NAUTILUS P01 NOVEMBER 2012 - Nautilus International

ECDIS alarm signals 

Nautilus seeks action 

to tackle electronic 

chart ‘anomalies’ 

24-25 

Flying the flag 

We meet the man 

who markets the 

UK Ship Register 

20 

NL nieuws 

Drie pagina’s 

met nieuws uit 

Nederland 

34-36 

Volume 45 | Number 11 | November 2012 | £3.50 €3.70 

Union’s fund keeps 

Andrew on course 

Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson presents the Slater Prize to Andrew Jack last month 

A sixth-generation mariner 

Fhas been given a fresh start to 

his seagoing career thanks to 

support from the Nautilus John 

William Slater Fund. 

Andrew Jack — who started 

work as a fisherman at the age of 

16 — has retrained as a deck officer 

with the assistance of the fund, 

which offers scholarships worth up 

to £17,000 to help ratings and other 

non-certificated seafarers to get 

their officer of the watch certificates. 

Nautilus senior national secretary 

Allan Graveson last month presented 

Andrew with the annual Slater Prize 

during a ceremony at the Marine 

Society’s annual court. 

Marine Society director Brian 

Thomas said Andrew had spent his 

entire working life in the fishing 

industry, but his prospects would 

have been bleak without the support 

that the fund had delivered to him. 

Andrew said he had decided on a 

change of course in his career after 

seeing increasing numbers of fishing 

vessels being decommissioned and a 

growing number of jobs being lost to 

low-cost foreign crews. 

‘I’m a sixth-generation seafarer, 

at least,’ he added, ‘and you feel that 

it is really in your blood, so I wanted 

to carry that tradition on.’ 

After studying at Banff & Buchan 

College, Andrew gained his OOW 

certification at the end of last year 

and has since served in the North 

Sea as a second mate onboard 

standby vessels. 

‘The Slater Fund made all the 

difference and it took a lot of the 

worry away,’ he told the Telegraph. 

‘Having a family meant that the 

training was a big financial hit, and 

the fund was a big help — especially 

because of the cost of all the 

different courses that you have to 

do.’ 

Andrew says he is keen to 

progress in his new career, to gain 

experience in other sectors and to go 

on to get his chief mate’s and 

master’s certificates. 

The Slater Fund — which was 

established in 1977 in memory of a 

former general secretary of the 

Union — has helped more than 

1,000 ratings to train as officers. The 

scheme is administered by the 

Marine Society in conjunction with 

Nautilus, and the Union’s Council 

recently approved a rule change 

enabling the assistance to be given 

to yacht crew seeking OOW 

certificates and to electro-technical 

officers requiring certification under 

the STCW 2010 regulations. 

gSee advertisement, page 27. 

Don’t cut back on crew 

training, owners told 

Inside 

F Safety debate 

Nautilus stages 

top-level seminar 

on cruiseship 

safety — page 19 

Union welcomes top ship manager’s call for the industry to increase investment in seafarers 

PThe world has no more ‘lost tribes’ seafarers from eastern Europe and China. 

of low-cost seafarers, and owners But, he warned, there are no more ‘lost 

need to maintain their investment 

in training to prevent serious skill with the exception of a few counties such 

tribes of future seafarers out there’ and, 

shortages, a top ship manager has warned. 

Nautilus has backed the call from Alistair 

Evitt, president of the International 

Ship Managers’ Association, for owners to 

beware of the ‘false economy’ of trimming 

training budgets. 

And the Union has also supported his 

suggestion that officers’ qualifications 

as Vietnam, Cambodia and North Korea, 

there are few countries which have not yet 

secured STCW compliancy and developed 

as an international crew supply source. 

Consequently, he warned, when recovery 

comes there may be a shortage of competent 

seafarers. And, he added, ‘whilst raw 

recruits are an important issue, equally 

should be given university degree status important — as ships become more 

as part of a programme of improving the 

image of the maritime profession. 

Speaking at the Maritime Round Table 

organised by the International Transport 

Workers’ Federation last month, Mr Evitt 

said the shipping industry needed to be 

ready for recovery once the current ‘perfect 

storm’ of reduced demand and overcapacity 

blows over. 

He said the forecast crewing shortages 

by ‘harbingers of doom’ over the past 20 

years had been allayed by the availability of 

sophisticated — is the ability to attract, 

train and retain the best available candidates 

to the industry, capable of meeting 

our competency requirements for officers, 

petty officers and ratings.’ 

Mr Evitt said the industry should resist 

the temptation to prune training budgets. 

‘In these days of recession and austerity, 

saving on training costs must be an easy 

target for ship owners and managers,’ he 

added. ‘This has to be a false economy, as 

training has to be the most important 

investment in securing safe and efficient 

onboard operations — the alternative is 

the cost of an accident.’ 

The InterManager leader stressed the 

need for new ships to have sufficient training 

berths onboard. ‘It takes two years to 

build a ship, but 10 years to build a senior 

officer,’ he pointed out, ‘Once built, ships 

are with us for 20 to 30 years, so if we don’t 

get it right now we have already let down 

the next generation.’ 

Mr Evitt also warned of other challenges 

to recruitment and retention. The industry 

should return greater responsibility to its 

shipboard management teams, he argued, 

and ships should be equipped with modern 

communications technology so that 

crews can stay in touch with home. 

Although shipping’s public image had 

suffered as a result of the Costa Concordia 

accident, it still offers good prospects and 

should show young people that it could 

provide a defined career path. As part of 

the drive to make the profession more 

attractive, officer qualifications must be 

seen — globally — as university-equivalent 

vocational training, Mr Evitt told the 

ITF conference. 

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson 

welcomed the speech. ‘He is right — 

there are no untapped sources of labour 

out there and I am confident our time will 

come again. There is anecdotal evidence to 

suggest that at long last owners and operators 

are starting to realise this and are looking 

closer to home to source their labour.’ 

‘However,’ he warned, ‘they have a really 

tough job ahead — we stand to lose about a 

third of our maritime skills in the UK and 

Netherlands, and elsewhere across Europe 

the pattern is being repeated. So they need 

to act fast and begin recruiting in significant 

numbers to bridge that skills gap and 

underpin the maritime cluster before it is 

too late and lasting damage done. 

‘Governments (and the European Commission) 

also need to realise that they cannot 

stand idly by, bereft of a strategy or 

policy to deliver a surge in investment in 

European maritime skills,’ he stressed. 

F MLC milestone 

UK’s new code 

brings yachts into 

line with seafarers’ 

‘bill of rights’ — 

page 21 

F Case history 

Nautilus Welfare 

Fund project helps 

former seafarers — 

pages 23

02 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2012 

NAUTILUS AT WORK 

Rumours 

of merger 

‘do not 

stack up’ 

The Nautilus UK branch 

Fcommittee agreed to take no 

further action in response to a 

motion remitted by the UK branch 

conference on relations with other 

unions. 

The movers of the motion 

expressed concern at rumours 

suggesting Nautilus had been 

engaged in merger talks with 

another British transport union, and 

called for a clear statement that 

Nautilus will remain a dedicated 

union for maritime professionals. 

Proposing the motion, Michael 

Lloyd said he wanted reassurances 

that Nautilus will continue to be an 

independent and specialist 

organisation. ‘Railways have 

nothing to do with us and we have 

fought hard not to be political,’ he 

added. 

Tony Minns seconded the motion 

with a ‘heavy heart’ and called on 

the conference to mandate the 

committee to investigate the 

rumours. 

But, speaking on behalf of the UK 

national committee, Nautilus senior 

policy advisor Peter McEwen 

described the rumours as ‘nonsense’ 

and said there was no substance to 

the suggestions that Nautilus would 

merge with such a union. 

‘Discussions with other unions on 

working in cooperation for the 

benefit of members have gone on 

before and will continue, and the 

Council is aware and approves of 

this,’ he said. ‘The rumours do not 

stack up because any merger 

proposals would have had to go 

before the Council and to a ballot of 

the full membership, as happened in 

1985 and 2009.’ 

The motion was remitted to the 

UK branch committee, which met 

following the conference. The 

committee decided that no further 

action was needed as it was an issue 

that had been discussed at Council 

on many previous occasions in the 

context of the agreed strategic 

direction of the Union. 

Call for limit 

on watches 

Concern over the absence of a 

Flegal limit to the number of 

consecutive watches kept at sea was 

raised in a motion tabled at the UK 

branch conference. The motion — 

which members voted to remit — 

called for Nautilus to lobby the 

relevant authorities to ‘address the 

anomaly’ and to seek an 

amendment to the working hours 

regulations. 

Speaking on behalf of the UK 

committee, senior national secretary 

Allan Graveson said the motion was 

well-intentioned but lacked clarity. 

‘It reflects members’ principal 

concern about working time and the 

fact that working 91 or 98 hours a 

week is totally unacceptable,’ he 

pointed out. 

‘Nautilus believes it is entirely 

predictable that people make 

mistakes as a result of working such 

hours, but we need to look at things 

in a more scientific way and take 

forward the results of the Project 

Horizon research,’ he added. 

Cuts put UK’s defence policy in peril 

Thirty years on from the 

AFalklands conflict, the UK is 

now unable to assemble a similar 

maritime task force, the Nautilus UK 

branch meeting was warned. 

Members backed a motion 

paying tribute to the merchant 

seafarers and Royal Fleet Auxiliary 

personnel who took part in the 

Falklands task force and expressing 

concern about the impact of recent 

defence cuts. 

Moving the motion, David 

Gatenby said the task force had 

comprised of more than 50 

merchant ships and 3,000 merchant 

seafarers. Yet, since then, the RFA 

had been reduced from 27 ships to 

just 13 and the Merchant Navy is 

now just one-third the size it was 30 

years ago. ‘All this means that it 

would be impossible to mount a 

campaign like the Falklands again at 

the drop of a hat,’ he added. 

‘The government has stated that 

Alarm over holes in 

shipping safety net 

Conference urges Union to oppose reductions in sea emergency services 

PMembers at the UK 

branch conference voted 

unanimously to support 

a motion condemning cuts in the 

country’s maritime safety net 

which have resulted in the loss of 

emergency towing vessels, the 

withdrawal of specialist at-sea 

fire-fighting services and reductions 

in the number of marine 

accident investigators. 

The motion urged Nautilus to 

resist any future moves to reduce 

spending on key services to 

uphold safety and welfare 

onboard UK ships and on vessels 

operating in UK waters. 

‘This motion is not about the 

past and it is not about the losses 

we have already suffered to the 

emergency towing vessels, 

Marine Incident Response Group 

and the Marine Accident Investigation 

Branch,’ explained Ulrich 

Jurgens. ‘It is about what happens 

in the future. Will the maritime 

Paul Minter 

Members at the UK branch meeting 

Aoverwhelmingly rejected a motion 

expressing concern that Nautilus is not providing 

‘appropriate representation’ on pension issues. 

Proposing the motion, Michael Lloyd 

commented: ‘Despite the fact that the Union has 

50% representation on the Merchant Navy 

Officers’ Pension Fund, it is time to ask whether 

the Union has used its influence to best 

advantage.’ 

He said members were concerned at the 

proposed buy-out of the Old Section of the Fund. 

‘Where is the voice standing up for those 

pensioners who will possibly never see an increase 

in their pensions for the rest of their lives If there 

is inflation, that pension could become worthless.’ 

should another conflict occur we 

have enough to meet the strategic 

requirements for ships and 

seafarers, but I don’t believe that is 

right,’ he said. 

James Hofton warned that the 

big reduction in the size of the UK 

merchant fleet made it all the more 

important that the RFA is given the 

resources it needs to develop its role 

as a versatile strategic asset. 

Ulrich Jurgens 

industry in the UK be subjected to 

further cuts 

‘We want to ensure that we do 

not lose any more funds,’ he 

stressed. ‘We may only be a small 

part of the government, but Nautilus 

should ensure, and must 

David Gatenby 


national committee, Paul Minter 

said he had been involved in the 

UK’s amphibious operations in the 

Falklands, Kuwait and the second 

Gulf war, and said it had proved 

impossible to find sufficient Britishflagged 

and British-crewed ships to 

support the operations in Iraq. 

‘British defence policy is based 

on rapid deployment by land, sea 

Norman Martin 

ensure, that these cuts to do not 

go any further.’ 

Seconding the motion, Norman 

Martin said: ‘The new shipping 

minister should recognise 

that if you live on an island nation 

you might want to have some air 

Seconding, David Hughes said members of the 

Fund should be surveyed so that their views on the 

future of the Old Section could be made clear. 

Responding on behalf of the UK branch 

committee, senior policy advisor Peter McEwen 

said he had spoken to hundreds of members 

during a series of nine pension meetings around 

the country and had also responded to more than 

1,000 letters and emails. 

‘The hysteria that is being stirred up does not 

deflect from the fact that it is perfectly clear the 

Union is doing its best for members, widows and 

dependants and providing the quality of service 

that it has done since the MNOPF was founded in 

1937,’ he added. 

gPensions feedback — see pages 28-29 

and air,’ he pointed out. ‘However, 

there is an unstated and extremely 

unwise belief that the market will 

provide.’ 

He pointed out that the problem 

is not simply a shortage of ships, but 

is also a question of the right type of 

ship. During the Falklands conflict 

merchant ships carried out a wide 

variety of roles — including 

logistics, supplies, fuel, 

minesweeping, carrying aircraft and 

providing hospital and prisoner of 

war facilities — and the availability 

of vessels to conduct such different 

and often complex operations is 

now in doubt. 

Capt Minter said the 30th 

anniversary of the Falklands was a 

highly appropriate time to reflect on 

the developments since then and to 

press the government to reassess its 

strategic maritime policies in the 

light of the decline in the strength of 

the RFA and the Merchant Navy. 

craft for search and rescue. These 

cuts were not in the government’s 

manifesto, but they have slipped 

them through,’ he pointed out. 

And he added: ‘This calculated 

gross negligence committed by 

the coalition government against 

all seafarers, must be stopped.’ 


branch committee, senior 

national secretary Allan Graveson 

said Nautilus is continuing to 

campaign to protect maritime 

safety resources and has submitted 

evidence to a new House of 

Commons transport committee 

inquiry into changes to the Coastguard 

service. 

‘The dangers to our people and 

all seafarers are great,’ Mr Graveson 

warned the conference. ‘There 

is also huge potential damage to 

the UK economy following the 

lack of a speedy response to a 

maritime incident around our 

coastline.’ 

‘Hysteria’ over pensions Severance plea 

The UK branch conference unanimously agreed 

Fto a motion calling for the Union to campaign 

for better redundancy arrangements for members. 

Proposing the motion, Gavin Williams pointed out 

that many members currently have no, or poor, 

redundancy provisions in their contracts. 

‘It is a difficult thing to negotiate for,’ explained 

Mr Williams. ‘But given the difficult financial 

situation the country is in, the Union needs to ensure 

that all members have redundancy terms in their 

contracts. 

‘To do this, we should identify and benchmark 

best practice and seek to ensure that all members 

enjoy these benefits,’ he added. 

David Gatenby seconded the motion, which also 

noted that many members were not entitled to 

statutory redundancy payments in the UK. 

Review of 

legal aid 

requested 

Charles Boyle 

Members attending the UK 

Cbranch meeting voted to remit 

a motion calling for Nautilus to 

undertake a review of its legal and 

certificate protections for members in 

the light of the Costa Concordia 

disaster. 

Proposing the motion, Tony Minns 

said the cruiseship accident had 

highlighted the potential for 

significant legal action to be taken 

against seafarers following maritime 

incidents. ‘Legal protection is 

therefore one of the most important 

benefits for members,’ he stressed. 

He suggested there should be a 

thorough review of the legal benefits 

to ensure that Nautilus would be able 

to meet all its obligations to protect 

the interests of members following a 

major incident like the Costa 

Concordia. 

Charles Boyle, director of legal 

services, said Nautilus is acutely 

aware of the huge potential for 

members to be criminalised, and in 

the past five years the Union had 

provided legal support for members 

in criminal proceedings following fatal 

accidents. 

Nautilus maintains a global 

network of lawyers in more than 120 

countries, he added, and the legal 

defence fund — which presently 

totals some £1.5m — is regularly 

reviewed and adjusted to reflect 

increases in legal costs. 

Council OK 

for rise in 

benefits 

Nautilus Council members have 

Fapproved increases in key 

membership benefits provided by the 

Union — the professional protection 

provided in the event of a certificate 

of competency being cancelled, 

suspended or downgraded following 

a formal inquiry. 

The amounts payable, provided 

for in Rule 6, detailed in Regulation 2 

and provided for in the Union’s 

rulebook, are set out below. Subject 

to Council’s discretion in every case, 

the new payments take effect from 1 

January 2013 and the existing rates 

are shown in brackets: 

zRegulation 2.1: £115,000 

(£112,600) 

zRegulation 2.2: £9,900 (£9,700) 

zRegulation 2.3: £4,950 (£4,950) 

zRegulation 2.6: £57,500 

(£56,300) 

zRegulation 2.7: £4,950 (£4,850) 

zRegulation 2.8: £2,550 (£2,500) 

Council members also approved 

increases in membership subscription 

rates, broadly in line with the level of 

the benefit increases, which will also 

come into effect on 1 January 2013. 

Members will be notified of the new 

rates by individual letter.

November 2012 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 03 


Jonty flies the flag at St Paul’s service 

Nautilus member Jonty 

ATurnbull, a phase 3 cadet 

studying at Fleetwood Nautical 

Campus, carried the Merchant Navy 

standard at this year’s national 

service for seafarers at St Paul’s 

Cathedral in London. 

Officials from the Union were 

among the representatives of many 

seafaring organisations taking part in 

the event, which was also attended 

by HRH The Princess Royal and Vice 

Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. 

Jonty, whose training is sponsored 

by Bibby Ship Management, said he 

was honoured to have been selected 

to carry the MN standard. He first 

became interested in a career at sea 

while studying politics at Newcastle 

University, where he served in the 

university’s naval unit and went on to 

spend a year working on superyachts. 

‘I wanted to do something a bit 

outside the box and not be stuck in an 

office all day,’ he said. ‘I have not 

been disappointed, and I have really 

enjoyed my seatime with CMA CGM 

and Foreland Shipping.’ 

Bibby cadet Jonty Turnbull is pictured on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral with Nautilus assistant general 

secretary Mike Jess, general secretary Mark Dickinson and UK national committee chairman Micky Smyth 

Conference calls 

for policy action 

Ministers should put merchant shipping at heart of national recovery plan 

shortreports 

DRINK WARNING: seafarers who breach the UK 

alcohol regulations should expect to be sent to jail, a 

judge warned last month following a case in which a 

Russian master was sentenced to 28 days in prison after 

he was found to be more than four times over the limit 

following a collision with the lock gates in the port of 

Poole. Sentencing Captain Viatcheslav Poleshchuck, 

judge Michael Mettyear said he was concerned about 

the number of cases involving ‘drunken sea captains’ 

from eastern Europe. 

COSTS UP: shipowners’ crew costs rose by more 

than 3% last year and were the main reason why overall 

vessel operating costs rose by an average of 2.1%, a new 

study has concluded. The annual OpCost report 

published by the accountancy firm Moore Stephens 

reveals reductions in some key expenditure areas, 

including insurance and repairs and maintenance. The 

study shows that crew costs for tankers increased by an 

average 2.2% last year, compared with 2.8% for bulk 

carriers, 3.4% for containerships and 6.7% for smallersized 

LPG carriers. 

EUROPEAN BLUEPRINT: European shipping 

and transport ministers have adopted a new six-page 

policy statement setting out proposals to develop 

maritime services and industries. Following a meeting 

in Cyprus last month, European Commission president 

José Emmanuel Barroso commented: ‘Seas and oceans 

can play a decisive role in Europe’s economic recovery. 

Today’s declaration sends the clear message that we 

need to embrace the potential of Europe’s blue 

economy.’ 

TERMINAL PAYMENT: Liverpool City council 

has repaid £8.8m of its public funding awarded to 

develop the cruise terminal on the River Mersey. The 

payment brings to an end a long running dispute with 

Southampton council which began when Liverpool 

council changed plans for the terminal from a cruise 

stop-off to a cruise turnaround port. The European 

Commission is currently investigating the use of EU 

funding which Liverpool council believes is being used 

appropriately and the port has already begun life as a 

cruise liner terminal. 

UNautilus needs to redouble 

its efforts to persuade 

the UK government 

to adopt a coherent 

maritime policy, members at the 

branch conference decided. 

The meeting approved a 

motion expressing concern at 

trends in UK seafarer employment 

and training and the continuing 

failure of a majority of 

British owners to put their ships 

under the red ensign. 

Proposing the motion, Martin 

Troman said the government had 

gone down with a severe case of 

‘sea blindness’ — even though the 

maritime industry remains essential 

to the UK as an island nation. 

‘Twelve years ago we finally 

succeeded in turning around 

what seemed to be a permanent 

decline of the British Merchant 

fleet, when John Prescott introduced 

the tonnage tax scheme 

and its associated training 

requirement,’ he explained. 

‘Unfortunately, we have seen little 

more since then, except tinkering 

with the few measures we have 

and the steady erosion of the 

budget.’ 

He told the conference that 

cutbacks have affected the Royal 

Navy’s ability to counter piracy 

and had resulted in damaging 

effects upon the Maritime & 

Coastguard Agency and the 

Marine Accident Investigation 

Branch. 

‘It is shameful that the UK 

government have not ratified 

the MLC,’ Mr Troman added. 

