 

skiffs and a mother ship seeking 

to attack merchant vessels in the 

Gulf of Aden. 

All the pirates were said to 

including aircrew and engineers — 

who will support the Combined 

Maritime Forces efforts to combat the 

threat of piracy and maritime 

terrorism. 

Using highly advanced sensors 

and communications equipment, the 

Merlin helicopters — which are with 

heavy-duty machine guns and 

thermal imaging equipment — will 

provide surveillance of shipping 

routes and will be used to detect and 

deter pirate activity. 

have been arrested and their 

skiffs destroyed. 

Intertanko said the naval 

actions, together with the recent 

prosecution of pirates in Kenya, 

‘will reassure seafarers transiting 

this area, and will demonstrate to 

pirates that the authorities are 

increasingly willing to take 

pirates out of action’. 

The helicopters will provide a 

capability for boarding and searching 

vessels, and they are large enough to 

carry Royal Marines for sniper 

operations and boarding via fast 

roping. 

Lieutenant Commander Neil 

Brian, deputy commander of the 

Merlin Helicopter Force, said: 

‘Deploying one of the most capable 

and versatile helicopters in the world 

to this region will enhance the Royal 

Navy’s ability to counter the constant 

Meanwhile, the global petition 

to urge governments to do more 

to protect seafarers from piracy 

has comfortably exceeded its 

half-million signature target. 

Ahead of the presentation of 

the petition on World Maritime 

Day last month, UN secretarygeneral 

Ban Ki-moon expressed 

concern about ‘the intolerable 

RFA Fort Victoria takes a major 

role in anti-piracy operations 

threat that piracy poses to vessels of 

all nations.’ 


Dickinson commented: ‘This 

deployment shows once again the 

remarkable versatility and value of 

the RFA and its seafarers, and 

ministers would do well to take note 

of what is being provided here as they 

sit down to consider the outcome of 

the latest value for money review and 

the future of our maritime forces 

under the strategic defence review.’ 

human cost of piracy’ and 

pledged further action to tackle 

the threat. 

Mr Ban promised to ‘bring to 

the attention of the Security Council 

the unacceptable plight of 

hostages currently being held by 

pirates in Somalia’ and that he will 

seek the Security Council’s support 

‘to develop an approach that 

might obtain their release’. 

Concerns have also been raised 

about a big increase in attacks 

on shipping in the Far East. Attacks 

in the South China Sea have hit a 

three-year high, with 27 cases of 

piracy and armed robbery 

reported in the in the South China 

Sea in first nine months 

of this year. The International Maritime 

Bureau said pirates armed 

with guns and machetes had been 

targeting tankers and bulk carriers 

in the waters around Indonesia’s 

Pulau Anabas and Mangkai islands 

and it urged Indonesia to step up 

patrols in the region. 

Other incidents last month 

included two violent attacks on 

ships in Douala port, Cameroon. 

The world’s three largest container 

shipping companies have 

decided to cooperate in the fight 

against piracy in the Gulf of Aden 

and the Indian Ocean. 

The cooperation agreement 

between CMA CGM, MSC and 

Maersk Line includes information 

exchange on safety measures, 

piracy policies and procedures, as 

well as coordination to ensure the 

issues are highlighted. 

Tributes 

paid to 

member 

stabbed 

to death 

Nautilus has expressed its 

Asympathies to the family of a 

member who died in a knife attack 

in the Philippines last month. 

Local police said second mate 

John Lorne MacDonald had been 

stabbed to death by the jealous 

boyfriend of a woman he had 

reportedly travelled to the 

Philippines to propose to. 

Mr MacDonald, who served with 

Trico Offshore, was said to have 

flown from Scotland to meet the 

woman in Angona, near Manila, 

after developing a relationship 

through an online dating site. 

Mr MacDonald, who was 27 and 

had studied at Glasgow Nautical 

College, was stabbed in the stomach 

and arms by the woman’s boyfriend 

and was taken to hospital in 

Angona, where he died from his 

injuries. 

His mother Joanne said: ‘He was 

a much-loved son and brother, and 

was very close to his family. He spent 

a lot of time at sea, but when he was 

off on leave he spent his holidays 

first visiting family and friends, then 

travelling, which he adored. John 

loved playing guitar and was 

passionate about Rangers [Football 

Club]. His death is a tragedy and he 

will leave a gap in so many people’s 

lives that will never be filled.’ 

The woman Mr MacDonald had 

been meeting, Nancy Romero, was 

also stabbed and was reported to be 

fighting for her life last month. Local 

police are hunting her boyfriend, 

Anselmo Lacostales, in connection 

with the attacks. 

Boats are stored on 

deck for Fort Victoria’s 

anti-piracy role 

Merchant Navy Operations (Deck) 

Certificate of Competency 

Officer of the Watch (Unlimited) Jan, May & Sept 

Chief Mate/Masters (Unlimited) May & September 

Master Mariner Orals Preparation (4 weeks) March 

Short courses to STCW 95 

Safety 

Personal Survival Techniques 

Personal Safety & Social Responsibilities 

Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting 

Elementary First Aid 

5 Day Combined Basic Safety Training 

Specialist training for the maritime and offshore industries 

Passenger Ships: Crisis Management and Human Behaviour 

Passenger Ships: Safety, Cargo Safety and Hull Integrity 

Crowd Management 

Medical 

Medical First Aid Onboard Ship 

Medical Care Onboard Ship (and Refresher) 

Radio 

GMDSS GOC/ROC/LRC 

Navigation 

NaRAST (O) & (M) 

Bridge Simulator 

Bridge Team Management 

Ship’s Safety Officer/Security Officer 

Tanker Familiarisation 

Specialist Tanker Training (Oil) 

Other courses 

Efficient Deck Hand 

CPSC&RB 

Dynamic Positioning 

DP Induction 

DP Simulator 

Offshore Oil & Gas (OPITO) 

OIM Management of Major Emergencies 

CRO Controlling Emergencies 

Command & Control for ERRVs Masters & Mates 

Competence Management Consultancy 

Offshore First Aid (and Refresher) 

Advanced Offshore First Aid (and Refresher) 

Accredited by 

Lowestoft College, St Peters Street, Lowestoft, 

Suffolk NR32 2NB United Kingdom 

Tel 00 44 1502 525025 

Fax 00 44 1502 525106 

Email maritime@lowestoft.ac.uk 

Web www.lowestoft.ac.uk/maritime.asp

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