NAUTILUS P01 OCTOBER 2010.qxd - Nautilus International

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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 NAUTILUS AT WORK 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.
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