‘We believe it is essential that the 

General secretary Mark Dickinson addresses the Nautilus UK branch conference Picture: Colin McPherson 

government comes up with a new 

long-term integrated strategy for 

Britain’s maritime sector. We 

must have a vision to ensure that 

we continue to have the ships and 

seafarers to meet the UK’s needs, 

now and in the future.’ 

Jessica Tyson seconded the 

motion, pointing out that there 

have been four shipping ministers 

in the space of seven years. 

What was needed was consistency, 

she argued. 

‘As a union, we need to be able 

to spend time addressing the 

issues that are important to us 

and our members, not babysitting 

ministers who don’t know 

what a ship is.’ 

The motion was opposed by a 

small number of members. 

Speaking from the floor, David 

Hughes said he had concerns 

about policies to encourage 

shipowners to the UK register and 

the income derived from agreements 

with such owners — as 

they would not necessarily mean 

an increase in jobs for British seafarers. 

Tony Minns agreed that whilst 

the sentiments of the motion 

were good, there was a concern 

that attracting foreign owners to 

the red ensign would have the 

effect of making the red ensign a 

flag of convenience. 


branch committee, general secretary 

Mark Dickinson summed up 

the motion — musing that if Lord 

Nelson was around today he 

would not be heard to proclaim ‘I 

see no ships’ but rather ‘I see no 

shipping policy’. 

He noted that the motion was 

aimed at UK owners who continue 

to operate under foreign 

flags — and said these amounted 

to almost as many ships again as 

those flying the red ensign. 

Mr Dickinson said he had been 

shocked to receive a letter from 

the new shipping minister, 

Stephen Hammond, only days 

after his appointment in which 

he told the Union he sees no need 

to come up with a new maritime 

policy statement setting explicit 

goals and objectives for the sector. 

‘We hear much from ministers 

about the UK needing to trade its 

way to recovery,’ he added. ‘Well, 

as so much of our trade goes by 

sea, surely shipping should be at 

the heart of the recovery plan 

Sadly, however, we struggle to see 

evidence of a coherent strategy 

for the sector. 

‘I can’t help feeling that our 

maritime policy is perpetually 

reactive rather than proactive,’ Mr 

Dickinson said, ‘and as a consequence, 

our long-standing lead in 

maritime matters is in danger.’ 

PIRACY VICTIMS: new research has warned that 

seafarers are not getting adequate follow-up care and 

support following pirate attacks. A study published by 

the US-based Seamen’s Church Institute in 

collaboration with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine 

in New York found that most seafarers held captive or 

attacked by pirates experienced ‘clinically significant’ 

symptoms afterwards and less than one-third felt they 

had received adequate follow-up care. 

DUTCH CALL: Dutch shipowners are calling for 

concrete action by the country’s new government to 

address the shipping industry’s concerns. Following the 

election results — which saw the centre-right liberal 

VVD party win a narrow majority — the Royal 

Association of Netherlands Shipowners says it will fight 

for the owners’ ability to hire private armed guards in 

pirate-infested waters and to ensure that the 

Netherlands retains its shipping-friendly fiscal policies. 

GET TALKING: marine insurers have launched an 

initiative encouraging ship masters and officers to talk 

more about health and safety at sea. The North Club is 

producing a series of ‘Talking Points’ newsletters 

providing subjects to discuss. The first one tackles the 

subject of grinding wheel cutting disc failure. 

FISHER BREAKDOWN: the UK-owned tanker 

Thames Fisher was towed to safety after breaking down 

off the coast of Scotland last month. The vessel was 

carrying a cargo of kerosene when it suffered engine 

failure near Inverness. 

STENA ALERT: emergency services were sent to 

the Stena Hibernia in the port of Portland last month 

after a Polish crew member was reported to be having a 

heart attack. The man was brought ashore and taken to 

Dorset County Hospital by ambulance.



shortreports 

LOTHIAN LOSSES: redundancy notices have 

been issued to members employed by Lothian Shipping 

Services serving on Lord Hinton. Members will receive 

redundancy terms as per their contracts and 

employment will be formally terminated on 31 

December 2012. Collective discussions between the 

Union and the employer are continuing and a bulletin 

will be sent to members once further information is 

available. 

ORKNEY ARBITRATION: a request for 

assistance from the Advisory, Conciliation and 

Arbitration Service (ACAS) has been made by unions 

negotiating with Orkney Ferries over the 2012 pay 

review. Nautilus International, Unite and RMT have 

agreed with Orkney Ferries to pass the matter for 

arbitration following a lack of progress and were due 

meet on 24 October. 

PG PAY: members employed by Bibby Ship 

Management and serving on PG Tankers are being 

asked for their pay review aspirations. The pay review 

date is 1 January 2013 and industrial organiser Derek 

Byrne is keen to hear from members in advance so that 

their views can included in the formation and 

submission of the claim. 

CORYSTES TALKS: following the rejection of a 

2% pay offer by members employed by Serco Marine 

and serving onboard RV Corystes, industrial organiser 

Gary Leech has been trying to organise a meeting with 

the company. It is hoped that this will now take place at 

the end of November and members will be advised of 

the outcome. 

MANX VIEWS: pay aspirations are being sought 

from members employed by Manx Sea Transport and 

serving on Isle of Man Steam Packet Company vessels 

ahead of the forthcoming annual review negotiations. 

CAR CLAIM: members employed by Anglo Eastern 

and serving onboard car carriers are asked for their pay 

aspirations ahead of the 1 January 2013 review date. 

PILOT SEATS: Nautilus is involved in talks with 

Associated British Ports over the seating configuration 

onboard new launches for Humber Pilots. 

Officials trained for MLC 

Nautilus national secretaries 

FSteve Doran and Jonathan 

Havard were among delegates from 

11 seafaring unions around the world, 

above, who attended a special 

Maritime Labour Academy workshop 

for International Transport Workers’ 

Federation affiliates last month. 

The three-day course covered the 

background and workings of the 

international Maritime Labour 

Convention — known as the bill of 

rights for seafarers — which is due to 

come into effect in August next year. 

The training aims to help officials 

ensure compliance with the 

convention and to handle issues 

arising from its requirements. 

‘It was great to meet with trade 

union members from around the 

world and consider the challenges 

and opportunities that the MLC 

present to improve the wellbeing of 

seafarers worldwide,’ said Mr Doran. 

‘The course will be a great help for 

us in dealing with MLC-related 

matters and gave us a real insight into 

what to look out for when examining 

members’ contracts to ensure that 

they are compliant,’ Mr Havard 

added. 

New memorial for RFA is unveiled 

Nautilus senior national 

Asecretary Allan Graveson 

represented the Union at the official 

unveiling of a memorial in honour of 

Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel who 

have been killed while serving on 

operations around the world. 

The new dedication at the 

National Memorial Arboretum in 

Staffordshire lists the 24 ships 

involved in conflicts with loss of life 

— starting with RFA Thrush in 1917 

and ending with RFA Sir Tristram in 

1982 during the Falklands War. 

The memorial was enveiled by 

RFA Commodore-in-Chief The Earl of 

Wessex, at a ceremony attended by 

more than 160 serving and retired 

RFA officers and ratings. The RFA 

Association raised more than 

£30,000 to pay for the tribute, and 

additional funding came from events 

held on RFA ships across the fleet. 

Talks over 

Cemex UK 

transfers 

Nautilus has been involved in 

Ftalks with Cemex UK Marine 

over the lay-up of the dredgers Sand 

Weaver and Sand Harrier. 

Around 40 seafarers will be 

affected by the move and national 

secretary Jonathan Havard said a 

series of meetings have taken place 

with management to discuss the 

issues. He is also hoping to meet 

members during visits to both 

vessels. 

Cemex announced the moves 

following a strategic review of its 

business, under which it is planning 

to contract out some of its dredging 

capacity to the Dutch operator 

Reimerswaal. 

‘First officers and deckhands will 

have the opportunity to transfer, and 

masters will be retained in the 

Cemex fleet,’ Mr Havard said. ‘For all 

other ranks, a compromise 

settlement based on what they 

would have got in a redundancy 

situation, together with an 

enhancement, will be offered.’ 

Jobs go after 

ETV losses 

Nautilus continuing 

Fdiscussions with JP Knight 

over the impact of the sale of ships 

following the end of the Maritime & 

Coastguard Agency’s emergency 

towing vessel contract. 

National secretary Jonathan 

Havard said the company anticipates 

that around eight officers and 

ratings would be surplus to 

requirement as a result of the sales, 

although the total may be 

minimised as a result of personnel 

moving on. 

Should there be redundancies, he 

added, the company has given the 

Union assurances that a fair 

selection procedure will be used — 

with the retention of skills being a 

key criteria. 

Mr Havard said the company is 

planning to produce proposals for 

improving wages, introducing 

contractual sick pay and addressing 

onboard communication systems. 

‘I am pleased we are dedicating 

an RFA memorial that is well 

designed, reflects our service, and 

sits beautifully in the peace and 

tranquillity of the park,’ said RFA 

Commodore Bill Walworth. ‘Since 

1905 the ships and people of the RFA 

have served their country, providing 

the lifeblood that keeps the Royal 

Navy fighting and its sailors and 

marines sustained. The RFA 

memorial is an important symbol of 

this enduring commitment.’ 

Nautilus is continuing to seek a 

formal response to its pay and 

conditions submission for RFA 

members. National secretary 

Jonathan Havard said the Union has 

been told the remit is presently 

before ministers. Meanwhile, 

Nautilus has been involved in further 

discussions on the RFA’s strategy and 

development plans. 

New rules for 

UK pensions 

MNOPP changes to aid auto-enrolment for seafarers 

PNew rules requiring the 

auto-enrolment of UK 

employees into company 

pension schemes have 

begun their phased introduction. 

Employers with over 120,000 

staff had to provide their own 

pension scheme or enrol staff in a 

national scheme from 1 October, 

and from 1 November the legislation 

will apply to companies with 

50,000 staff or more. 

From 1 January 2013 there is a 

sliding scale for staff numbers 

until 1 April 2015, where most 

companies, with a few exceptions, 

will need to have staff in a pension 

scheme. 

There has been some confusion 

since the legislation was first 

proposed in 2011 about how the 

rules would apply to UK seafarers 

and foreign seafarers working in 

Nautilus national secretary 

FJonathan Havard is pictured 

above with Princess Cruises 

management representatives 

Mona Ehrenreich, Graham Billett 

and David Colclough and members 

onboard the Ruby Princess 

following a meeting last month. 

The talks were held to discuss 

The Earl of Wessex, Commodore Bill Walworth, and Rob Langford at the 

unveiling of the new RFA memorial last month 

Picture: Leading Airman David Hillhouse 

UK waters. Nautilus, along with 

the Chamber of Shipping, 

responded to a consultation on 

the subject — but some of those 

views were ignored when government 

eventually issued regulations. 

However, the guidance 

issued by The Pensions Regulator 

was much stronger. 

Currently, employers of UK 

seafarers and offshore workers 

who are working, or ordinarily 

work in the UK, must be autoenrolled 

into eligible pension 

schemes when the timetable 

advises. 

However, shipowners are 

being advised to auto-enrol all 

employees — as there is a risk of 

substantial penalties if they fail 

to do so, whereas there is no 

penalty for enrolling those who 

do not need to be. 

this year’s pay and conditions 

claim. Nautilus has called for a 

substantial pay increase, 

improvements in the concession 

cruises scheme and overtime pay 

arrangements, and a commitment 

to the granting of long leave. 

Mr Havard said a formal 

response is expected imminently. 

The Merchant Navy Officers’ 

Pensions Plan — the seafarers’ 

and maritime employers’ defined 

contribution scheme — is currently 

being amended to become 

auto-enrolment compliant. The 

changes include removing age 

restrictions and changing the definition 

of pensionable salary. It is 

anticipated that the changes will 

be completed by the end of 2012, 

so that maritime employers will 

be able to use the scheme to comply 

with legislation by early 2013. 

Nautilus has welcomed the 

move towards auto-enrolment 

and general secretary Mark Dickinson 

said: ‘The industry should 

embrace auto-enrolment for all 

British seafarers regardless of 

where they are employed, and 

MNOPP will be the best vehicle 

for them to use.’



UK put two strategic ro-ros up for sale 

Nautilus and the RMT are involved in 

Fdiscussions with Foreland Shipping 

(Guernsey) management following the decision to 

put two of the six UK strategic sealift ro-ros on sale. 

The two ships are being released from service 

following the completion of the MoD defence 

review, which concluded that only four vessels are 

required for the future. 

Nautilus national secretary Jonathan Havard 

said the unions are working with management to 

assess the potential effects of the decision and 

further talks were due to take place late last month. 

Nautilus will also be contacting members of the 

House of Commons defence committee to raise 

concerns over the decision to reduce the number of 

strategic ro-ros. The Union has already urged them 

to conduct a fresh inquiry into the availability of 

merchant ships and seafarers for defence 

requirements. 

Picture: Paul Dallaway 

CalMac tendering 

re-think is backed 

Unions welcome Scottish government move to extend ferry contracts 

PNautilus International 

has welcomed news that 

the Scottish government 

is in discussions with the European 

Commission to extend the 

period which ferry contracts can 

be awarded following the planned 

extension of the Caledonian 

MacBrayne contract until 2016. 

The move to delay the tendering 

of CalMac’s Clyde and Western 

Isles services for three years 

was revealed at a meeting 

between Nautilus and other Scottish 

TUC members and transport 

minister Keith Brown last month. 

Mr Brown went on to meet 

officials in the cabinet of European 

transport commissioner 

Siim Kallas in Brussels to discuss 

the interim contact and press for 

the EC to relax restrictions on the 

length of contracts which can be 

awarded to ferry companies. 

P&O review 

update call 

Nautilus — which has long 

been campaigning to have the 

contract lengths for lifeline ferry 

services extended to avoid costly 

re-tender processes and allow 

companies to develop their 

routes and maintain their vessels 

and workforce — has applauded 

the minister’s move. 

‘The extension of the CalMac 

contract will provide reassurances 

for members who have seen 

the problems and insecurities 

created at Northlink when ferry 

services go through a tender 

process,’ said senior national secretary 

Ronnie Cunningham. 

‘I hope that the Scottish 

government will use this time 

wisely and hold a thorough 

review of the tender process, 

including the length of contracts 

and the transfer of seafarers’ 

employment rights.’ 

Mr Brown said the decision to 

award an interim three-year contract 

with CalMac ‘will allow the 

necessary detailed preparation 

work required to finalise the 

scope of the new contract to be 

completed’. 

And he added: ‘This work 

includes consideration of the 

expansion of the Clyde and 

Hebrides ferry service to include 

some services currently being 

delivered by local authorities as 

outlined in our Draft Ferries Plan.’ 

The minister confirmed that 

he had found ‘no compelling case’ 

for tendering single routes and 

that CalMac will be awarded a 

three-year interim contract when 

the current contract expires next 

autumn. He described his meeting 

with EU cabinet members as 

‘constructive’ and confirmed that 

the interim contract with CalMac 

is being carried out in accordance 

with EU rules on procurement 

and state aid. 

‘The current contract runs for 

another year and provides ample 

opportunity to formalise the 

planned interim contract,’ Mr 

Brown explained. 

‘I have [also] raised with the 

European Commission, the 

restriction currently in place 

which limits the award of any 

ferry contract to a maximum of 

six years. I believe that they 

clearly understood our concerns. 

‘The issue of contract lengths 

was recognised by the Commission 

when it supported the rules 

governing bus and rail services, 

where contracts of up to 15 years 

can be awarded. It would make 

sense if the ferry sector could benefit 

from the same changes,’ he 

concluded. 

shortreports 

STENA JOBS: a voluntary redundancy process has 

taken place at Stena Line following the downsizing 

arising from the development of the Belfast to Heysham 

and Harwich to Europort routes. Nautilus national 

secretary Steve Doran welcomed the discussions that 

had been held between the Union and the company to 

agree a strategy for finding the ‘least painful outcome’. 

The company received a 100% response from officers 

and in most cases enough volunteers were found for 

others to be relocated. Mr Doran has confirmed that he 

is now concentrating on supporting those individual 

members with specific issues of concern. 

RESEARCH MERGER: Nautilus and the RMT 

have had talks with management on a proposed 

merger of the British Antarctic Survey and National 

Oceanographic Centre operations. National secretary 

Jonathan Havard said no formal decision has been 

made, so there is yet no timescale for discussions on the 

harmonisation of terms and conditions. 

LIGHTS FREEZE: Nautilus International met 

Northern Lighthouse Board management on 28 

September to present the 2012 pay claim and has since 

received a formal response — that the Board is bound 

by the government pay freeze and is not able to offer an 

increase in pay this year. Members are now being 

consulted on the response. 

PLA PAY: Nautilus has presented a claim for a pay 

increase in line with September RPI for members 

serving with the Port of London Authority. The Union 

also wants to discuss issues including compensation for 

leave restrictions in the summer, uncertainty over future 

working hours, and concerns over workloads. 

WIGHTLINK CALL: Nautilus has submitted a 

two-year pay and conditions claim for members 

employed by Wightlink (Guernsey). The Union is seeking 

October RPI plus 2% for 2013, with a guaranteed 

minimum of 4%, and October RPI plus 0.5%, with a 

guaranteed minimum of 2.5% for 2014. 

COASTEL CALL: Members employed by Bibby 

Ship Management on the coastal agreement are being 

asked for their pay aspirations ahead of the 1 January 

2013 review date. Members should advise the Union on 

any increases in workload and responsibilities before 

the end of the month. 

BW SUBMISSION: following feedback from 

members serving with BW Fleet Management, Nautilus 

has submitted a claim for a 5% salary increase and an 

extended tour of duty bonus. 

WESTMINSTER PROGRESS: Nautilus has 

reported ‘positive and productive’ progress in talks on a 

revised collective agreement for members serving with 

Westminster Dredging. 

Nautilus was last month 

Fcontinuing to press P&O 

Ferries for updates on the progress 

of its business review. 

The company has told the Union 

it has launched 26 separate projects 

to examine ways of cutting costs and 

increasing revenue following fuel 

price rises and pressure on freight 

rates over the past year. 

National secretary Jonathan 

Havard said management had given 

assurances that jobs will be 

protected ‘as far as possible’ and 

that there will be ‘no wholesale 

redundancies’. 

He added: ‘We have also been 

told that the company will seek to 

ensure that take-home pay of staff 

will be protected and we have 

stressed our view that members’ 

current terms and conditions are 

sustainable and affordable.’ 

MVS meeting considers ways of working together 

Nautilus officials are pictured meeting 

Arepresentatives of the Maritime Volunteer Service 

at the Union’s northern office, in Wallasey, last month. 

Senior national secretary Garry Elliott said the 

discussions had covered ‘the potential for developing a 

strategic alignment of activity — to encourage, in 

particular our retired members to remain active within 

the maritime environment. 

‘Over the coming months we will look to progress 

active initiatives across many ports of the UK, looking to 

build on both organisations’ aims to provide a presence 

in maritime ports and hubs,’ he added.


OFFSHORE NEWS 

shortreports 

MAERSK MOVE: Maersk Offshore has confirmed 

that 13 supply vessels will be re-flagged from the Isle of 

Man to the Danish registry (DIS) as part of a long-term 

plan to transfer all ships to the DIS, which is soon to be 

completed. Nautilus national secretary Steve Doran said 

the move will have no impact on the employment of 

members — and some may benefit from gaining access 

to the Danish state pension scheme. ‘This means that 

members are no longer liable to pay class 1 National 

Insurance contributions,’ explained Mr Doran. ‘However, 

members should still pay class 2 contributions.’ 

SUBSEA DEAL: Subsea 7 has announced a fiveyear 

extension of its contract to provide BP with subsea 

construction, inspection, maintenance and repair 

services in the North Sea. Under the terms of the 

US$300m contract Subsea 7 will deploy the multipurpose 

support vessel Subsea Viking to provide 

extensive support services primarily for BP’s operations 

in the Foinaven and Schiehallion fields, west of 

Shetland, as well as support for BP assets elsewhere in 

the North Sea. 

CONFIDENCE BOOST: drilling levels in the UK 

Continental Shelf (UKCS) are set to surpass last year’s 

total thanks to increasing confidence in the sector, 

according to a new report from business advisory firm 

Deloitte. Its research shows drilling activity in the UK 

during the first three quarters of 2012 has exceeded the 

same period last year and is just 6% off the total 

number of wells drilled during 2011. 

GULF RISE: Nautilus International has accepted an 

offer on behalf of members employed by Gulf Offshore. 

The settlement includes an increase in rates for all 

entry-level ranks, the replacement of seniority bonus 

with a 1% ‘experience’ increase, and a ‘foundation 

bonus’ for all employees with a start date prior to 

1 October 1990. The overall pay increase is worth at 

least 1% above RPI. 

VECTOR VIEWS: members employed by 

International Crew Services as agents for the vessel 

operators Vector Offshore are being asked for their 

views on the contents of the forthcoming pay review 

submission. The pay review date is 1 January 2013 and 

industrial organiser Derek Byrne is keen to hear from 

members in advance, so that their views can be 

included in the formation and submission of the claim. 

DEEP THOUGHTS: the pay review date for 

members employed by DeepOcean Guernsey is 

1 January 2013 and industrial officer Derek Byrne is 

seeking members’ aspirations ahead of forming and 

submitting a pay and conditions claim. Members should 

submit any views as soon as possible. Mr Byrne is 

hoping to meet management on 15 November to open 

negotiations. 

DSV VIEWS: Nautilus members employed by Bibby 

Ship Management on the DSV agreement have been 

asked to give the Union their aspirations for the next 

pay talks. Key points to support the claim should be sent 

to industrial organiser Derek Byrne as soon as possible. 

PThe UK offshore industry 

has welcomed a 

major change of heart 

by the EU on safety and environmental 

protection. 

The European Commission 

(EC) had been planning to centralise 

responsibility for safety 

under a new Regulation. But campaigners 

have now succeeded in 

getting the Regulation changed to 

a Directive — meaning that 

national governments will now 

decide how to implement the legislation 

rather than ceding full 

control to Brussels. 

The initial plans for a Regulation 

came in the wake of the 2010 

Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Concerned 

that something similar 

could happen in European waters, 

the EC felt that tough new legislation 

was needed to ensure all 

European offshore installations 

adhered to the same high standards. 

However, British industry bodies 

and trade unions felt that centralising 

control could actually 

compromise safety in the UKCS, 

by setting standards that were 

less rigorous than the current 

North Sea regime. 

Gold badge for 

Vroon officer 

Long-standing Nautilus 

AInternational member Albert 

Roberts — an engineer officer 

serving with Vroon Offshore — is 

pictured being presented with the 

Union’s gold badge at the UK branch 

conference in Liverpool last month. 

Making the award, which 

recognises more than 40 years of 

membership, general secretary Mark 

Dickinson thanked Mr Roberts for his 

long record of loyalty, involvement, 

and support for the Union — 

including regular participation in 

conferences. 

Picture: Colin McPherson 

EU shifts on 

safety rules 

Industry welcomes move to allow national regulations 

Looking at the wording of the 

proposed Regulation earlier this 

year, industry body Oil & Gas UK 

said: ‘Much of what the EC has 

proposed is very closely based on 

the UK system; however, it does 

not replicate the many important 

legislative changes made to 

implement key recommendations 

made by the Cullen Inquiry 

into Piper Alpha.’ 

Many politicians agreed that a 

Regulation was not the best way 

forward, and last month the European 

Parliament’s Industry Committee 

joined the Environment 

and Legal Committees in voting 

to introduce a Directive instead. 

British Labour MEP Peter Skinner, 

a member of the Industry 

Committee, said he was pleased 

to have ‘seen off’ the European 

Commission’s attempt to take 

over the regulation of offshore oil 

and gas safety. 

He also pointed out that the 

new Directive will ensure a better 

role for elected safety representatives, 

a greater voice for trade 

unions in the preparation of 

safety reports, and better protection 

for whistleblowers. 


Allan Graveson welcomed 

the news that the legislation 

would now be framed as a Directive 

rather than a Regulation — 

noting that the Union was in 

favour of the increased flexibility 

afforded to the UK offshore 

industry by the Directive. 

However, he sounded a note of 

caution over the implementation 

of the Directive. ‘The drawback of 

rejecting the Regulation option,’ 

he said, ‘is that we could lose the 

opportunity to enforce higher 

standards in those European 

nations whose offshore industry 

has a poor safety record. 

‘Now that a Directive has been 

accepted, it is imperative that it is 

fully implemented by all EU/EEA 

countries, and that the European 

Commission makes this happen,’ 

Mr Graveson added. ‘There must 

be no dilution of the high safety 

standards developed in the North 

Sea.’ 

The proposed Directive on offshore 

safety will go to a plenary 

session of the European Parliament 

later this year, and from 

there to agreement with the 

governments of the EU member 

states. 

Piper Alpha 

conference 

next year 

A major conference on offshore 

Asafety is being organised by 

North Sea operators to mark next 

year’s 25th anniversary of the Piper 

Alpha disaster. 

Oil & Gas UK has issued a call for 

papers to be presented at the threeday 

Piper 25 event to be held at 

Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference 

Centre from 18 to 20 June 2013. 

Starting with a keynote speech 

from Lord Cullen who chaired the 

public inquiry into the disaster, the 

conference aims to bring together 

people from across the oil and gas 

industry to reflect on the lessons 

learnt from the tragedy, review how 

far offshore safety has evolved since 

then, and consider ways of further 

improvement. 

Organisers say the conference will 

cover such issues as human and 

organisational factors, safety 

representatives and safety 

committees, crew resourcing and 

organisation, communication and 

shift handovers, training and 

competence, and emergency 

preparedness and response. 

Speakers will include Health & 

Safety Executive chairwoman Judith 

Hackett, and topic-themed sessions 

on a full range of issues related to the 

sector will run in parallel during the 

conference. 

Abstracts for papers to be 

presented are now being invited by Oil 

& Gas UK — and the deadline is 30 

November. 

Fleet growth 

creates jobs 

Expanding Aberdeen-based 

Aoperator Fletcher Shipping is 

creating new jobs for European 

seafarers though the acquisition of 

new tonnage. 

The company — which was 

established in 2007 — announced an 

£8m deal with the state-based 

Scottish Loan Fund and the Royal 

Bank of Scotland to fund the purchase 

of a third vessel for its offshore 

support vessel fleet. 

Bosses at Fletcher Shipping 

confirmed to the Telegraph last 

month that they have a policy of 

engaging European crew for the new 

vessel, the 2,610gt FS Taurus. The 

Taurus — formerly the Far Server and 

the Acadian Sea — flies a UK flag, 

and the majority of its officers are 

British. The vessel is now carrying out 

PSV work in the North Sea for a UK 

client of Fletcher Shipping. 

Norwegian PSVs for North Sea spot market 

Pictured right is the new 

ANorwegian-owned platform 

supply vessel Blue Prosper, which has 

begun operating out of Aberdeen 

following delivery from the Ulstein 

Verft shipyard. 

The 4,230dwt PX121 design vessel 

is the second in a series of six being 

built for the Ulstein Group company 

Blue Ship Invest on the basis of 

analysis showing a future increase in 

demand for such vessels, and is being 

operated in the North Sea spot 

market under the management of 

Remøy Shipping. 

Featuring the Ulstein X-bow 

design, the PX121 vessels are 

described as multifunctional and will 

feature flexible segregated tank 

arrangements, including four 

stainless steel tanks for flammable 

liquids. 

The design has also been adapted 

to the requirements for longer and 

deeper boreholes and activities 

further from shore. 

Class 2 DP-equipped, the 83.4m 

vessel has a cargo deck of 850 sq m, 

accommodation for up to 24 people, 

meets the requirements of DNV’s 

Clean Design notation and is 

prepared for fire-fighting class Fi-Fi II.


NEWS 

Pictured left to right at the Marine Society & Sea Cadets annual court last month: Jonathan Trew receives his lifelong learning award from the First Sea Lord; Keith Murray is presented with the Open University award by OU 

corporate development manager Paul Drake; and Richard Bell receives the Institute for Work-Based Learning award from Jonathan Garnett, of Middlesex University 

Seafaring students win high praise 

Three officers who have achieved 

Aacademic and professional awards with 

support from the Marine Society were among 

the award winners last month at the society’s 

annual court in London. 

Chief officer Jonathan Trew — who is 

presently studying for an MSc in international 

maritime studies at Southampton Solent 

University thanks to a Marine Society 

Worcester Scholarship — was presented with 

the society’s lifelong learning award. 

Mr Trew left school at the age of 16 and 

worked ashore following an engineering 

apprenticeship. After his company was 

privatised, he decided on a career change and 

completed a cadetship with SSTG in 1994. 

‘I had applied for an engineering 

cadetship, but when I got there they had just 

filled the final vacancy that morning — so I 

decided to knuckle down and go for the deck 

cadetship instead,’ he told the Telegraph. 

Mr Trew has spent much of his seagoing 

career working in the North Sea on anchor 

handlers and platform support vessels. He 

says he loves working at sea, but hopes his 

academic studies will help him go on to a 

shore-based post within the maritime sector. 

Richard Bell was presented with the 

Middlesex University’s Institute for Work-Based 

Learning award. Launched 13 years ago, the 

partnership between the institute and the 

society — which enables seafarers to study for 

degrees while at sea — has helped more than 

600 seafarers graduate. 

‘Richard recently completed his chief 

mate’s ticket and the topic of his degree is 

contemporary navigation methods,’ said 

Marine Society director Brian Thomas. ‘It is an 

especially fine example of getting academic 

credit for professional study, and achieving his 

degree has helped Richard land a training role 

ashore with ECDIS Ltd — an opportunity that 

would otherwise have eluded him.’ 

Captain Keith Murray was presented with 

the Open University’s prize for the most 

successful seafarer student. Mr Thomas said 

Capt Murray is studying an Open degree in 

environmental studies and had made 

excellent progress despite the challenges of 

serving at sea. 

‘He tells us he’s enjoying his studies 

enormously and hopes that the knowledge 

gained can also be helpful to our industry to 

reduce the already relatively small 

environmental footprint of shipping,’ he 

added. 

In a speech to the annual court, former 

First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Alan West 

condemned the ‘lack of understanding’ 

displayed by successive governments of the 

importance of the UK maritime sector. 

Lord West described shipping as ‘the 

lifeblood that enables our global village to 

function’ — but stressed that the UK is 

continuing to suffer a diminishing number of 

ships and seafarers. 

He warned that the nation could grind to a 

halt if the trends are not addressed — 

pointing out that 95% of UK international 

trade and 13% of its LNG supplies come by sea. 

Union calls for PM to 

re-think medal ban 

Downing Street protest over ‘bureaucratic’ block on Russian award to Arctic convoy veterans 

PNautilus has written to UK prime 

minister David Cameron, calling 

on him to reconsider a 

‘deplorable’ decision to oppose medals 

being awarded by the Russian government 

to seafarers who served in the Arctic convoys 

of the second world war. 

General secretary Mark Dickinson wrote 

to No 10 last month to protest about a Foreign 

Office decision that will prevent surviving 

veterans from receiving Russia’s 

Medal of Ushakov. 

The Union has consistently supported 

the long-running campaign for the UK to 

award special medals to the seafarers who 

served in the Arctic convoys, and Mr Dickinson 

said he was shocked by the news that 

the Foreign Office had ruled that they 

could not be given the Russian medal 

because the conflict occurred more than 

five years ago. 

The Foreign Office also stated that British 

citizens are not allowed to receive medals 

from other countries if there has already 

been an award of any kind given by the 

British government for the same conflict. 

‘I share the view that unnecessary 

“bureaucratic formalities” have been used 

to block this award,’ Mr Dickinson said in 

his letter to the PM. ‘I am sure you are 

aware that Russia has already awarded the 

Ushakov medal to veterans from Australia, 

Canada and the US and feel that this Foreign 

Office decision rubs salt into the 

already open wound that has festered as a 

result of the controversy over the lack of a 

dedicated commemorative medal for those 

who took part in the remarkably hazardous 

Arctic convoys.’ 

Mr Dickinson told Mr Cameron it is 

impossible to over-state the incredible 

courage and sacrifice of the merchant seafarers 

who risked their lives in appalling 

conditions to run the blockades to help 

Russia survive the German military 

onslaught. 

‘Winston Churchill had repeatedly spoken 

about the crucial role played by the 

Merchant Navy during the war, and yet the 

men who took part in what Churchill called 

the “worst journey in the world” remain 

unrecognised by this government and have 

been excluded from being recognised by 

other governments,’ he added. 

‘If nothing else, this latest kick in the 

teeth should serve to get the long-awaited 

outcome of the review that you ordered 

last year into the medal entitlement of the 

veterans,’ Mr Dickinson concluded. 

‘However, I believe it is absolutely essential 

that the government urgently reconsiders 

the Foreign Office ruling and ensure 

that these men are given long-overdue 

recognition of their heroism.’ 

Master faces 

prison in oil 

spill hearing 

Almost a decade after the oil 

Atanker Prestige broke apart off 

the Spanish coast, Captain Apostolos 

Mangouras has appeared in court to 

face allegations of environmental 

damage. 

The tanker sank off the coast of 

Galicia in November 2002, spilling 

70,000 tons of fuel oil and causing 

Spain’s worst ever environmental 

disaster. 

The Greek master was arrested 

and detained in Spain, and released 

80 days later when bail of €3m was 

paid. Lawyers then took eight years 

to investigate the disaster and a 

further two to bring a case to court. 

It is expected that the case will be 

adjourned after initial hearings until 

the beginning of November — the 

10-year anniversary of the 

disaster — and will run to May 2013. 

Prosecutors are calling for the 77- 

year-old master to receive a 12-year 

prison sentence. Alongside him, the 

Greek chief engineer, Filipino first 

mate, and the former director 

general of Spain’s merchant marine 

directorate, also face charges.


LARGE YACHT NEWS 

Major refit in UK for classic yacht 

Pictured right arriving in the 

CUK for a major 18-month refit 

project is the 51-year-old classic 

motor yacht Lady K II. 

Built at the Austin & Pickersgill 

yard in Sunderland, the 62m 

vessel — formerly Princess Tanya 

and the one-time flagship of the 

Liveras Yachts fleet — is being 

overhauled at the Solent Refit yard 

in Southampton Water following 

several years of neglect in France 

after the last major refit in 1992. 

The 551gt yacht was recovered 

from Marseilles, re-commissioned for 

the ocean passage by Solent Refit 

staff and delivered by Allan Foot, 

marine superintendent Mike 

Underwood and a crew of personnel 

from the yard. 

Solent Refit says the yacht — 

which can accommodate up to 18 

guests and 22 crew — will be 

upgraded to the highest modern 

superyacht standards in what is its 

biggest project to date. 

Powered by two 618KW Sulzer- 

Busch diesel engines and propelled 

by twin screw propellers, Lady K II 

can cruise at up to 14 knots and has a 

range of 7,000 miles at 11 knots. 

Picture: Gary Davies/Maritime 

Photographic 

Minister launches LY3 

Newly-appointed shipping 

Fminister Stephen Hammond 

and Maritime & Coastguard Agency 

director of safety and standards 

Philip Naylor are pictured launching 

the UK’s new Large Yacht Code (LY3) 

at the Southampton Boat Show. 

The code provides a regulatory 

framework in line with the 

Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 

2006) which comes into force next 

year — but also allows for 

substantial equivalents developed 

to suit the needs of the industry. 

Due to its links with MLC 2006, 

LY3 will be voluntary until 20 

August 2013 when both come into 

full effect. 

‘The maritime industry is vital to 

the UK economy and this visit to 

Southampton has given me the 

perfect introduction to the sector,’ 

said Mr Hammond. ‘Maritime 

safety is something I take very 

seriously and I am pleased to unveil 

the MCA’s new code of practice 

which will promote the very highest 

standards of construction and 

operation of large yachts.’ 

Mr Naylor added: ‘The MCA has 

worked very closely with 

representatives from the large yacht 

industry, equipment manufacturers 

and fellow members of the Red 

Ensign Group to update the Large 

Yacht Code. 

‘This new edition reflects the 

many changes that have taken 

place since the second edition was 

published in 2007. In particular, the 

Code now provides pragmatic and z 

economically achievable standards 

for crew accommodation in 

accordance with the MLC.’ 

The new code does not have an 

upper limit of 3,000gt. The other 

main changes include new guidance 

on: 

zradio requirements 

carriage of submersibles 

zpolar operation 

zracing operations 

zlift installations 

zacceptable rescue boat location 

zsailing rig requirements 

zacceptable underwater light 

fittings 

gSee feature — page 21 

Interest in sea 

careers rising, 

UKSA reports 

F 

Instructors at the UK Sailing 

Academy (UKSA) say they 

have just completed training the 

best intake of Ocean Graduate 

students they have ever seen. 

The Ocean Graduate course is a 

23-week programme and the recordbreaking 

group scored three 

distinctions between them, as well 

as a wealth of other high grades and 

plaudits from the national examiner. 

Steve Rouse, UKSA’s educational 

coordinator and course mentor, 

commented: ‘It is so rare to get a 

distinction, that to get three in one 

course is unheard of.’ 

Most Ocean Graduates go on to 

do the MCA Master 200gt and after 

gaining more experience within the 

industry they will forge careers on 

private pleasure boats, or on wind 

farm support boats within the 

booming wind farm industry. 

The average age on the recent 

course was 35 — and the Cowesbased 

centre says this shows 

increasing interest in seagoing 

careers. 

MYS honours to 

‘can-do’ crews 

Captains’ Awards presented at record-breaking show 

by Michael Howorth 

PThe varied cultures and 

backgrounds of crews 

on superyachts have 

resulted in teams of people dedicated 

to providing an exciting 

and friendly atmosphere and a 

safe environment. On one night 

each year at a gala dinner hosted 

at the Monaco Yacht Club by 

Fraser Yachts, these crews and 

their efforts are recognised at the 

Captains’ Awards Dinner 

This year’s winner of the Best 

Charter Crew Prize for yachts up 

to 50m was the team on the 

superyacht Dragon, under the 

command of long-standing Captain 

Dave Frevert. 

Force Blue, the 60m superyacht 

owned by Formula One 

magnate Flavio Briatore, won Best 

Charter Crew in the over 50m category. 

Her crew, led by Captain 

Ferdinando Tarquini, picked up 

the award for their ‘can do’ attitude 

— successfully completing 

more than 10 weeks of charters 

this summer and being praised 

Warsash Maritime Academy 

Fdirector Andrew Hair is pictured 

at the official launch of the Warsash 

Superyacht Academy at the Monaco 

Yacht Show last month. 

The academy aims to bring 

together all the training, recruitment 

and services that people need when 

embarking on a career in the 

superyacht industry. ‘We wanted to 

provide a “one stop shop” for 

superyacht people,’ Mr Hair 

explained. 

‘We have been providing training 

for deck officers for a number of years, 

for their vigilance, fast reactions 

and exceptional seamanship in 

preventing a loss of life when a 

guest went overboard. 

The star prize for Charter Captain 

of the year went to Takis 

Tsakos, of the Ionian Princess, 

who won praise for his ‘incredible 

enthusiasm and spirit’. In one 

case, this 45m yacht was chartered 

as a ‘tender to’ an 85m yacht 

for 10 days to look after the staff 

while the main guests chartered 

Warsash branches out 

Captain Ferdinando Tarquini and crew of the Force Blue pick up their 

prize for best over 50m charter crew Picture: Frances Howorth 

but now, along with our partners, we 

can also provide hospitality training, 

help people find jobs once they are 

qualified and even provide yacht 

management services once they are 

working onboard. 

‘It’s all about the support we can 

give to our students, from entry right 

through to becoming captains and 

engineers.’ 

Warsash has also established an 

office in Antibes to help superyacht 

crew based in and around the 

Mediterranean find out about the 

courses on offer. 

the bigger yacht. However, after 

the first few days the principal 

was so impressed with the service 

and the enthusiasm of the 

smaller yacht that he and his 

guests moved on there and the 

staff were moved on to the 85m! 

zThis year’s Monaco Yacht Show 

was a record-breaking success, 

with organisers reporting a total 

attendance of more than 33,000 

and around 100 associated 

events, including press conferences 

and product launches. 

There were some 500 stands 

at the show and 100 superyachts 

in the port, with 120 moored offshore, 

directly linked by tenders 

to the exhibitors on the docks. 

During a visit by Prince Albert 

II of Monaco, the 2012 MYS design 

award was given to the 67m sailing 

yacht Vertigo and the Green 

Star Class 2012 certificate for 

boats built in compliance with 

rigorous environmental standards 

was awarded to 50m Better 

Place from Wally, and Aslec 4, a 

45m Rossinavi, by Italian ship 

classification company RINA.


NEWS 

Contest to mark 75 

years of MNOPF 

The Merchant Navy Officers’ 

FPension Fund (MNOPF) 

celebrated its 75th anniversary at the 

end of October. 

The Fund was established on 29 

October 1937 by shipowners and 

seafarer representatives — including 

the unions which were to become 

Nautilus International — to provide 

pensions for ships’ officers in the 

British Merchant Navy, and their 

dependants. 

Over the last 75 years the Fund 

has changed dramatically. When it 

was established, officers then aged 

20 would eventually receive a pension 

of 8s 11d a year for each £1 of 

contributions paid and contributions 

were 9d for every £1 earned. A pint of 

beer would set you back 8d! 

In 1978 the Old Section closed to 

new members and the New Section 

opened. There were over 32,000 

active (contributing) members, nearly 

25,000 members with deferred 

pensions (not contributing but not yet 

receiving payment) and 6,500 

pensioners. The Fund held assets of 

£218m. 

Today the Fund has only 1,000 

active members and there are 22,800 

members with deferred pensions and 

26,000 pensioners. Its assets are 

worth £3.5bn. 

The MNOPF will be celebrating its 

milestone by collecting memories and 

photographs from members of their 

time in the Merchant Navy. 

This broad theme for the 

competition is the last 75 years and 

they are inviting all members to 

contribute any photographs they have 

which demonstrate changes in the 

MN over the last 75 years or that 

highlight significant events during the 

history of the Fund. 

The 2012 competition is open to 

all members of the MNOPF and all 

members will be able to vote for their 

favourite entry from a shortlist. 

fFull details on the MNOPF website 

at: www.mnopf.co.uk. 

Europe set to reveal updated 

visa guidelines for seafarers 

The European Commission is 

Aset to produce the next version 

of its Schengen visa handbook by the 

end of 2012, according to the 

European Community Shipowners’ 

Association (ECSA). 

Shipowners have been pushing for 

updated guidelines for member states 

following reports from seafarers who 

struggled to obtain visas in time to 

take up jobs. The new guidance was 

originally expected in September. 

Owners would like non-European 

seafarers to be able to pick up visas at 

the airport upon arrival, though 

differing interpretations of the rules 

by national governments means 

some are required to apply for a visa 

in their home country. Given that an 

appointment with visa authorities can 

take in some cases six weeks to 

secure, seafarers can sometimes not 

obtain visas quickly enough. 

The Commission is also expected 

to update guidance on the issuing of 

multiple-entry visas. 

MNWB helps visiting 

crews keep in touch 

Welfare agencies help to roll out mobile Wi-Fi scheme across UK ports 

Seafarers visiting UK ports are 

Fto be offered free access to the 

internet, email and Skype thanks to a 

donation from the telecoms company 

Three and the fundraising efforts of 

Merchant Navy Welfare Board worker 

and Nautilus International member 

Carolyn Lewis. 

The mass roll-out of mobile Wi-Fi 

units, provided through a donation 

from telecoms company Three and 

the fundraising efforts of the 

Merchant Navy Welfare Board and 

Carolyn Lewis herself, begins in 

earnest this month as 14 units are 

handed over to ship welfare visiting 

organisations. 

The devices will provide over half a 

million free megabytes of mobile 

internet to seafarers visiting UK ports, 

and the first unit has been tested at 

the Southampton Seafarers’ Centre 

following the official launch at the 

Southampton Boat Show in 

September. 

Southampton MP John Denham 

attended the official launch and 

praised the initiative for providing free 

communications to the people who 

‘bring us almost all the goods we buy 

and are often thousands of miles 

from home’. 

Carolyn, who is port welfare 

manager at the MNWB, has been 

raising funds since January to 

purchase the mobile Wi-Fi units 

(called Mi-Fi). She completed the 

Brighton Marathon, the Petersfield 

Ups and Downs cycle race and is 

Pictured launching the new Mi-Fi scheme for seafarers are, left to right: MNWB chief executive Capt David 

Parsons, CEO MNWB; John Green, Apostleship of the Sea; Reverend Andrew Huckett, Mission to Seafarers; 

Southampton MP John Denham; and MNWB port welfare manager Carolyn Lewis 

about to embark on the Great South 

Run. 

‘I’ve had quite a lot of injuries 

along the way,’ she says. ‘I got injured 

during the marathon and fell off my 

bike during training, but I am 

determined to keep up the 

fundraising efforts as it is so 

important to be able to help seafarers 

stay in contact with their families.’ 

Carolyn set herself an impressive 

target, aiming to raise £10,000 to 

provide 100 units. She then secured 

an agreement from Three, who 

donated 32 units inclusive of 15GB of 

data per month — enough to make 

1,500 10-minute Skype calls a month 

or send 75,000 emails. 

‘Although I have received these 

units for free, I am not changing my 

target fundraising amount,’ Carolyn 

explains. ‘While there are seafarers 

visiting the UK who cannot contact 

their families because of expensive 

communications, then there will be a 

need for more Mi-Fi units.’ 

To date, Carolyn has raised over 

£2,500 — enabling the MNWB to 

purchase 25 Mi-Fi units, on top of the 

32 received from Three. These will be 

distributed across the UK via the ship 

welfare visiting charities. 

fYou can support Carolyn’s efforts 

by donating through this website: 

http://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/ 

carolynlewis. 

Nautilus praises charity’s ‘vital’ 

support for seafaring orphans 

Nautilus/ITF inspector Tommy 

CMolloy sees a lot of 

exploitation in his job. Inspecting 

ships in Liverpool, Birkenhead and 

the Manchester Ship Canal, he finds 

crews who have not been paid, 

vessels with no food onboard and 

seafarers stranded far from home 

because their employers have 

refused to repatriate them. 

But the worst situation for these 

seafarers’ families to deal with is 

one involving loss of life, he 

stressed last month in a speech to 

the Royal Liverpool Seamen’s 

Orphan Institution. ‘The loss of a 

father can mean the immediate loss 

of the family’s only income. The loss 

of a mother can mean a father 

having to give up work to look after 

the children, also resulting in the 

loss of income.’ 

This is as true in the UK as it is 

abroad, he pointed out, and he paid 

tribute to the work of the Institution 

in alleviating the hardship suffered 

by British seafaring families who 

have lost a parent. 

‘What I like most about the 

present-day ethos of the Royal 

Liverpool is the lack of overbearing 

prescriptive criteria in respect of 

how the beneficiaries use the grants 

they receive,’ he said. ‘The 

philosophy seems clear: “We are 

here to make a positive difference”.’ 

As the honoured guest of the 

Institution, Mr Molloy followed his 

Nautilus/ITF official Tommy Molloy and engineer cadet Tom Day 

speech by formally proposing the 

election of the Institution’s General 

Committee for the coming year. His 

proposal was seconded by Tom Day, 

one of the ‘Royal Liverpool children’. 

Now an engineer cadet with 

Carnival, Tom had been a 

beneficiary of the charity as a child, 

when his mother died and his father 

had to give up work at sea in order 

to take care of him. ‘Tom gave a 

moving speech about his 

experience and how he was helped 

by the charity,’ Mr Molloy told the 

Telegraph. ‘It is vital that others like 

him receive the assistance they 

need, so we at Nautilus will be 

redoubling our efforts to publicise 

the work of the Royal Liverpool. No 

children of eligible seafarers or 

fishers should slip through the net.’ 

fFor more about the Institution, 

including how to apply for grants, 

see www.rlsoi-uk.org 

NZ probes 

response 

to Rena 

grounding 

New Zealand’s government has 

Fordered an independent review 

of the response to the grounding of 

the containership Rena last year — 

the country’s worst maritime 

pollution incident in recent times. 

The probe will examine the way in 

which Maritime New Zealand dealt 

with the incident and establish the 

factors that contributed to, or limited 

its effectiveness. 

Issues to be covered include 

planning and preparedness, oil spill 

response, salvage oversight, 

investigation of the incident, and 

Maritime New Zealand’s ability to 

respond to a wider-ranging major 

maritime incident involving loss of life 

as well as oil spill and salvage. 

Meanwhile, the Greek owners of 

the Rena have reached a 

‘comprehensive settlement’ on costs 

arising from the vessel’s grounding off 

Tauranga last October. 

Daina Shipping will pay NZ$27.6m 

(€17.5m) towards the government’s 

costs of dealing with the wreck. 

The settlement does not affect 

court charges laid against the 

company for the discharge of harmful 

substances, which carries a maximum 

fine of NZ$600,000. 

Shipping urged to act to 

reduce stowaway risks 

A fresh warning about 

Fstowaway problems has come 

from a major P&I club. The American 

Club has urged ships to implement 

effective precautions — especially in 

African ports. 

The club said there are continuing 

cases in which stowaways swim to 

the rudder stock, climb it and hide 

inside the recess, making it difficult 

for the ship’s crew to find them. 

It urges ships to ‘take all the 

necessary measures’ as part of the 

ship security plan in accordance with 

the ISPS Code compliance 

requirements. ‘Typically, the crew 

can only access the rudder trunk via 

a manhole cover fitted in the aft 

peak tank,’ it points out. ‘However, if 

this is not possible during a predeparture 

stowaway search, it is 

recommended that the crew use a 

small boat, such as a rescue boat or 

paint raft, to check the recess area. 

‘Better still,’ it adds, ‘members 

should consider installing medial 

gratings above the openings to the 

rudder compartment to prevent 

stowaways from gaining access to 

the recess area in the first place.’


NEWS 

Unions put the focus 

on young members 

ITF conference gives chance to consider common issues, says Nautilus rep 

Master Aircrewman Richard Taylor receives his award for the 

outstanding rescue of two merchant seafarers from Shipwrecked 

Mariners’ Society president Admiral Sir Peter Abbott 

Award for airman 

who saved two 

crew in huge seas 

A search and rescue 

Dhelicopter crewman who 

saved two merchant seafarers after 

their ship broke in two and sank off 

the coast of Wales last year has 

been presented with an award to 

mark his bravery. 

Master Aircrewman Richard 

Taylor was given the Shipwrecked 

Mariners’ Society annual award for 

an outstanding rescue after going 

to the aid of the crew of the 

cargoship Swanland when it sank in 

a storm in November 2011. 

He managed to winch two 

survivors to safety even though the 

high seas caused the winch 

operator’s system to malfunction 

and throw him into the sea on 

several occasions. At one stage, a 

large wave flipped over the boat he 

was searching, pinning him 

beneath it and he had to swim back 

through the upturned craft still 

attached to his hoist cable. 

Lifeboat helmsman Roger 

Jackson was presented with the 

Lady Swathling Trophy for 

outstanding seamanship after 

battling rough seas to save four 

lives when a boat capsized in the 

River Exe estuary last October. 

And lifeboat helmsman Darren 

Crowe was presented with the 

Emile Robin Award for an 

outstanding sea rescue after he 

saved the life of a man who had 

fallen into the sea from St Abbs 

Head, Berwickshire, and became 

trapped in a narrow tunnel on a 

rising tide. 

The Edward and Maisie Lewis 

Award, for an ‘outstanding air/sea 

rescue’, was awarded a Royal Navy 

helicopter crew who saved two 

yachtsmen after their boat capsized 

in ‘mountainous seas’ off Cornwall. 

Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society 

chief executive Commodore 

Malcolm Williams said the awards, 

which have been made every year 

since 1851, offered the opportunity 

to ‘honour those who put 

themselves at risk every day for 

seafarers and members of the 

public’. 

And he added: ‘It is extremely 

impressive to hear the stories of 

courage and bravery shown by our 

award winners. The winners chosen 

have all displayed great 

professionalism and courage: 

they have done the seafaring 

community proud.’ 

Seafarers’ pets 

are confiscated 

Seafarers on a Turkish-flagged 

Fcargoship had their pets 

confiscated in Cardiff docks last 

month — because they did not have 

the right paperwork. 

The ship’s master told UK Border 

Force officers the four chameleons 

onboard had been bought as pets in 

the previous port of call, Casablanca. 

But by bringing them to Cardiff without 

a permit, the crew had violated the 

Convention on International Trade in 

Endangered Species. 

Border Force officials said the 

lizards were being kept in unsuitable 

conditions. One was living on a tree 

branch placed in a shower room, 

while another was being kept in a 

crew member’s overalls pocket. 

The chameleons are now in 

quarantine, and are expected to join 

the reptile house at Bristol Zoo. 

PNautilus 

recruitment 

and organising assistant 

Blossom Bell is pictured 

right with members of the International 

Transport Workers’ Federation 

youth committee at the 

ITF youth conference in Canada. 

Blossom was one of some 120 

representatives from 54 ITF-affiliated 

unions in 28 countries who 

attended the meeting, which was 

held to explore ways in which 

young transport union members 

can work together to tackle challenges 

such as the globalisation of 

the transport sector, the impact 

of the worldwide economic crisis, 

climate change and the persistent 

problem of insecure employment. 

Opening the three-day conference, 

ITF general secretary David 

Cockroft called for the young 

activists to encourage their 

unions to engage more in international 

work and Jonathan 

Neale, a writer and climate 

HRH the Princess Royal officially 

Fopened the new maritime 

studies centre at Walmer College in 

Deal, Kent, last month — making it 

one of only a few mainstream schools 

in the UK to offer maritime training to 

under-18s. 

Princess Anne met staff and 

students at the school and spent time 

with students studying maps as part 

of their navigation lessons. She 

demonstrated her knowledge on the 

subject, discussing with students the 

problems associated with relying on 

GPS systems and not understanding 

the map work that backs it up. 

The Princess Royal also remarked 

on the reductions in coastguard 

stations and the possible impact on 

safety. 

‘She knew loads about sailing and 

navigation’ remarked student Katy 

Oliver, after Princess Anne had 

stopped at her table. ‘She probably 

knew more than my Dad!’ 

change activist from Great 

Britain, gave a presentation about 

climate change and transport 

jobs. 

Delegates shared their experiences 

and reports on the work 

that is currently taking place in 

their unions and Blossom delivered 

a presentation on the ITF’s 

flag of convenience campaign, 

explaining the reasons for the 

revised policy agreed at the Mexico 

City congress in 2010 following 

a wide-ranging review. 

‘The conference was an excellent 

opportunity for network 

building,’ Blossom told the Telegraph. 

‘In particular, I was able to 

meet a number of young representatives 

from seafaring affiliated 

unions, and the discussions 

that took place covered the common 

issues that we have, including 

concerns with the quality of 

The Princess Royal unveiled a 

plaque and spoke about the need to 

encourage students to take an 

training and awareness of the 

industry. 

‘It is clear that affiliated unions 

need to increase their communication 

with young members and 

engage the young activists in 

their work,’ she added. ‘For example, 

many of the young representatives 

were unaware that there 

was a young representative on the 

ITF seafarers’ section committee, 

and now they are aware of this, a 

means of communication and 

network building is required to 

ensure that international young 

workers’ issues are discussed.’ 

Nautilus is working to improve 

its representation of young members 

and is developing a network 

to help increase involvement and 

dialogue. The Union recently held 

its first young members’ forum 

and further initiatives are being 

planned. 

gFor more information, email 

youth@nautilusint.org 

Princess helps Kent school to put 

maritime studies on curriculum 

interest in life at sea as ‘so many have 

become blind to how much we are 

dependent on it.’ 

Headteacher Julia Scannell 

thanked the princess and the other 

organisations who had been involved 

in establishing the centre. 

‘The school has been through a 

very challenging year,’ she noted. ‘It is 

a credit to the resilience and hard 

work of my staff and students that this 

new venture has got off to flying start. 

‘Your interest in our work, in your 

role as patron of the Royal Yachting 

Association, is a huge boost to the 

morale of all involved in the school.’ 

The school will be offering a range 

of maritime courses to students 

across the curriculum and is also 

looking to develop post-16 courses 

where students study for STCW 

qualifications. 

Plans revealed for new seafarer 

skills training centre near Dover 

Plans have been revealed for a new £6.5m 

Fmaritime skills academy near Dover to help 

deal with an anticipated surge in training demand 

arising from new International Maritime 

Organisation requirements. 

The proposed centre — which could open as 

soon as spring 2014 — would offer a wide range of 

courses, including refresher training and resource 

management courses required by the STCW 2010 

amendments, e-navigation, superyacht 

engineering cadetships and other professional 

development subjects. 

It would also deliver specialist training in basic 

HRH the Princess Royal and headteacher Julia Scannell at the official 

opening of Walmer College’s new maritime studies centre last month 

safety, first aid and medical care onboard, enclosed 

spaces, navigation and marine engineering 

systems, and hospitality courses for the cruise and 

superyacht sectors, as well as introductory training 

for young people thinking about a maritime career. 

Sited at Whitfield, on the outskirts of Dover, the 

academy complex will feature a conference centre, 

classrooms, workshops, offices, a restaurant and a 

high-tech pool, similar to that used by the RNLI, 

with wave tanks, blackout capability and storm 

simulation. 

The team behind the proposals also aim to 

provide training for maritime apprenticeships, ports 

and harbour personnel, the offshore windfarm 

sector, and supply chain and logistics staff. 

Viking Recruitment chairman Dieter Jaenicke, 

who is one of the key figures developing the project, 

said significant progress has been made in securing 

planning permission and funding for the 

development. He said he hopes the centre will serve 

as ‘a showcase’ for seagoing careers and help to 

provide ‘a catalyst for the growth of maritime 

provision within the Dover and East Kent area, 

assisting schools and colleges to develop their 

technical curriculum, and eventually reaching out to 

the wider area of the county of Kent’.


NEWS 

£19m new 

maritime 

centre at 

Plymouth 

A £19m centre for maritime 

Fresearch and training was 

opened at Plymouth University last 

month — marking the highlight of its 

150th birthday celebrations. 

The new Marine Building — 

which contains the UK’s most 

sophisticated wave tank testing 

facility — was due to be unveiled by 

the Duke of Edinburgh as the 

Telegraph went to press. The building 

houses the Marine Navigation Centre, 

where trainee deck officers will be 

able to practise on a new Transas full 

mission bridge simulator with a 270- 

degree screen. 

It also provides a new home for 

the university’s respected Marine 

Institute, as well as the Coastal Ocean 

and Sediment Transport (COaST) 

laboratories, where engineers will be 

able to test devices in wave tanks and 

flumes. 

Vice-chancellor Professor Wendy 

Purcell commented: ‘With the 

opening of our Marine Building, we 

are heralding a new dawn, not just in 

the development of Plymouth as a 

leading higher education institution, 

but for the city, the region and the 

marine renewable sector, who will be 

able to use the building’s research 

and development facilities to catalyse 

technological breakthroughs.’ 

At the formal opening event, the 

Duke of Edinburgh was to be awarded 

an Honorary Doctorate of Marine 

Science, in recognition of his 

decorated career in the Royal Navy. 

gPrince Philip was not the only 

recipient of an honorary doctorate 

from Plymouth University in this 

anniversary year. Several well-known 

figures from the maritime world were 

recognised at the university’s 

September graduation ceremony. 

Phil Parry of Spinnaker Consulting 

was presented with an Honorary 

Doctorate of Management, with 

Carnival UK CEO David Dingle 

becoming an Honorary Doctor of 

Business. Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope 

of the Royal Navy was awarded an 

Honorary Doctorate of Science. 

‘World-first’ simulator 

unveiled at Warsash 

Full-mission engineroom simulator completes academy’s £5m upgrade of training facilities 

PA new full-mission 

engineroom simulator 

— claimed to be the 

first of its kind in the world — was 

officially opened at Warsash 

Maritime Academy (WMA) last 

month. 

The specially-designed simulator 

was developed as part of a 

£5m programme to upgrade facilities 

at Warsash and integrates 

sophisticated interactive virtual 

photo-realistic technology with 

real control systems and electrical 

switchgear to heighten the training 

experience. 

Developed by the US firm L-3, 

it will be used for a wide range of 

courses, including engineer and 

ETO officer cadet training, crew 

resource management, emergency 

and crisis management, 

and high voltage training, as well 

as pre-employment and prepromotion 

assessments. 

WMA director Andrew Hair 

described the simulator as ‘an 

amazing facility’ and said its cutting-edge 

design and set-up seeks 

to recreate ‘the exact conditions 

to be found in a real engineroom 

environment aboard ship’. 

The facility is based around a 

series of rooms — including the 

‘photorealistic’ engineroom, an 

engine control room, emergency 

switchboard room, high voltage 

room, and an instructor station 

where exercises can be devised, 

controlled, monitored and 

recorded for subsequent analysis 

and feedback. 

The ‘virtual’ engineroom and 

the associated interactive 3D 

workstations have been developed 

with the use of extensive 

onboard filming by a specialist 

Above: lecturer Bill Swanton in the engine control room 

Below: the emergency switchboard 

cameraman, and can recreate a 

VLCC slow-speed diesel, a dieselelectric 

cruiseship and a mediumspeed 

diesel fast ferry. Other 

options can be added later. 

Using a 46in monitor and a 

22in touchscreen navigation 

panel, trainees can use the simulator 

to move around the engineroom 

and check on equipment 

and systems, monitor alarms, 

open and close valves, stop and 

start electrically-driven machinery, 

and carry out local monitoring 

and fault diagnosis. 

The system deploys a realistic 

operational time delay, as well as 

typical noise and temperature 

levels. The closed room set-up 

means the operator has to communicate 

with the rest of the 

team by radio or telephone as 

they would onboard. 

The engine control room is fitted 

with real throttle controls and 

telegraph, and contains the main 

low voltage switchboard with real 

440V breakers, synchronising 

panel and distribution panels. 

The emergency switchboard 

room features a real switchboard, 

circuit breakers and touchscreen 

monitor emergency generator 

and battery back-up systems, 

Above: moving around the ‘virtual’ engineroom 

Below: Dr David Gatfield and Milhar Fuazudeen, of the IMO 

enabling students to stop and 

start the emergency generator 

and carry out monitoring and 

fault diagnosis, while the high 

voltage room contains a real 

11kVA switchboard section with 

vacuum circuit breaker, high voltage 

cabling and connection box. 

Dr David Gatfield, WMA head 

of maritime training, said the 

‘next generation’ simulator would 

enable operators to be realistically 

tested on communication, cooperation, 

situational awareness, 

decision-making, team-working, 

leadership and management 

skills. ‘The versatility of the system 

is endless,’ he added, ‘and the 

simulator is the ideal tool to 

undertake training and assessment 

for STCW 2010.’ 

The facility was officially 

opened by Milhar Fuazudeen, 

head of the International Maritime 

Organisation’s training and 

human element section, who 

described it as ‘a very impressive 

multi-functional training tool 

that covers a wider spectrum of 

training than ever before’. But, he 

cautioned, ‘the challenge for 

trainers is to decide where simulation 

training should end and 

where reality begins’. 

The new academic year has 

Cgot off to a good start at NAFC 

Marine Centre in Shetland, with all 

30 of its officer training places 

taken up. 

The 14 deck cadets and 16 

engineering cadets started the 

course together this term, following 

the same basic training with the 

aim of achieving a National 

Certificate (NC) by the end of the 

year. They will then go on to 

specialise and work towards a 

Higher National Certificate (HNC). 

This is only the second year that 

the NC has been used as a ‘staging 

post’ qualification, but the idea 

already seems to be proving 

effective. The college reported last 

month that the new route had 

achieved its aim of improving 

student retention ‘by providing a 

more gradual academic ramp on 

which to build the HNC studies’. 

Head of School Jan Rigden said: 

‘We are delighted that — once 

again — we have a full 

complement of cadets joining our 

programme, with 12 students from 

Shetland, two from Orkney, three 

from the Western Isles and 13 from 

the Scottish mainland. 

‘We are continually receiving 

requests to increase our intake from 

sponsors, who recognise the quality 

of training the cadets receive here 

in Shetland,’ he added, ‘and in 

response to this demand, we have 

introduced a second deck intake in 

February each year.’


HEALTH&SAFETY 

Flags accused over 

container safety 

New moves to reduce 

enclosed spaces risks 

Nautilus has welcomed 

Aagreement at the 

International Maritime 

Organisation on proposals seeking 

to cut the number of seafarer 

accidents in enclosed spaces. 

The IMO sub-committee on 

dangerous goods, solid cargoes and 

containers backed plans to amend 

the SOLAS Convention to require 

that crew members who are to 

enter enclosed spaces, as a part of 

their work or as members of the 

ship’s emergency preparedness, 

must undergo enclosed space entry 

and evacuation training at least 

every second month. 

The meeting also agreed that all 

ships covered by the SOLAS 

Convention should be fitted with 

oxygen meters. The sub-committee 

is also proposing that it should 

assess the need for additional 

measuring equipment — so-called 

multi-measuring instruments — 

which can identify a variety of 

hazardous gases. 

Nautilus has also welcomed a 

new Videotel maritime safety 

course on the dangers of enclosed 

spaces onboard ship. Entry into 

Enclosed Spaces helps crew 

members learn how to keep 

themselves safe — raising 

awareness of a hazard that still 

leads to far too many deaths at sea. 

Designed with shipboard study 

in mind, the course is available on 

VHS/DVD with support booklet, on 

an interactive CD-ROM, and through 

Videotel On Demand (VOD). 

The course is part of a suite 

designed to help seafarers meet the 

requirements of STCW 2010, and 

has been issued alongside two 

other new titles from Videotel — 

Marine Environmental Awareness 

and Maritime Security Awareness. 


secretary Allan Graveson 

commented: ‘Nautilus was involved 

in the inception and development 

of the Entry into Enclosed Spaces 

course, and we consider it a very 

useful addition to the available 

training materials.’ 

Houston collision caused 

by hydrodynamic forces 

A collision between a tanker 

Fand a containership which 

caused US$2.8m worth of damage 

has been blamed on a pilot’s 

‘inappropriate response’ to changes 

in bank effect forces. 

The 101,970dwt Greek-flagged 

tanker Elka Apollon and the 37,071gt 

Panama-flagged containership MSC 

Nederland collided in the Houston 

Ship Channel last October, causing 

structural damage to both vessels. 

A report from the National 

Transportation Safety Board last 

month said the tanker’s conning 

pilot had failed to respond 

appropriately to the varying 

hydrodynamic forces affecting the 

ship — with changes in bank effect 

forces causing the ship to sheer 

across the channel and into MSC 

Nederland. 

A combination of the narrow 

waterway, bank effects, traffic 

density, and vessel speed increased 

the challenges for the pilot in a 

waterway with a limited margin for 

error, the report added. 

The NTSB concludes that a US 

Coast Guard policy to mitigate traffic 

congestion in precautionary areas of 

the Houston Ship Channel ‘would 

enhance safety’ — and it notes that 

seafarers may not be aware of the 

existence and location of these areas 

as they are not currently identified 

on Houston Ship Channel navigation 

charts. 

Concern over bid to delay plans for mandatory weighing of loaded boxes 

PSeafarers’ 

representatives 

have slammed 

Panama and Cyprus for 

seeking to hold up safety proposals 

to require the weighing of containers 

before loading. 

In response to a series of accidents 

involving container losses 

and stack collapses, the International 

Maritime Organisation last 

month considered plans for the 

mandatory weighing of loaded 

containers. 

But Panama and Cyprus both 

called for the proposals to be 

deferred to allow further consideration 

to take place, arguing that 

more work was needed to examine 

ways in which weights would 

Denmark 

acts after 

ship hits 

rail link 

Danish accident investigators 

Fhave called for a review of 

safety following an incident in which a 

Finnish-flagged ship crashed into a 

railway bridge earlier this year. 

The call comes in a report on an 

incident in which the 1,529dwt 

general cargoship Ramona hit the 

403m-long link between Aalborg and 

Lindholm only moments before a 

train was due to cross on the night of 

28 March. The vessel — which was 

making 6 knots over the ground — 

suffered only minor damage, but the 

bridge was seriously damaged. 

A Danish Maritime Accident 

Investigation Board (DMAIB) report 

said some 10,000 ships pass through 

the bridge each year and it is opened 

around 4,000 times annually. 

Investigators found that the 

timescales agreed between the 

bridge keeper and the Ramona were 

very tight and open to 

misinterpretation. 

The ship had sailed faster than 

predicted by the bridge keeper and by 

the time he realised there was 

insufficient time to open the bridge it 

was too late for the vessel to avoid the 

collision. 

The report notes that there was no 

current indicator on the bridge and 

only limited instrumentation to help 

the bridge keeper determine the 

ship’s speed over the ground. 

‘The incident reflects the fact that 

it is risky to operate with very narrow 

margins where rail traffic meets 

shipping,’ the report adds. ‘The very 

narrow time margins involve an 

additional security-related risk in case 

of possible technical defects that may 

hinder the bascule’s opening.’ 

DMAIB said the incident 

highlighted shortcomings in the rules 

governing navigation through bridges 

in Demark and called for a review of 

the regime. 

be verified and for regulations to 

be developed in line with guidance, 

and that masters should be 

given the authority to refuse to 

load any containers of suspect 

weight. 

The two flag states were criticised 

by the International Transport 

Workers’ Federation for 

attempting to delay progress on 

the proposals. ITF president 

Paddy Crumlin said their actions 

had reinforced the view that ‘neither 

Panama nor Cyprus are operating 

at a quality level’. 

Speaking at the IMO meeting 

on behalf of the International 

Federation of Ship Masters’ Associations, 


secretary Allan Graveson said the 

arguments being put forward by 

the flag states beggared belief. 

‘The master has no idea of the 

contents and/or the weight of the 

containers,’ he pointed out. ‘The 

manifest is a work of art, not a 

statement of fact.’ 

Nautilus has been part of a 

working group established by the 

IMO, the International Labour 

Organisation and the UN Economic 

Commission for Europe 

which developed the proposed 

safety code for shipping, road and 

rail transport of containers. 

‘There are five key issues of 

concern,’ Mr Graveson explained. 

‘These relate to the accuracy of 

information about weight, accuracy 

of information on dangerous 

goods, the quality of stowing, 

stuffing and packing, securing 

onboard, and fumigation.’ 

The meeting of the IMO subcommittee 

on dangerous goods, 

solid cargoes and containers 

agreed on a proposal to amend 

SOLAS with a view to introducing 

mandatory weighing of all loaded 

containers — with their weight 

being established either by weighing 

the entire loaded container or 

by weighing the individual units 

loaded into the container, any 

securing gear, etc, and subsequently 

adding the net weight of 

the container. 

Three injured in blaze 

Shortfalls in experience and 

Fpoor manufacturer’s 

instructions have been blamed for an 

explosion and fire which seriously 

injured three crew members onboard 

a product tanker. 

Accident investigators found that 

an oil heater burner nozzle had been 

incorrectly reassembled during 

maintenance onboard the 45,541dwt 

Qian Chi, causing fuel to leak into the 

furnace through the pre-ignition start 

sequence. 

The fuel was ignited when the 

burner igniter was operated and the 

furnace exploded, seriously injuring 

three crew members and severely 

damaging the thermal oil heater and 

surrounding equipment on the Hong 

Kong-flagged vessel while at anchor 

off Australia in January last year. 

An investigation by the Australian 

Transport Safety Board found that the 

Chinese crew lacked experience with 

the equipment and the Italian 

manufacturer’s instructions were 

neither clear nor sufficiently detailed. 

The ATSB said the injured seafarers 

had received only ‘rudimentary’ first 

aid as fellow crew members were not 

aware of the importance of providing 

immediate and accepted first aid 

treatment for burn injuries. 

Deficiencies in the Brisbane port 

vessel traffic service procedures and 

shortfalls in training led to delays in 

providing emergency assistance, the 

report added. 

The ATSB said the incident 

highlighted the need for seafarers to 

remain vigilant to safety even when 

conducting repeated or seemingly 

simple tasks and to pay increased 

attention when tackling unfamiliar 

tasks. 

New pilot boats for Dutch ports 

Pictured above is the new Dutch pilot vessel 

FPolaris — the first in a series of three — which was 

christened by the Queen of the Netherlands in Rotterdam 

last month. 

Commissioned by the Dutch pilotage organisation 

Loodswezen, the 81.2m vessels are designed and 

equipped to remain on station for up to four weeks as a 

‘lynchpin’ in the pilotage of ships to and from the ports of 

Rotterdam and the Dutch and Flemish ports on the 

Scheldt. 

Featuring a long, sharp and narrow hull shape, the 

new vessels are capable of operating in wave heights of 

up to 4m and winds of up to force 9 — leading to 

significant shortening of the pilotage process. 

Capable of speeds up to 16.5 knots, the diesel-electric 

vessels can reach maximum propulsion power in just 24 

seconds, yet are up to 40% more fuel efficient than the 

boats they are replacing. 

The 2,501gt vessels are also equipped to serve as 

command centres during major emergencies, and can 

also take part in rescue operations. 

Loodswezen is responsible for pilotage on some 

100,000 visiting ships every year and employs some 470 

pilots. Demand is expected to increase by as much as 

30% when the new Maasvlakte 2 port facilities are 

opened.

New rule 

for cruise 

lifeboat 

training 

Cruiseship operators have 

Hintroduced new safety rules 

covering crew training and 

familiarisation in the use of lifeboats. 

As part of the safety review being 

undertaken in response to the Costa 

Concordia disaster, the Cruise Lines 

International Association (CLIA) and 

the European Cruise Council (ECC) 

have introduced a new ‘Life Boat 

Loading for Training Purposes’ policy, 

which requires the launching and full 

loading of a lifeboat at least once 

every six months for crew training 

purposes. 

During the training, the lifeboat is 

filled to capacity with crew members 

and manoeuvred in the water to 

facilitate familiarisation with lifeboat 

operations. It is mandatory that all 

crew members involved in operating 

or loading of lifeboats attend the drill. 

Smaller ships with fewer than 300 

crew members will conduct similar 

training as appropriate. 

The two cruise company 

organisations say the new lifeboat 

training policy — which has taken 

immediate effect and will be applied 

to all ocean-going members — is the 

latest in a series of measures being 

voluntarily introduced by the industry 

in response to an operational safety 

review set up after the Costa 

Concordia disaster. 

‘This policy exceeds current 

stringent international regulatory 

requirements and has been 

independently verified by highly 

respected marine safety experts,’ said 

European Cruise Council executive 

member David Dingle. ‘It, along with 

the other seven policies voluntarily 

adopted by the industry this year, 

underlines our absolute commitment 

to continuously improving safety for 

our passengers and crew.’ 


Allan Graveson supported the new 

policy, but stressed the importance of 

lowering and raising lifeboats with no 

one onboard. ‘In the light of accident 

experience and research, there should 

be a maximum of two persons 

onboard, should it be necessary,’ he 

added. 

Mr Graveson said lifeboats should 

have a maximum capacity of 150 

persons. ‘Some flags permit more,’ he 

pointed out. 

Crews arrested 

after collision 

Concerns have been raised 

Fafter six crew members were 

arrested following a collision 

between two ferries in Hong Kong 

waters in which 38 people died. 

Officials said the seafarers — who 

came from both of the vessels 

involved in the incident — were 

being questioned in connection with 

endangering people’s lives at sea. 

Hong Kong’s Marine Department 

launched an inquiry into the collision, 

which took place off Lamma Island, 

but blamed the accident on human 

error — stating that it had occurred 

in relatively low traffic density and in 

good weather and visibility 

conditions. 

International Transport Workers’ 

Federation seafarers’ section 

secretary John Whitlow expressed 

concern over the arrests. ‘It is deeply 

regrettable that crew members from 

both vessels have been arrested,’ he 

added. ‘The priority should be to 

quickly discover what has gone 

wrong and stop it happening again 

— not to risk terrifying crews into 

silence.’ 

Captain TT Chung, general 

secretary of the The Merchant Navy 

Officers’ Guild of Hong Kong, 

commented: ‘This accident has been 

a dreadful reminder of all that we 

strive to prevent. Our thoughts are 

with all those who have been 

affected. We hope that the lessons to 

be learned will be learned in a 

reasoned way, and will not be 

clouded by any reflexive search for 

someone to blame.’ 

Picture: Reuters 

PMarine insurers have 

voiced alarm at a spate 

of shipping accidents 

involving the sudden loss of 

power. 

They fear there is evidence to 

show the problem may be linked 

to new ‘green’ regulations requiring 

ships to switch to low-sulphur 

fuel before entering emission 

control areas. 

An analysis published by the 

UK P&I Club last month reveals 

that main engine failures or electrical 

blackouts now amount to 

7% of its third party property 

damage claims. 

‘Many were enormously 

expensive and in some cases 

amounted to millions of dollars,’ 

it states. ‘Ships effectively out of 

control as a result of these problems 

have caused extensive damage 

to berths, locks, bridges, navigational 

marks, loading arms, 

cranes and gantries as well as 

moored ships. Costly collision 

and grounding claims can similarly 

be caused by these failures.’ 

The club’s new Risk Focus bulletin 

points out that main engine 

failures and blackouts tend to 

occur most regularly at the stage 

in a voyage where the ship is at its 

most vulnerable. 

‘In confined waters or entering 

and leaving port, the stable loads, 

which will generally prevail with 

the ship on passage, are disturbed,’ 

it notes. ‘There is additionally 

some evidence that compliance 

with the low sulphur fuel 

regulations and changing from 

one grade of fuel to another may 

have exacerbated these problems.’ 

Reports from pilots operating 

in emission control areas where 

fuel grade changes have been 

implemented indicate that these 

problems have become quite 

widespread, the club adds. The US 

Coast Guard has also highlighted 

propulsion problems linked to 

the use of marine distillate fuels. 

The club also suggests that the 

rise in property claims may be a 

by-product of the increased ‘selfsufficiency’ 

of modern vessels — 

with ‘lateral thrusters tending to 

persuade operators to minimise 

their dependence upon tug assistance 

in port waters’. 

As part of the analysis, UK Club 

surveyors questioned almost 250 

seafarers about their experiences 

of blackouts, main engine failures 

and fuel switching problems. 

In response to the findings, it 


is calling for better communication 

between deck and engineer 

officers — pointing out that 

many chief engineers were concerned 

about the effect of starting 

bow thrusters and deck machinery 

which can sometimes cause 

circuit breakers to trip and lead 

to blackouts. 

Engineers also need to warn 

the bridge of depleted air bottles, 

the club adds, as excessive numbers 

of engine starts/stops during 

manoeuvring will deplete pressure 

in the main engine start 

tanks which can result in loss of 

control of the vessel at critical 

times. 

A shortage of fuel supply to 

the generating engines accounted 

for 16% of reported blackouts, 

with a high proportion of these 

attributed to blocked fuel filters. 

HEALTH&SAFETY 

Fuel rules blamed for 

big rise in blackouts 

P&I club calls for action to reduce risks of ‘out of control’ ships in ports and confined waters 

Insurers urged to check crew 

issues when providing cover 

Underwriters have been urged to ask more 

Fquestions about the ships they are insuring 

— and to put particular attention on crewing levels 

and training. 

Speaking at the International Union of Marine 

Insurance annual conference in San Diego last 

month, Braemar regional director Richard Gayton 

said the Costa Concordia disaster should serve as ‘a 

loud and very expensive wake-up call for the 

market’. 

He argued that the vulnerability of vessels to 

both attritional and major losses should not be 

masked by the label of human error, and he urged 

underwriters to ask more detailed questions when 

rating or determining the need for a risk assessment 

survey to address these issues. 

With manning levels having more than halved in 

the past 60 years and automation onboard 

resulting in fewer technical personnel, Mr Gayton 

pointed out that recruiting surveyors to survey 

damages, review tenders, monitor repairs and 

approve costs will ultimately significantly reduce 

restoration costs when casualties do occur. 

‘Underwriters play a pivotal role in our market, 

having driven necessary industry changes in the 

past whilst industry players have dragged their 

heels. More pointed questions by underwriters at 

placing, especially regarding crewing levels and 

training, could make a real difference to restoring 

unjustifiable deficiencies, and so cutting casualties 

and costs,’ he said. 

The annual IUMI conference was given a series 

of stark warnings about marine insurance trends. 

President Ole Wikborg described the market as 

‘bleak’ — with 39 total losses to date, significantly 

higher than at the same time in 2011 and 2010. 

The meeting heard that the hull market is facing 

its sixteenth consecutive annual loss and that 

insurers are increasingly exposed to major claims 

arising from the ‘super-sizing’ of many new ships. 

Mr Wikborg also warned that the poor state of 

shipping markets could cause safety standards to 

slump further. ‘An income that is often below 

operating costs — such as current high oil and 

bunker costs — and financial costs for shipowners 

indicate that corners may be cut on maintenance 

and other operational expenses to stay afloat,’ he 

added. 

‘Engineers need to be more thorough 

when cleaning filters and be 

aware that if a vessel changes over 

from higher sulphur fuel (HFO), 

when marine gas oil is introduced 

into the system it may act like a 

solvent, releasing any asphaltenes 

which then collect in the fuel filters/strainers 

and clog them,’ the 

bulletin adds. 


Allan Graveson noted that 

11% of failures were blamed on 

human error and added: ‘This 

statement would have more 

credibility if it urged companies 

to invest in better equipment 

and the adequate training of 

personnel. 

‘The employment of deck and 

engine officers who can speak the 

same language would be a useful 

start.’


INTERNATIONAL 

shortreports 

CANAL CALL: the French government has appealed to the EU 

to complete financing of the Seine-Nord Europe Canal, which is 

planned to form a key part of a new high-capacity waterway link 

between France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. The new 

French government says the €2.2m granted for preliminary 

development work on the four sections of the canal — which is 

intended to connect the major ports of Le Havre, Rouen, Dunkerque, 

Ghent, Zeebrugge, Rotterdam and Antwerp — is inadequate. 

RETURN TO SENDER: the operators of the world’s biggest 

ferry have denied reports that the ship may be sent back to the 

Daewoo shipyard in South Korea following a series of technical faults 

since it came into service in June. The Tunisian national operator CTN 

has dismissed claims that regular crossings between Tunis, 

Marseilles and Genoa operated by the 51,000gt Tanit have been 

cancelled as a result of the snags and says the ship carried out 

a record of 76 round-trips during the summer. 

FRENCH FINE: the owners of a flag of convenience chemical 

tanker have been fined €800,000 for illegal discharges off the 

French coast. The 37,261dwt Kaltene was spotted last May trailing a 

4.6km slick. The owners of the Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, 

Latvian Shipping, claimed the pollution was the result of an 

accidental propeller shaft leak, but this was rejected by the court. 

The company was ordered to pay 95% of the fine, with the master 

having to pay the remaining 5%. 

TOTAL CONVERSION: the French oil firm Total is set to 

reconvert two of Euronav’s six French-flagged VLCCs into floating 

storage and offloading vessels. Reports suggest that the 2008- and 

2009-built Antarctica and Olympia will be converted in an Asian or 

Middle Eastern yard following the end of their charter party with 

Total next year, and will be based in Angola in their new role. 

BOX BOOST: the French containership operator CMA CGM has 

found finance from China to increase its fleet capacity to South 

America. China International Maritime Containers (CIMC), the 

world’s leading box manufacturer, has ordered ten 9,200TEU 

containerships from two Chinese yards on 12-year charter to the 

Marseilles-based operator. 

SWISS ROLES: the Switzerland-based shipping firm 

ABCmaritime is employing French officers on its ships to bolster its 

business in the French-speaking countries of West Africa. The 

company manages 11 oil, chemical and asphalt tankers, two of which 

are registered in Switzerland, 15 small vessels and barges and four 

37,000dwt bulk carriers. 

Unions warn over 

EU port services 

ETF alarm at Commission reveals new proposals to tackle ‘inefficiencies’ 

PDock workers’ unions 

have warned that the 

European Commission 

seems to be shaping up for a new 

bid to deregulate port services. 

Leaders of dockers’ unions 

affiliated to the European and 

International Transport Workers’ 

Federations fear that any moves 

to liberalise the EU port industry 

will lower safety standards and 

working conditions, and erode 

trade union rights. 

The warning came after transport 

commissioner Siim Kallas 

told a conference on ports policy 

in Brussels that action is needed 

to tackle ‘low efficiency, restrictive 

labour and other non-competitive 

regimes’ in EU ports. 

‘I believe that the time has 

come to establish a more coherent 

ports policy and, finally, a real 

strategic vision for EU ports,’ the 

commissioner added. 

Mr Kallas said the Commission 

is examining responses to its 

ports policy review consultation, 

but warned that changes are 

needed to ensure EU ports could 

‘compete efficiently and globally’. 

Claiming that European ports 

vary widely in their performance 

and quality, the commissioner 

added: ‘Service provision today is 

riddled with inefficiencies — in 

cost, quality and reliability. 

‘While many ports do operate 

in a competitive environment, 

technical, nautical and cargo handling 

services are often restricted 

to just one, or to a handful of 

established operators,’ he added. 

‘This makes ports one of the few 

sectors in the European economy 

where we still have monopolies 

and exclusive rights.’ 

Mr Kallas complained of 

‘closed door’ agreements on port 

services by authorities in many 

member states and of the absence 

of clear EU-wide rules to address a 

‘varied patchwork of national regulations, 

where different types of 

market barriers prevent services 

from developing and becoming 

more productive’. 

But unions taking part in the 

ITF Maritime Roundtable in 

Casablanca said they wanted to 

‘send a strong signal’ of opposition 

to the Commission. 

They warned that Portuguese 

government proposals to relax 

employment regulations in its 

ports were ‘the shape of things to 

come’ and signalled a concerted 

attempt by the European Commission 

to liberalise the port 

industry in Europe. 

The unions pointed out that 

previous attempts to deregulate 

European port services were successfully 

defeated in 2003 and 

2006. But, they warned, ‘it now 

seems that this same legislation is 

being forced through on a 

national basis, with the same 

Crews stranded after ship arrests 

H 

Pictured right is the Madeiraflagged 

cruiseship Princess 

Danae, one of four vessels in the 

Classic International Cruise fleet which 

have been arrested — leaving some 

470 seafarers stranded and owed pay. 

The Athena and Princess Danae 

were held in the French port of 

Marseilles, while the Princess Daphne 

was seized in Crete and the Arion was 

arrested in Montenegro for 

accumulated debts, including failure to 

pay crew wages and fuel bills. 

While passengers on the four ships 

were repatriated, the 470 crew from 

countries including the Philippines, 

Indonesia and eastern Europe, 

remained onboard last month while 

complex negotiations over their 

outstanding pay continued. 

At one stage, the Portuguese 

owners warned that the seafarers 

were in danger of running out of food 

and fuel onboard the detained ships. 

Welfare agencies have been providing 

assistance to the stranded crews in 

Marseilles and were given assurances 

that the men would be paid. 

Picture: Thibaud Teillard 

Swedish thaw on tax support 

‘Will they or won’t they’ is the 

F constant refrain in the Swedish 

tonnage tax saga — with the latest 

twist in this long-running saga being 

that they might introduce it, but they 

might not. 

Unions and owners continue to 

tear their hair out at this footdragging, 

which leaves Sweden as the 

only maritime nation in the EU 

without a tonnage tax regime. 

Swedish finance minister Anders 

Borg is warming somewhat and said 

he would look at tonnage tax and 

other forms of support given to the 

Swedish maritime industry. But in a 

parliamentary debate last month, the 

minister cautioned that if he gave 

with one hand, he would take with 

the other, and that he was worried 

about flagging out. 

The owners’ association says the 

Swedish fleet is now down to 120 

ships, with at least another 10 lined 

up to flag out this year. Once the 

government proposal is ready, there 

would not be many ships left to flag 

out, they claim, asking how 

complicated can it be to bring in what 

every other Nordic and EU maritime 

country has managed quite well. 

Officers’ union SBF said it is ‘about 

time’ that Sweden put its house in 

order and it should have dealt with 

tonnage tax years ago. 

‘Unfortunately, it’s probable that as 

long as we don’t have tonnage tax in 

Sweden, newbuildings will shine by 

their absence,’ it added. ‘In the last 

three years, Sweden has lost 30% of 

its merchant fleet and a major reason 

is the absence of tonnage tax.’ 

potential wide-ranging effects on 

dockers’. 

Chair of the ETF dockers’ 

section Terje Samuelsen commented: 

‘Portugal can be considered 

as a laboratory for the European 

ports policy. Several 

measures put forward by the Portuguese 

government correspond 

perfectly to the proposals that can 

be expected across Europe. We 

have seen this before in port packages 

one and two. We defeated it 

then and we will defeat it now.’ 

ITF president and dockers’ section 

chair Paddy Crumlin said 

that this type of deregulation of 

standards and employment protection 

would not be countenanced 

by the world dockers’ 

movement. 

‘In a global industry maintenance 

of standards and trade 

union rights is a global issue, not 

just a national or regional one,’ he 

added. 

Danes plan 

maritime 

expansion 

A special team appointed by 

Fthe Danish government has 

presented recommendations for 

growing the country’s maritime 

sector. Shipowners expect the plan 

could lead to thousands of new jobs. 

The report says Denmark is an 

attractive international destination 

and could expand its maritime 

industries and services through 

stable, competitive framework 

conditions. Skills and experience, 

green credentials and technology 

are prioritised in the growth report. 

Business minister Ole Sohn said 

the government wants Denmark to 

be the maritime centre of Europe 

and it will now draw up a concrete 

growth plan for the maritime sector. 

Officers’ union SL initially 

expressed concern that the 

requirements for Danish senior 

officers could be diluted in the dash 

for competitiveness and a descent to 

international standards. But the 

minister gave a written assurance to 

a parliamentary committee that he 

has no such plans. 

SL general secretary Fritz 

Ganzhorn said: ‘Such a commitment 

is crucial for the industry’s basic 

expertise. There is extremely low 

unemployment among our members 

and it’s already so hard to find 

officers for the positions that need to 

be filled, that in itself is an obstacle 

to growth.’ 

Mr Sohn — a former seafarer, 

Communist Party boss and now 

minister responsible for shipping — 

has announced he is stepping down 

from the government and will leave 

politics at the next election. He has 

been criticised by maritime unions 

for failing to deliver to them, but 

employers praised his achievements.


INTERNATIONAL 

Maersk ships test Port Said ‘mega’ facilities 

by Jeff Apter 

PFrench maritime unions 

called off strike action at 

Brittany Ferries last 

month after reaching agreement 

with management on a revised 

cost-cutting plan. 

The deal — which was 

accepted by almost 60% of the 

seafarers in a ballot — ended a 

controversial 10-day shutdown 

ordered by managers after several 

Brittany Ferries vessels were hit 

by wildcat crew strikes in protest 

at plans to change working hours 

and reduce bonus payments. 

Unions said the agreement 

had been accepted reluctantly, 

following pressure from the 

cooperative ventures that have 

two-thirds control over the eightship 

fleet and who threatened to 

close it if management’s ‘survival 

plan’ was not accepted. 

Brittany Ferries (BAI) is 

France’s biggest ferry operator, 

employing 2,500 people. Since 

2008 it has chalked up annual 

losses after being hit by the weakness 

of sterling against the euro, 

increases in fuel prices, reductions 

in freight traffic and competition 

from Dover Straits operations. 

However, its passenger 

numbers remained constant at 

2.533m in 2011 thanks to its 

England-Spain services. 

The stoppages began as a 

result of seafarers’ concerns over 

the lack of detail in the company’s 

‘return to competitiveness’ plan, 

announced in June. The company 

is seeking to cut its wage bill by 

€6m as part of a wider cost-reduction 

programme to tackle an 

accumulated deficit of €70m. 

The strikes were called off after 

a consultation exercise organised 

by the CGT and CFDT unions 

showed a 524-369 majority of 

seafarers in favour of accepting 

the BAI protocol framework 

agreement. 

The CGT said despite some 

advances made during the negotiations, 

it still opposed the agreement 

but would sign it out of 

respect for the ballot result. 

Although the CFDT said it would 

not sign, as it disagreed that the 

document would help the company 

and also contested the legality 

of the lock-out, the document 

will come into force in spring 

2013. 

Its most significant change is 

the assessment of hours worked 

by seafarers on an annual basis. 

The arrangements provide for 

1,607 hours annually, with two 

consecutive weeks on duty 

Pictured left is the 170,794gt 

Acontainership Eleonora Maersk 

undertaking navigational trials to test 

port access and turning basins for 

‘mega’ boxships at the Suez Canal 

Container Terminal (SCCT) last month. 

The Danish-flagged vessel’s visit 

was the first time any Egyptian port 

has received a ship of this size, and 

sistership Edith Maersk also took part 

in the trials to test the berthing 

arrangements for vessels of up to 

15,500TEU. 

Following the successful trials, 

SCCT — which is located at Port Said 

East — is now open for vessels of up 

to 397m loa and a beam of up to 

56.4m. An expansion project is 

currently under way to double its 

capacity to 5.4m TEUs. 

Deal ends strikes 

at Brittany Ferries 

Unions ‘reluctantly’ accept cost-cutting changes to working conditions 

Brittany Ferries’ vessel Bretagne laid up in St Malo during the strike 

action last month Picture: Eric Houri 

instead of the present one working 

week followed by a rest week. 

The number of extra working 

days is between 12 and 21. The 

number of off-season crossings 

will be reduced and BAI will withdraw 

its Cotentin freight ferry. 

Unions are concerned that the 

workforce’s sacrifices will not suffice 

to balance BAI’s books. CFDT 

delegate Jean-Pierre Corbel said 

that an independent expert’s 

audit showed the company would 

again be in the red in 2013, and 

probably also in 2014. He said that 

Sica, the vegetable growing and 

exporting cooperative that owns 

seven of BAI’s eight ferries should 

consider opening its capital to 

finance the operator’s development. 

The CGT union said BAI 

should sell its corporate aircraft, 

which costs €600,000 a year to 

run, and various works of art 

onboard its ferries. 

zThe Calais district court has 

awarded 272 employees of the former 

ferry company SeaFrance 

compensation and damages for 

‘unfair dismissal and non-redundant 

reclassification’ during the 

cost-cutting schemes before the 

operator went into liquidation 

earlier this year. The employees 

will receive sums estimated at 

between €22,000 and €28,000, 

costing an estimated total of 

more than €6m. 

‘Whistleblower’ award challenged 

An Italian shipping company 

Ahas urged a US court to 

overturn a $500,000 reward to five 

‘whistleblowing’ crew members in a 

pollution case. 

Giuseppe Bottiglieri Shipping last 

month challenged the federal court 

award to the seafarers who had 

passed information about a ‘magic 

pipe’ onboard the bulk carrier 

Bottiglieri Challenger to the US Coast 

Guard during a port state control 

inspection in January. 

In July, the company was fined 

$1.3m for breaching pollution laws 

and failing to maintain an accurate oil 

record book, and the ship’s chief 

engineer was jailed for a month for 

violation of pollution prevention 

regulations. 

In seeking to overturn the reward, 

the company claimed that the crew 

made no attempt to report the 

alleged ‘magic pipe’ violations before 

their ship reached US waters in 

January. 

They had also failed to follow the 

company’s internal procedures to 

report the allegations and made no 

effort to raise the issue during 

onboard pollution prevention 

meetings. 

‘Granting a reward for this type of 

behaviour undermines the very 

purpose of having strict 

environmental protection policies and 

the very spirit of MARPOL,’ the 

company said in a statement to the 

court. 

The company argues that the 

whistleblower reward scheme 

‘incentivised the crew to break the 

law, break the company’s rules and 

pursue their own personal gain’. 

shortreports 

MOROCCAN RELEASE: the International 

Transport Workers’ Federation has welcomed the 

release of Moroccan maritime union leader Said 

Elhairech last month, but it has also called for the 

authorities to free seafarers’ union leader Mohamed 

Chamchati, who was arrested with Mr Elhairech on the 

same charges of ‘economic sabotage and endangering 

national security’. The men were detained following 

protests over the collapse of the Comanav-Comarit ferry 

company, which left hundreds of seafarers stranded in 

French and Spanish ports. 

NEW FLAG: the Pacific island nation of Palau has 

launched the world’s newest ship registry. At a 

ceremony in Singapore last month the Palau 

International Ship Registry accepted its first two 

vessels — the Singapore-owned cruise/passenger 

vessels Amusement World (12,764gt) and Leisure World 

(15,653gt). Based in the US city of Houston, the flag 

claims to be ‘an open registry that is fully committed to 

quality and the principle of protecting life at sea’, with 

Palau being one of the first 30 countries to have ratified 

the Maritime Labour Convention 2006. 

FERRY FINES: a French court is seeking fines 

totalling €1m for the owners and master of a Tunisian 

ferry suspected of causing pollution in the 

Mediterranean. The vessel Carthage, owned by Tunisia’s 

national ferry company CTN, was alleged to have been 

spotted by a Spanish surveillance plane in October 

2009 with an oil slick in its wake covering an area of 

1.58 sq m. The court has reserved judgement to 5 

December. 

PENSION PLEDGE: 800 delegates attended the 

French federation of merchant navy and fishing sector 

pensioners’ associations’ congress to discuss concerns 

over low pensions, purchasing power, security and other 

important issues. The meeting was attended by the new 

sea minister Frédéric Cuvillier, who assured the 

pensioners that he understood the need for France to 

have a special social security regime for seafarers. 

TAX PROBE: the European Commission has 

launched an investigation into the Greek tonnage tax 

scheme. Officials in Brussels said the investigation was 

part of a wider programme of checks to ensure that 

state aid guidelines for shipping are being applied by 

member states, and Greece has been asked to provide 

‘clarification’ on its tonnage tax regime. 

NEW PORT: the containership Maersk Laguna has 

christened Germany’s newest port — the 

JadeWeserPort (JWP) facility in Wilhelmshaven. 

Designed to accommodate the largest containerships, 

Eurogate operation will be able to handle 2.7m TEU at 

full capacity. 

RCCL RUMOURS: Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines 

boss Adam Goldstein has shrugged off a report that the 

company is considering ordering a third 5,400- 

passenger, 2,200-crew sistership to its Oasis and Allure 

of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise liners. 

COASTAL CALLS: Rotterdam’s port authority has 

started the tender process for plans to build three new 

berths for coastal containerships on the Maasvlakte in a 

bid to reduce waiting times between calls to the port’s 

box terminals. 

COBLEFRET CLOSURE: the Belgian ro-ro 

operator Coblefret has closed its regular service 

between Ipswich and Rotterdam, which was operated 

by the purpose-built vessels Severine and the Capucine.


YOUR LETTERS 

What’s on your mind 

Tell your colleagues in Nautilus International — and the wider world of but shipping. you must Keep let the your Telegraph letter to a have your name, address 

maximum wider world 300 of shipping. words if you Keep can your — though letter to longer a maximum contributions will be and considered. membership Use number. a pen name or 

just 300 your words membership if you can — number though if longer you don’t contributions want to be identified will — say so Send in an your accompanying letter to the note Editor, — Telegraph, Nautilus 

but be considered. you must let the Telegraph have your name, address and membership International, number. Send 1&2 The your Shrubberies, letter to the George Lane, 

Editor, Use a Telegraph, pen name Nautilus or just your International, membership 1&2 number The Shrubberies, if you George South Lane, Woodford, South Woodford, London E18 1BD, or use head office fax 

London don’t want E18 to 1BD, be or identified use head — office say so fax in +44 an accompanying (0)20 8530 1015, note or — email +44 telegraph@nautilusint.org 

(0)20 8530 1015, email telegraph@nautilusint.org 

Follow us 

on Twitter 

Loutish look stems 

from our lost pride 

Trustee’s Titanic launch 

Nautilus International trustee John 

Lang is pictured with Patricia Eve, of 

Seafarer Books, at Trinity House for 

the launch last month of his book 

about the loss of the Titanic. 

Mr Lang, a retired Rear Admiral 

and former chief inspector at the 

Marine Accident Investigation 

Branch, spent some six years 

researching and writing the book, 

which is titled Titanic — A Fresh Look 

at the Evidence. 

The book — which was described 

by former Lloyd’s List editor Michael 

Grey as a ‘sensible, expert and 

authoritative commentary about 

the circumstances of the loss of this 

notorious ship and why it is important 

to us in 21st century shipping’ — 

examines the technical, commercial 

and social factors involved in the 

construction and operation of the 

Titanic and applies contemporary 

accident investigation methods to 

reassess the causes of the collision 

with the iceberg and the resulting 

loss of more than 1,500 lives. 

‘With his background of sea 

time and analysis, John has 

brought to this terrible tragedy a 

deeper understanding and a fresh 

perspective and, more so, has 

highlighted the fact that there are still 

many unresolved issues in terms of 

Have your say online 

Last month we asked: Do you think it is right 

that seafarers are rewarded by the courts for 

‘whistleblowing’ if shipmates are breaking the law 

safety,’ Mrs Eve said. 

Mr Lang said he had been driven 

by a sense of curiosity to write the 

book. ‘This is a very different take 

on a well-known story. With all the 

coverage over the past year, one 

might think that it is impossible to say 

anything new about Titanic — but as 

chief inspector of the MAIB it occurred 

to me that I would have investigated 

the accident in a very different way 

from a century ago, led purely by 

the evidence and with no interest in 

apportioning blame,’ he added. 

gTitanic — A Fresh Look at the 

Evidence is published by Seafarer 

Books and costs £21.95. 

Where’s 

my 

Telegraph 

I write in response to Mike Lewis 

Williams’ s letter in the October 

Telegraph (‘Loutish behaviour on 

camera’). I thought it only fair that 

Mr Williams be presented with all 

the facts before passing comment 

on the individuals in question. 

As a young officer in Maersk 

Line I feel able to better inform 

Mr Williams of the current 

circumstances that these recruits 

are finding themselves in. Gone 

are the days of British ships with 

British crews carrying with them 

the years of tradition, pride and 

heritage passed down through the 

generations. Instead ships which, 

at least within Maersk, are rarely 

British registered and crewed 

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Facebook. 

Become a fan! 

Visit www. 

nautilusint.org 

by many nationalities take their 

place. 

Should you ever find yourself 

onboard one of these ships with 

another western European you 

consider yourself lucky! I know 

of cadets that have sailed on 

ships where no one spoke any 

English and their training didn’t 

extend beyond sweeping the 

decks daily. And even those that 

do find themselves on ships keen 

to train them, the standards and 

competence from which the 

cadets are trying to learn is rarely 

of sufficient standard. 

As such, the intrinsic values and 

customs of the Merchant Navy are 

not being instilled in these new 

recruits. It is generally not seen as 

an important component of the 

modern seafarer; and so when 

tasked with being photographed 

the question of appearance 

doesn’t even register on the radar. 

For someone who started his 

sea career only five years ago, I 

find the rate at which standards 

have dropped even in my time 

alarming. For someone with Mr 

Williams’s experience I should 

imagine it is near inconceivable! 

And just as Mr Williams, I too was 

ashamed to be associated with 

the individuals in the photo in 

question. But I do ask, are they 

solely to blame 

Name & no supplied 

There are worse things at 

sea than hands in pockets 

You are having a laugh, aren’t you 

Surely you must be if you print such 

drivel as the recent letter from 

Mike Lewis Williams (retired, most 

fortunately) who is shocked and 

horrified by the loutish behaviour of 

cadets being photographed with their 

hands in their pockets! 

Any serving seafarer can tell 

you that there are far worse things 

troubling our industry than young 

men playing pocket billiards. Piracy 

Hours of rest Criminalisation 

Dodgy third world crews Late pay 

Poor communications, internet and 

email restrictions Corrupt officials 

Incompetent and dangerous clients 

(yes I work offshore). ECDIS Food 

For those of us who actually go to 

sea, the list is endless. I don’t believe 

that the situation has improved much 

since I first started in the late 70s but at 

least the stricter medical and alcohol 

regulations have got rid of some of the 

dead wood we used to carry. 

Quite surely I will not be the only 

person writing in response to this truly 

amazing letter. No doubt you will have 

many to choose from, however I do 

hope that you will in future keep this 

sort of rubbish out of the Telegraph 

unless it is in a separate section for 

humorous bloopers. 

The letters section is the part 

that most of us turn to first (closely 

followed by appointments) and we 

would like to see it kept for issues of 

concern to real modern day seafarers. 

Captain MARTIN HILL 

mem no180815 

Yes 

62% 

No 

38% 

This month’s poll asks: Would you recommend 

a seafaring career to a young person 

Give us your views online, at www.nautilusint.org 

If you have moved 

recently, your home 

copy may still be trying 

to catch up with you — 

particularly if you gave us 

a temporary address such 

as a hall of residence. 

To let us know your new 

address, go to 

www.nautilusint.org and 

log in as a member, or 

contact our membership 

department on 

+44 (0)151 639 8454 

or membership@ 

nautilusint.org.


YOUR LETTERS 

THE VIEW FROM MUIRHEAD 

Farewell to a loyal ally 

Pictured right is maritime welfare advisor 

Peter Gibbs, who retired last month after 

eight years with the Seafarers’ Advice and 

Information Line (SAIL). 

The job was a career change for Peter, 

formerly a Civil Service librarian. He worked 

hard to become an expert on seafaring issues, 

and at the time of his retirement was SAIL’s 

longest-serving advisor. 

Peter said ‘I have really enjoyed my work 

helping those in the seafaring community 

and am a bit obsessive about maritime 

matters. I’m delighted that I’ll be continuing 

to help SAIL a little on a voluntary basis, but 

I’m looking forward to a longer lie-in in the 

morning!’ 

gSAIL is a UK-wide advice charity dedicated 

to merchant seafarers, fishermen and their 

families. Backed by the Citizens Advice Bureau 

and the Seamen’s Hospital Society, advice 

is free and confidential. Most calls are about 

debt, benefits, maritime grants, housing and 

employment. Website: www.sailine.org.uk 

UK calls: 08457 413 318 

[ STAR LETTER 

Revalidation riot 

won’t stop the rot 

Due to various reasons, the Manila amendments are cause 

for great concern to a lot of seafarers. 

At present it seems like some governments are waiting 

for 2016. I am predicting a pile-up and officers with expired 

certificates of competency. 

Courses should be revalidated within a six-month 

period before the expiry of your ticket. This is going to be 

very difficult to achieve and arrange, combining it with 

your off time. This is also not always possible due to the 

availability and fully booked courses. For this reason one 

usually books courses at alternate dates which make 

planning and booking easier. 

What exactly is the logic in this six month requirement 

You revalidate a certificate before it expires, so why should 

it be six months before the expiry of your certificate of 

competency 

We all know the importance of safety and reason for 

these amendments, but I am not sure the practical aspects 

were fully taken into consideration. 

I would also suggest that a window period is 

introduced for this re-validation, the same as for statutory 

vessel certificates. If not, then it seems like one will have to 

start revalidating every four years to ensure your certificate 

is revalidated every five years. 

Hopefully someone is looking at the practical aspects 

of all these new requirements. 

My personal opinion is that this snowball was created 

by incidents and poor initial training. These revalidation 

requirements are not going to stop the irresponsible 

navigator and/or seamen. They will also revalidate and 

when at sea they will be back to their normal ways. 

I also recall the last time I did my PSSR revalidation. 

Next to me was a well-respected captain with 25 years’ 

experience and there was an instructor with minimal sea 

experience explaining to us how to fit a lifejacket. 

Unfortunately, the snowball is rolling and nobody will 

stop it. 

Note: should maybe not all qualifications then be 

revalidated at five-year intervals Doctors, teachers and 

the individuals making these decisions Why is this only 

relevant to the mariners 

Name & no withheld on request 

I would like to comment on the feature 

in the September Telegraph about the 

proposed new sail training ship. Unlike 

the esteemed commentators’ views 

expressed therein, I have sailed in a 

square-rigger. 

In November 2004, I enrolled in 

a square rig sailing course in Sydney, 

Australia. About half the time of 

the course was classroom work 

doing an intensive study of square 

rig seamanship and ship handling, 

and the other half at sea in a 27m 

barquentine putting into practice what 

we had learned. 

About 20 mature adults attended 

the course — all with a maritime 

background. At the end of the course 

was an oral examination which, if 

passed, allowed a candidate to have a 

In late September most people were 

unaware of World Maritime Day. A 

search online did not help me find out 

the day it was being marked, but it 

is no wonder that there was a lack of 

information. 

The UN’s London-based 

International Maritime Organisation 

inaugurated this annual observance 

in 1978, but its website states the 

‘exact date is left to individual 

governments but is usually 

celebrated during the last week in 

September’. Without a common date, 

there’s bound to be less impact. 

I propose that the UK maritime 

sector should now agree to one 

date for all time — the last Thursday 

of September, next year on 26 

September 2013, and so on. With 

such advance information well 

Change 

of course 

needed for 

Red Ensign 

reporting 

Why do you print stories like the 

one in last month’s issue about a 

British flagged completely Chinese 

crewed ship It appears that you are 

celebrating what is going on instead of 

buttonholing the shipping minister with 

a view to stopping this outrage. 

When this boat runs aground it 

will be a British loss/accident and 

presumably no mention that there 

wasn’t a single British national aboard. 

Stop winding us up and publish 

positive stories of how British seafarer 

employment is increasing, not Chinese 

under our flag!! 

A. MACKELLAICH 

mem no 183212 

Sail training: fun 

but irrelevant 

square rig sailing endorsement added 

to his/her ticket. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the course 

and despite being 71 years old was still 

fit and able enough to scale the rigging 

and get out on the yards and furl sail 

with the best of them. However, in 

my opinion, nothing I learned and 

experienced there would assist a youth 

in this day and age serving as a cadet 

in a 140,000gt/13,000TEY box boar, 

LNG carrier or 300,000dwt bulker, all 

with minimal crews and some as few 

as nine persons. 

The money being spent on this 

venture, again in my opinion, would 

be better utilised in cadet training 

facilities ashore. 

Capt ROGER WOMERSELY 

mem no 310660 

World Maritime 

Day is a missed 

opportunity 

publicised, the UK could start to get 

ship-shape for World Maritime Day. 

It’s somewhat unfortunate that, 

in the UK, Merchant Navy Day is on 

3 September and World Maritime 

Day in the last week of September; 

in the ideal world, those two events 

would be some months apart. 

Nevertheless, while maritime 

professionals and campaigners 

claim the country is ‘sea blind’, we 

surely must use opportunities such 

as World Maritime Day if we are 

better to promote the importance 

of the sea and ships, central to our 

island nation’s security and future. 

Perhaps the new shipping minister, 

Stephen Hammond, and his defence 

namesake, should join forces and 

take the lead for next year 

LESTER MAY (Lt Cdr RN, rtd) 

telegraph 

STAFF 

editor: Andrew Linington 

deputy editor: Debbie Smith 

production editor: June Cattini 

senior reporter: Sarah Robinson 

web editor: Deborah McPherson 

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website: 

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Although the Telegraph exercises care and 

caution before accepting advertisements, 

readers are advised to take appropriate 

professional advice before entering into 

any commitments such as investments 

(including pension plans). Publication 

of an advertisement does not imply any 

form of recommendation and Nautilus 

International cannot accept any liability 

for the quality of goods and services 

offered in advertisements. Organisations 

offering financial services or insurance are 

governed by regulatory authorities and 

problems with such services should be 

taken up with the appropriate body. 

Incorporating the merchant navy 

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ISSN 0040 2575 

Published by 

Nautilus International 

Printed by College Hill Press Limited 

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HEAD OFFICE 

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YOUR LETTERS 

RFA riders go endto-end 

for Heroes 

Warm welcome 

is still on offer 

in Aberdeen 

Starting on 8 August, myself — Cadet 

(X) James Thompson — and Cadet (X) 

David Rowe embarked on a 876-mile 

cycle ride from Land’s End to John 

O’Groats in the name of Help for 

Heroes (H4H). 

We got the idea when studying at 

Fleetwood Nautical Campus in our 

Phase 3 and decided to undertake this 

challenge during our summer leave. 

We undertook the trip on vintage 70s 

Raleigh road bikes, a decision which 

proved a good one as we only had one 

technical problem which was easily 

fixed in a local Scottish bike shop! 

We set a target of eight days to 

complete the cycle (an average of 110 

miles a day) and a fundraising target 

of £1,000 for H4H. 

Our support vehicle dropped us 

off at Land’s End, and after a couple 

of pictures with the famous sign we 

set off up the Cornish highway, the 

A38, into an overcast morning. The 

first night we stayed at my house in 

Looe, Cornwall, and the next day we 

continued to Cheddar in Somerset 

and stayed in campsite in the small 

town of Axeminster. From there 

we decided to strike out and try to 

reach Leominster, 15 miles north of 

Hereford. 

We aimed to reach Fleetwood 

James Thompson (left) and David Rowe at the end of their gruelling 876-mile ride 

the next day, but listened to reason 

and decided an easier target of 

Weaverham, near Northwich. In 

the mammoth day that followed 

we decided to reach Penrith. We got 

to Penrith in good time due to the 

flatness of Lancashire and a good tail 

wind. The following day we covered 

120 miles of undulating terrain 

and stayed in a site in the south of 

Edinburgh during the festival! 

The longest day was yet to come as 

we tried to reach Aviemore in one day 

— yet another 120 mile day. After a 

mechanical north of the Forth bridge 

(where we had a good view of the Fort 

Austin) and having to go through 

the Scottish capital at rush hour, we 

were far behind and to complete the 

distance we had to cycle through the 

dark. We arrived at the site at 23:00! 

On what turned out to be the 

Training Opportunities 

penultimate day we first attempted 

to reach John O’Groats on the neverending 

but beautiful A9. However, 

after the grind of the highlands 

setting in, a massive pass before 

inverness, and some truly ludicrous 

highland roads, we realised the 150 

miles we had set ourselves simply 

was not going to be achieved. We 

instead settled for a 110-mile run 

up to Dunbeath, a tiny village south 

of Wick, where we met a group that 

were dancing from end to end! On 

the final day we knew we only had a 

short 40 mile run up to John O’Groats. 

For the majority of the last day it was 

thick fog, but as we reached the most 

northern town in the country the sky 

opened to some glorious sunshine, 

just right for the photos. 

All in all, we have raised over 

£1,440 for Help for Heroes and 

would especially like to thank the 

Westernairs Concert band, Lynn’s 

Raven truck café, L2H3, the Looe 

sorting office, Forest Transport 

Services and their drivers’ donations, 

all the charitable people who donated 

on our ride, as well as friends, family 

and colleagues for helping us raise 

this brilliant sum of money. 

JAMES THOMPSON 

mem no 199005 

I have had the privilege of serving the seafaring community 

in Aberdeen for the past 11 plus years as port chaplain for the 

Sailors’ Society. 

Aberdeen Harbour is known as the oil capital of Europe, 

with some 9,000 vessel arrivals in 2011, and it was a great joy 

after 10 years of endeavours to see a new seafarers’ centre 

opened in Aberdeen in December 2011 which is manned by 

volunteers from the local community. 

As chaplain, I visit over 2,000 vessels every year greeting 

merchant seafarers from around the world, offering them 

unconditional love in Christ’s name and endeavouring to 

enhance their personal, professional and spiritual well-being. 

However, the Sailors’ Society has made me, along with all 

their full-time UK chaplains, redundant as of the end of July — 

something your readers may not have heard about. 

Thankfully, the maritime community have rallied and 

shown their support by employing me as the superintendent 

of the Aberdeen Seafarers’ Centre (www.aseafarer.com) and 

port chaplain. 

The seafarers’ centre is open seven days a week from 1800- 

2200 at 184-192 Market Street and offers FREE wi-fi, Skype, 

pool table, darts, karaoke, Blue-ray DVD player and a Wii 

Games machine, and free tab-nabs and tea/coffee/soft drinks 

and a warm welcome by our volunteers in lovely surroundings, 

funded through the generosity of shipping and oil companies! 

I would like to reassure those seafarers visiting Aberdeen 

that it is ‘service as usual’. 

Ship visits offering support to all will continue and we are 

well on our way to wrap up another 3,000 parcels ready to be 

distributed over the festive period. 

gMy email (seachaplain@gmail.com) and mobile number 

(07754141076) remain the same. 

HOWARD DRYSDALE 

Superintendent and Port Chaplain 

Aberdeen Seafarers’ Centre 

DECK 

• Officer of the Watch 

Classroom - 7 Jan 13, 15 April 13, 2 Sept 13, 6 Jan 14 

• Chief Mate 

Classroom - 21 Jan 13, 2 Sept 13, 20 Jan 14 

We can also offer a variety of flexible and upgrade routes for 

Officer of the Watch and Chief Mate. Please call for details. 

• FD Progression to Chief Mate 

7 Jan 13, 15 Apr 13 

• Master Orals 

29 Oct 12, 7 Jan 13, 18 Feb 13, 15 Apr 13, 3 Jun 13, 16 Sept 13, 

20 Oct 13 

• Deck Officer of the Watch Oral Preparation 

15 Oct 12, 3 Dec 12, 11 Feb 13, 25 Mar 13, 20 May 13, 16 July 13 

• Deck Officer of the Watch Revision Courses (3wk course) 

5 Nov 12, 14 Jan 13, 18 Feb 13 

• Class 1 & 2 Fishing 

7 Jan 13, 15 Apr 13 

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) 

7 Jan 13, 15 Apr 13, 2 Sept 13, 6 Jan 14 

• EOOW (Class 4) all pathways 


• 2nd Engineer 111/2 (Class 2) 


• 2nd Engineer 111/3 (Class 3) 


• Chief Engineer / 2nd Engineer EK only Courses 

22 Oct 12, 3 Feb 13, 19 May 13 

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

to Chief Engineer Academic Subjects 

7 Jan 13, 15 Apr 13 

• Engine Room Rating 5 week course 

April 13, Sept 13 

ELECTRICAL 

• Diesel Electrical Propulsion 

26 Nov 12, 21 Jan 13, 25 Feb 13, 3 Jun 13, 1 July 13 

• Marine Electrical Maintenance 

21 Jan 13, 13 May 13, 1 July 13 

• GMDSS GOC 

5 Nov 12, 26 Nov 12, 21 Jan 13, 18 Feb 13, 4 Mar 13, 

22 Apr 13, 13 May 13, 17 Jun 13 

• Shipboard High Voltage 

12 Nov 12, 3 Dec 12, 14 Jan 13, 4 Mar 13, 22 Apr 13, 

20 May 13, 17 Jun 13, 8 July 13 

• Marine Control & Instrumentation 

4 Feb 13, 22 Apr 13, 3 Jun 13, 15 July 13 

SIMULATOR TRAINING 

• Ice Navigation 

• NAEST Operational & Management Level 

• ECDIS 

• Pilot Training 

• Tug Handling 

TANKER SAFETY TRAINING 

• Tanker Familiarisation 

30 Oct 12, 11 Dec 12, 22 Jan 13, 12 Feb 13, 26 Mar 13, 23 Apr 13, 2 July 13 

• Tanker Safety Courses 

Oil: on demand 

Gas: on demand 

Chemical: on demand 

SHORT COURSES 

• Abrasive Wheels 

• Compass Adjusters - Distance Learning 

• Electronic Navigation Equipment Maintenance (3 per year) 

• Electrical Equipment in Hazardous Areas 

• GMDSS Radio Maintenance (3 per year) 

• Refrigeration 

• Shipboard Safety Officer 

• Ship Security Officer 

• STCW 95 short courses required for MCA Certification 

• VTS Operators and Supervisors (dates on MIN) 

• Welding Appreciation 

To book a course, contact: Marine Booking Centre, 

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

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. Web: www.stc.ac.uk



A century on from 

the Titanic disaster, 

how much progress 

has been made on 

passengership safety 

That was the question 

debated by a panel of 

experts at the Nautilus 

UK branch conference 

last month… 

Paul Coley, assistant director of ship standards at the Maritime & Coastguard Agency 

All pictures: Colin McPherson 

Examining cruiseship safety 

A 

With 100 years between 

the Titanic’s loss and the 

Costa Concordia accident, 

it was no surprise that people 

would start drawing comparisons 

between the two casualties, 

said general secretary Mark Dickinson 

as he opened the seminar 

on passengership safety. 

Former Lloyd’s List editor 

Michael Grey, who chaired the 

debate, said the long list of passenger 

shipping incidents — which 

also included the Herald of Free 

Enterprise, the Estonia, the Dona 

Paz and the Al-Salam Boccaccio 98 

— offered ‘grim reminders of the 

fragility of life at sea’. 

He added: ‘We have to hope 

that around all the accusations, 

blame and criminal charges that 

some sense comes out of the Costa 

Concordia loss and that we get 

a rational and scientific inquiry 

that focuses on the real causes of 

the incident.’ 


Allan Graveson outlined 

the Union’s long-standing concerns 

over passengership safety 

— including such issues as large 

angles of heel, rules of construction, 

life-saving and fire-fighting 

systems and equipment, crew 

training, and manning levels in 

key operational areas. 

These concerns had been highlighted 

by a long list of incidents, 

including the grounding of the Sea 

Diamond, the collision between 

the Norwegian Dream and Ever 

Decent, the fire onboard Star Princess, 

excessive angle of heel of the 

Crown Princess, and the power 

outage involving Queen Mary 2. 

He questioned the adequacy 

of the SOLAS standards for ship 

stability and warned that the shift 

to ‘goal-based’ safety rules had 

left the system open to abuse — 


secretary Allan Graveson 

Robert Ashdown, 

European Cruise Council 

particularly where regulatory 

authorities rely on ‘outsourcing’ 

of technical expertise or lack sufficient 

resources to robustly challenge 

any submissions. 

Mr Graveson accused the 

operators of serving up ‘low-cost 

distractions’ with their recentlyannounced 

post-Costa Concordia 

safety measures. 

‘What are we looking for Simply, 

a safe and sustainable cruise 

industry,’ he added. ‘In order to 

achieve this, it is necessary to 

acknowledge there are problems, 

and owners and regulators need 

to respond positively.’ 

Robert Ashdown, of the European 

Cruise Council, said the 

Costa Concordia had demonstrated 

that ‘there can never be 

any certainty that the myriad systems 

and procedures we already 

have in place are foolproof’. 

Cruise shipping is highly regulated 

and has a ‘truly remarkable’ 

safety record, he said, but it is sensible 

to acknowledge that ‘safety 

is a journey and not a destination’ 

— with the industry facing 

the challenge of a commitment to 

continuous improvement. 

In response to the Costa Concordia 

accident, operators are 

cooperating on a wide-ranging 

operational safety review and 

more than half a dozen measures 

have already been put in place, Mr 

Ashdown said. ‘As we continue to 

assess our current practices, we 

know that we will face tougher 

challenges as we bring more farreaching 

policies forward,’ he 

added. 

‘The common theme here is 

the human element and it is in 

this area in particular that the 

benefits of establishing a genuine 

and deep-rooted safety culture 

are most readily apparent.’ 

Andrew Higgs, 

representative for the 

International Union of 

Marine Insurers at IMO 

Andrew Higgs, who represents 

the International Union of 

Marine Insurers at the International 

Maritime Organisation, 

said Costa Concordia is on course 

to be the largest ever marine 

insurance claim, and the incident 

had highlighted a range of safety 

issues — including safe manning, 

navigation, evacuation, design 

and construction, buoyancy, and 

intact and damage stability. 

It had taken more than eight 

hours to get all the survivors off 

the ship, he pointed out, and in the 

long-term there should be better 

communication between naval 

architects and maritime professionals. 

‘There are not many places in 

society where there is the opportunity 

to kill so many people in 

one go,’ said Paul Coley, assistant 

director of ship standards at the 

Maritime & Coastguard Agency. 

‘Some ships have more than 

5,000 people onboard, so it is 

very important that we get safety 

right.’ 

He explained the principles 

behind the SOLAS 90 and 2009 

stability requirements, pointing 

out that recent regulations had 

focussed on the damage stability 

standards for ro-ro ferries, with 

a shift towards the ‘probabilistic’ 

concept — in which rules are 

assessed on the likelihood of certain 

damage scenarios. 

‘We cannot guarantee safety,’ 

Mr Coley argued, ‘We all accept 

that there is a level of risk in 

everything that we do — so the big 

question is have we got the risk 

level right’ 

The safety regime for passengerships 

is based on the ‘safe 

return to port’ concept, he added, 

with the principle that the ship 

should be its own best lifeboat. 

However, he added, this required 

Costa case commences 

A pre-trial hearing has begun into the grounding of the Costa Concordia off 

the coast of Italy in January. 

Captain Francesco Schettino, currently under house arrest near Naples, 

was given special permission to attend the hearing, despite not being 

obliged to attend. He and eight others — including other senior officers and 

company executives — are under investigation and this court hearing will 

determine whether any will face criminal prosecution. 

Although the evidence will not be heard in public, more than 500 people 

— including lawyers, passengers and relatives of the 32 people who died — 

will attend. 

The evidence will centre on a report into the grounding from experts 

who have been investigating since January, much of which has already 

been leaked to the public. It will include transcripts from the data recorders, 

reports on lifeboat failures and research on key equipment malfunctions. 

There will also be an examination of the company’s internal reporting 

systems, training and emergency procedures. 

Capt Schettino has accepted a degree of responsibility for the accident, 

but insists that he prevented a much bigger disaster by steering the stricken 

vessel closer to the island of Giglio. He also claims that he has been made a 

scapegoat for the company who regularly ordered a ‘sail-by’ when passing 

Italian islands. 

Prosecutors want Capt Schettino to face charges of multiple 

manslaughter, causing a disaster, and abandoning a ship while passengers 

were still onboard. If convicted, he could face a jail term of 2,697 years. 

Capt Schettino was dismissed by Costa cruises, owned by Carnival Cruises, 

in July and is currently suing for wrongful dismissal. His lawyer told Italian 

media that it is the ‘right of every worker to appeal against his dismissal’ and 

Capt Schettino should not be treated differently because of the high profile 

nature of his case. 

essential systems to remain operational 

following the flooding of 

any single compartment. 

Former Marine Accident Investigation 

Branch chief inspector 

John Lang said there were parallels 

between Titanic and Costa 

Concordia — not least that both 

were the result of a complex chain 

of events. 

He said he was ‘profoundly 

uneasy’ about developments in 

the Costa Concordia case and the 

way in which the master had been 

singled out for blame so early on, 

and that criminal investigations 

appeared to have been given 

priority over technical investigations. 

‘I will be incensed if the outcome 

is no more than putting the 

accident down to human error 

and one man’s mistake,’ he added. 

‘It is almost certainly far more 

than that.’ 

Former MAIB chief 

inspector John Lang 

Nautilus member Fiona Rush 

expressed concern about the 

‘immense pressures’ placed upon 

cruiseship crews — such as delaying 

muster drills to enable cocktail 

sail-aways to take place. 

Mr Coley said port state control 

inspections showed a huge variation 

in the quality of safety drills 

onboard cruiseships. ‘The UK is 

interested in introducing realism, 

and trying to put people in a situation 

where there is an element of 

reality in the drill,’ he added. 

Nautilus council chairman 

Urich Jurgens said passengership 

surveys often uncovered large 

numbers of defects — most notably 

language problems among 

multinational crew and a lack of 

understanding of emergency 

duties among passenger services 

staff. Mr Ashdown replied: ‘The 

inspection regime is there to keep 

the industry up to standard and 

I welcome the fact that inspectors 

are asking these questions 

because it helps companies to 

remain true to their fundamental 

purpose of keeping their ships 

safe.’ 

Member Iain MacKenzie said 

he was concerned at the way in 

which seafarers were being criminalised 

as a result of design flaws, 

failures in ship systems or from 

orders to take ships to certain areas. 

But Mr Ashdown said the latest 

SOLAS standards represented 

an advance in safety, with the ‘safe 

return to port’ concept meaning 

there is redundancy of key systems 

and ships are designed to 

stay afloat for at least three hours 

to provide a stable platform for 

evacuation to take place. 

Despite this, he admitted the 

industry does need to do more to 

address core issues. ‘We are looking 

at how to move the industry 

beyond ISM to a genuine safety 

culture,’ he added. ‘Shipping is still 

a long way from the safety case 

system used in offshore oil and 

gas and addressing the divergence 

between compliance culture and 

a genuine culture of safety is very 

important.’ 

Mr Ashdown suggested shipping 

should learn from aviation 

and use ‘black box’ data to monitor 

performance and trends rather 

than simply being used to determine 

the cause of accidents. ‘We 

can make the VDR a proactive tool 

by using the information to pick 

up on errors and train individuals 

on a no-fault basis,’ he explained. 

But Nautilus member Jessica 

Tyson warned that seafarers could 

feel intimidated by the potential 

for recordings of ‘workplace banter’ 

to be misinterpreted or for 

management to use the information 

against individuals. 

Mr Graveson said Nautilus had 

campaigned for VDRs to be fitted 

to ships — and the equipment 

can help individuals in contentious 

cases in which they could 

otherwise be blamed. However, he 

warned, the Union is concerned at 

increasing evidence that ships are 

sailing with defective VDRs and 

associated systems. 

Questioned about the safety of 

operating cruiseships in remote 

areas, Mr Ashdown said companies 

tend to deploy smaller vessels 

in such regions and they work 

closely with search and rescue 

authorities to ensure adequate 

cover is in place.


BRITISH SHIPPING 

Flying the flag for the UK 

w 

Debasis Mazumdar is a 

man with a mission — a 

mission to see the red 

ensign flying from the stern of 

more ships than ever before. 

As head of the UK Ship 

Register (UKSR) since June last 

year, Debasis has the challenging 

task of competing with a vast 

array of different countries all 

seeking to encourage owners 

from around the world to use 

their flags. 

But he is clear about the case 

for choosing the UK — pointing to 

what he argues is an unrivalled 

mix of low costs, quality and high 

standards of service and support 

to owners and operators. 

‘Every owner is concerned 

about costs,’ he says, ‘but we are 

among the most competitive on 

costs, being one of the few flags 

with no annual registration fee. 

The UK considers that security 

is the responsibility of the flag, 

so we do not charge owners for 

any ISPS surveys, security audits 

or security plan approvals. You 

can’t imagine this with any other 

flags.’ 

In fact, UKSR claims to be 

cheaper than many other flags. 

Remarkably, registering a ship of 

any size under the red ensign 

(an initial fee of £124 and a fiveyearly 

renewal fee of £49) is less 

than the cost of taxing an average 

car for a year or paying for the 

annual TV licence (£145). 

The drive to revive the UK 

Ship Register following its huge 

decline during the 1980s and 90s 

appears to be working. The fortunes 

of the UK flag have been 

restored during the past decade 

— with tonnage on the UKSR 

rising from 6.5m gt in 2001 to 

some 1,430 ships totalling more 

than 18.2m gt today. There are 

now more than 300 shipowners 

using the flag, which is the world’s 

eleventh largest, and Debasis is 

Debasis Mazumdar joined the Maritime & Coastguard Agency in 2004, 

following an 11-year seagoing career that included service with Norway’s Wilh. 

Wilhelmsen Group (Barber Ship Management) and Ravenscroft Shipping Inc, 

USA. He rose to the rank of chief engineer officer, and went on to spend 

targeting owners in such countries 

as Germany, Japan and 

Singapore in the push to attract 

new vessels. 

However, previous targets for 

annual fleet growth have been 

dropped. Debasis says this 

removes the risk of excessive 

pressures to add ships at all costs, 

keeps a decent balance between 

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The head of the UK 

Ship Register tells the 

Telegraph how he is 

seeking to grow the flag 

while simultaneously 

keeping standards 

high… 

10 years as a senior surveyor with the ABS classification society. After serving 

as surveyor/PSC Inspector and lead auditor in the MCA’s Cardiff office, he was 

promoted to head of ISM and ISO certification in 2009 before taking over the 

post of head of the UK Ship Register in June 2011. 

ship numbers and surveyor 

numbers, and ultimately enables 

the UK to hang on to its quality 

tag. 

He is quick to squash any 

w 

One of aims of attracting 

new tonnage is 

to bring down the 

average age of the UK fleet. The 

143-year-old Cutty Sark is one 

of some 88 ships on the register 

which are aged over 50 — including 

eight ships over 100 years 

old — and Debasis says he hopes 

there will ultimately be a separate 

register for historic vessels. However, 

unlike some flags, UKSR does 

not have an age limit to flag in — 

on the grounds that old does not 

necessarily mean unsafe. 

Debasis says much of his work 

involves persuading owners that 

the UK flag is not a bureaucratic 

nightmare and that regulatory 

‘gold plating’ is no longer applied. 

The UKSR strategy places a premium 

on ‘customer service’ — 

with owners being given 24/7 

access to customer account managers 

and duty surveyors. 

UKSR promotional material 

stresses that there are no nationality 

requirements for UK-flagged 

vessels. How does Debasis respond 

to concerns that Britishregistered 

ships can operate with 

no British seafarers onboard 

The UK seeks to uphold standards 

by ensuring that certificates 

are accepted only if they are 

issued by one of the 48 administrations 

accepted by the UK, he 

points out, and the system for 

issuing certificates of equivalent 

competency is stricter than ever. 

‘We are trying to encourage 

young people in the UK to come 

into the shipping industry,’ he 

adds, ‘and the tonnage tax scheme 

requires owners to employ British 

cadets.’ 

w 

Is he worried about the 

suggestions that the UK could be 

recent International 

classed as a flag of convenience. 

‘We are trying to promote the 

flag, but we will never compromise 

on quality. We have more 

than 130 qualified surveyors/ 

auditors, which is rare to find in 

any flag state,’ he argues. 

Before ships are accepted, 

extensive checks are made to 

examine their history and the 

record of their owners and managers. 

UKSR uses an internal 

‘matrix’ system to assess potential 

risk factors, and if vessels fail 

to make the grade in a pre-flag-in 

Chamber of Shipping 

advice to owners to consider exiting 

the flags of countries which 

have not ratified the Maritime 

Labour Convention 

‘Everyone here is very ready 

for the MLC,’ he replies. ‘All our 

surveyors are trained for the MLC 

and we have everything in place 

for it — we are just waiting for the 

ratification by the government. 

The UK already has the ILO Conventions 

178 and 180 in place 

through existing ILO audits, so 

the MLC is only a little bit extra 

inspection, their owners are for us.’ 

advised on repairs and a ‘flagging 

in panel’ of experts is brought in 

to make the final decision. 

Flag choice is now a complex 

issue, Debasis argues, and it is 

important to engage with all 

those who have a role in the 

The UK has been one of process of determining a ship’s 

the top five perform- 

countries in the Maritime & Coastguard Agency’s 

registration. So, under the 

wing 

European port state control 2011-15 business plan, UKSR is 

‘league’ table for the past decade 

and is also on the US Qualship21 

scheme by the US Coast Guard. 

now committed to a strategy to 

attract more ships through dialogue 

with owners and managers, 

Debasis says this provides major shipyards, financiers, brokers, 

benefits for owners, as it reduces 

the rate at which their ships are 

inspected. 

But he notes that it also 

serves as a ‘virtuous circle’ for 

UKSR, which needs to maintain 

the minimal detention and deficiency 

rates if it is to remain a 

‘whitelist’ flag. As well as seeking 

to keep the register reserved for 

quality tonnage, UKSR will seek 

to defend its record by, in some 

cases, challenging other port 

state control authorities if it 

considers that UK flag ships have 

been unjustly detained. 

charterers and insurers. 

The choice of flag has become 

more critical than ever before, 

Debasis points out, because new 

inspection regimes are exerting 

real pressure on poor-performing 

ships and owners, operators 

and charterers who use sub 

standard flags face a growing risk 

of their ships being targeted for 

checks. 

‘Port state control is putting 

the flag more and more into the 

limelight,’ he adds. ‘If you have 

London written behind your ship, 

half your worries are gone...’


SUPERYACHT CODE 

New yacht code is 

start of MLC in UK 

O 

The Large Yacht Code version 3 (LY3) 

incorporates the crew accommodation 

requirements of the Maritime Labour 

Convention 2006 (MLC), even though the UK 

government has not yet completed work on 

legislation which is needed for ratification. 

The MCA’s Yacht Codes have become the 

universally accepted standards for yachting, and the 

Agency has launched the new code to ensure that it is 

available in time for yacht designers to make changes 

before the MLC comes into force next year. 

‘We’ve been working with the tripartite working 

group, which includes Nautilus International, to 

establish substantial equivalents to MLC for yachts,’ 

Mr Coley explains. 

‘We all endorse the idea of improved standards 

for seafarers, in particular in crew accommodation, 

but in terms of design and operation the MLC didn’t 

really work for yachts,’ he adds. 

‘Unlike other vessels, yachts can be laid up in ports 

for long periods of time, and even when working they 

tend to go from port to port allowing a lot of time for 

shore leave which other sectors can lack.’ 

The MCA has therefore devised the new code with 

substantial equivalents to allow for the benefits of 

MLC to be incorporated without jeopardising the 

industry. It was launched at the Monaco Yacht Show 

in order to target yacht designers and builders so 

that they could begin working now on compliance 

for yachts that will be delivered after the MLC comes 

into force. 

It covers the design of yachts and the substantive 

equivalents to MLC that are permitted. All other 

requirements of MLC, including those which relate 

to crew terms and conditions of employment, will 

be covered by it and inspected on the same basis as 

other vessels. 

The updates to the code were completed some 

time ago but government policies, including the ‘red 

tape challenge’ designed to cut regulations, led to the 

launch being delayed. 

‘However, it was clear that the industry really 

wanted these new standards published as soon as 

Charles Boyle addresses the audience at the launch 

The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) launched 

the updated Large Yacht Code at the recent Monaco 

Yacht Show, Debbie Smith speaks exclusively to Paul 

Coley, MCA assistant director for ship standards, to 

find out how the code has changed… 

The Monaco Yacht Show is one of the largest events in the Superyacht calender Pictures: Frances Howorth 

possible so that they had alternative options for 

complying with the MLC when it comes into force,’ 

Mr Coley notes. ‘That lobbying from industry and on 

behalf of seafarers, helped to convince ministers that 

publishing this code now was the right thing to do.’ 

Mr Coley believes that the government’s policy of 

not over-burdening the industry with regulation has 

not adversely affected the MCA or the development 

of LY3. 

‘I think the MCA has come out of the process quite 

well,’ he suggests. ‘We have managed to come up with 

some areas for deregulation, but we were also able to 

point out that the MLC is necessary and something 

that the industry and seafarers want.’ 

The MCA also understood that as well as pressure 

from UK companies to publish the code, there was 

demand from other countries who traditionally look 

to the MCA’s Large Yacht Code to adopt their own 

standards. 

‘We hope that this code will set the benchmark 

worldwide,’ explains Mr Coley. ‘We hope that other 

countries will look to our code and see how to 

incorporate our ideas in to their requirements. We 

would be happy for other countries to use these 

standards as they have been presented to the 

International Labour Organisation (ILO) and have 

the support of our social partners which we think is a 

good endorsement.’ 

The code is voluntary until the MLC comes into 

force on 20 August 2013. It incorporates updates from 

SOLAS and MARPOL, as well as MLC requirements 

for crew accommodation. It removes the upper 

limit of 3,000gt, and other major updates include 

new guidance on: 

zradio requirements 

zcarriage of submersibles 

zpolar operation 

zracing operations 

zlift installations 

zacceptable rescue boat location 

zsailing rig requirements 

zacceptable underwater light fittings 

The MCA will monitor all requests for substantive 

equivalents to the requirements for crew 

accommodation, and the Agency has been working 

closely with the industry and Nautilus to ensure 

that crew are able to work in a safe and comfortable 

environment without driving owners away. 

‘Some of the designers have told us before that 

they also have concerns about having to squash crew 

into small areas,’ Mr Coley continues. ‘They have 

had to work to minimum standards that we have 

already had in place. They have welcomed the details 

in the LY3 as a workable solution which will also give 

a level playing field. 

‘It is a practical solution, not something that will 

make building new yachts simply not viable.’ 

One of the MCA’s major concerns with 

implementing the MLC in its entirety was the 

possible impact on the industry if too much space 

was lost. 

‘There needed to be recognition about how yachts 

operate, how many people are living on them, and 

the fact that it is down to the owners whether or not 

Paul Coley at the launch of LY3 Picture: Debbie Smith 

to spend money on a luxury superyacht,’ Mr Coley 

says. 

‘They are buying them for pleasure, so they may 

decide that the crew has too much space compared 

to them and then simply go to a hotel instead where 

they have everything they want. 

‘It was very important not to kill the industry,’ 

he adds. ‘It provides an enormous amount of jobs, 

especially when you include all the support services. 

We want to ensure that it can remain buoyant.’ 

It is certainly a balancing act, but the MCA believes 

it has brought the right people around the table 

and ended up with the right solution and the best 

standard. 

O 

At the official launch event at the yacht show, 

Mr Coley told the audience that the new 

code retains the original purpose of ensuring 

that safety standards in the superyacht industry 

keep pace with international shipping regulations, 

but also keep pace with owner requirements. 

‘The MCA believes this code is a reasonable 

standard, the right standard, and we would like 

to see it adopted as the benchmark for worldwide 

yachting,’ he said. 

Mr Coley also thanked the Union for its part in 

working with the MCA on the new code, along with 

other social partners. 

‘Nautilus have been working closely with us on all 

aspects of the MLC and have been very helpful and 

cooperative in helping us come up with appropriate 

standards,’ Mr Coley added. He also invited Nautilus 

head of legal services Charles Boyle to speak about 

how the Union can support crew in ensuring they 

have all the contractual requirements of MLC in 

place before it comes into force. 

‘Nautilus International has been heavily 

involved with the MCA in developing UK policy 

for the implementation of the convention,’ Mr 

Boyle said. ‘We are primarily concerned with crew 

accommodation standards and ensuring that 

substantial equivalents are not used to weaken the 

requirements to an unacceptable level.’ 

Mr Boyle highlighted the employment rights 

requirements which will be introduced under MLC. 

‘Shipowners and crewing agents must meet 

certain standards including having insurance and 

indemnities in place for issues such as repatriation 

and personal injury. Crewing agents must also have 

proper contracts of employment and this should 

end the terrible situations some crew members find 

themselves in with non-payment of wages. 

‘This is something that Nautilus International 

can certainly help with, as we have been working on 

terms and conditions for seafarers for over 150 years,’ 

he concluded. 

gCopies of the Large Yacht Code 3 can be ordered from 

the MCA by emailing large.yachts@mcga.gov.uk or calling 

the Ensign office on +44 (0) 191 496 9917. 

They can also be downloaded from the MCA website 

at www.dft.gov.uk/mca, which also contains a list of LY3 

main changes from LY2. 

jobs-at-sea.com 

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MARITIME SECURITY 

L 

The Gulf of Guinea is an 

important trade route 

for Africa and is critically 

important to global energy 

security. On average, 30,000 

ships transit this area a year and 

countries such as Nigeria, Angola, 

Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, 

the Republic of Congo and Ghana 

exported 5.1m barrels per day 

(mbd) of oil in 2007 — a figure projected 

to rise to 6.4mbd by 2030. 

Gas production and exports, 

largely as LNG, are also expected 

to grow, with exports increasing 

from 36bn cubic metres (bcm) in 

2006 to 163bcm in 2030. 

However, threats to maritime 

security continue to impact on 

global and regional trade, with an 

increase in insurance and operating 

costs for shipping. Specific 

threats to maritime security in the 

region — in addition to illegal oil 

bunkering — are narcotics, weapons 

and people smuggling, illegal 

unreported and unregulated 

fishing, armed robbery at sea and 

piracy, and toxic waste dumping. 

It is estimated that US$5 to $8bn 

a year of oil revenues to national 

treasuries in West Africa are currently 

being lost as a result of illegal 

oil bunkering. Nigeria alone 

loses $60m annually to illegal 

fishing and over $1bn of cocaine 

is estimated to transit through 

the region each year. Much of this 

illegal activity is organised crime 

and is being carried out partly due 

to a lack of maritime capacity and 

capability. 

The business model for armed 

robbery at sea and piracy off West 

Africa is basic but effective. Criminals 

board vessels and focus on 

stealing personal possessions, 

and organised gangs target merchant 

vessels and their valuable 

cargo (particularly petroleum and 

LNG). 

Centre for Peace and 

Reconciliation Studies - 

CPRS Coventry University 

Online MA in 

Maritime Security 

CPRS is launching a new Online MA in Maritime Security 

in December 2012. 

Candidates can gain this unique and valuable postgraduate 

qualification in one year studying in two short workshops 

and on the internet. 

The programme meets the needs of professionals in the maritime 

security domain, such as shipping, security, law, insurance, 

development, international relations and naval diplomacy. 

Topics include: law of the seas; the land-sea nexus; piracy and 

other maritime crime; port security. 

Candidates for the programme will typically have six years of 

advanced work experience in areas related to maritime security. 

Such experience may be accredited to gain 120M credits, 

providing advanced entry to the programme. 

For further information please contact 

Dr James A. Malcolm, Lecturer in Maritime 

Security: 

e-mail: james.malcolm@coventry.ac.uk 

tel: +44 (0) 24 7688 8444 

Details are also available online at the 

following link: www.coventry.ac.uk/cprs 

Royal Fleet Auxiliary chief officer DAVID 

EAGLES, currently appointed to the 

staff of the First Sea Lord in the Ministry 

of Defence in London, looks at how 

the Royal Navy and RFA are working to 

support initiatives to improve maritime 

security off the coast of West Africa… 

These attacks can take place 

alongside, inshore, in territorial 

waters and up to around 100-150 

miles offshore. They are often 

more violent than those seen 

in the Indian Ocean and 2012 

has seen a rising trend of organised 

attacks in which petroleum 

products are illegally bunkered 

through ship-to-ship transfer 

before the ship and crew are eventually 

released. 

The region is also becoming 

an increasingly important hub 

for human traffickers to and from 

South America and the Caribbean, 

and to Europe, as well as a major 

narcotics smuggling route from 

South America to Europe. 

Increased use of narcotics in 

the region is contributing to a rise 

in crime and insecurity. 

The UK plays a leading role 

in the efforts of the G8 peacekeeping/peace-building 

group 

to better coordinate the work of 

international partners to avoid 

duplication of effort, optimise 

resource management and to 

have greater influence. Specifically, 

the UK (through the Foreign 

Office and MoD) is working closely 

with the Economic Community 

of West African States (ECOWAS) 

to develop a regional integrated 

maritime strategy — perhaps 

the single biggest requirement to 

improve security in the region. 

The UK has supported US-led 

work to establish a memorandum 

of understanding (MOU) between 

the Economic Community of 

Central African States (ECCAS) 

and ECOWAS to work together on 

maritime security. 

In Angola, the UK is looking to 

work alongside the Gulf of Guinea 

Commission engaging with 

the maritime security agenda. 

This engagement is particularly 

relevant as Angola holds the 

presidency of the IMO Maritime 

Organisation of West and Central 

African States (MOWCA). 

In partnership with industry, 

the UK is working with regional 

and international partners to 

build regional capacity by establishing 

a Gulf of Guinea Maritime 

Trade Information Sharing Centre 

(MTISC) located in Ghana. The 

MTISC will provide regional states 

with an awareness of their maritime 

domain and the capability to 

take action to address threats and 

exploit opportunities using existing 

resources. 

British and international military 

advisory training teams are 

provided to Nigeria and Sierra 

Leone to assist with training and 

development. The UK is funding 

a maritime infrastructure project 

in Sierra Leone which will provide 

a suitable training platform as 

part of a programme to build maritime 

interdiction capacity, and 

the UK has also supported Coast 

Guard training in Cameroon and 

has contributed more than £2m to 

a US-led project in Nigeria to build 

a radar network along the coast to 

improve national maritime surveillance 

and information capability. 

The UK supports the industryled 

initiatives to produce a selfprotection 

guidance document 

(similar to Best Management 

Practice off the coast of Somalia) 

specific to the Gulf of Guinea. 

From 2012, driven by an 

increasing focus on maritime 

security in the Gulf of Guinea and 

also as a reflection of the concerns 

of the shipping community, the 

Royal Navy is looking to provide 

a more regular, more integrated 

and more focused engagement 

across the region. This will be in 

addition to the existing training 

and engagement with the region 

that sees interaction with young 

officers at Britannia Royal Naval 

College in Dartmouth and broader 

Vessel boarding training at the start of the west Africa deployment 

maritime and staff training at the 

Maritime Warfare School at HMS 

Collingwood and the Defence 

Academy at Shrivenham. 

L 

All nations are experiencing 

a stretch of 

resources to provide 

ships to their required commitments 

across the world. Therefore 

opportunities are being taken to 

integrate the RN presence off West 

Africa with, in particular, our US 

and French partners. By folding 

elements of the UK training and 

engagement in the region with 

the US Africa Partnership Station, 

a coordinated and coherent 

approach to capacity building of 

the regional maritime forces is 

ensured. 

This approach has been validated 

throughout the summer 

of 2012 with HMS Dauntless and 

RFA Gold Rover deployed to the 

Gulf of Guinea supporting UK 

strategic objectives while providing 

training folded under the 

coordination of the US Africa 

Partnership Station. Once Dauntless 

and Gold Rover had moved to 

their next operational tasking, a 

French Naval unit was on station 

in the Gulf of Guinea to maintain 

a watching brief across the region. 

Following on from the UK 

Naval presence this summer, a 

further UK warship and RFA will 

be operating off the coast of western 

Africa later this year and the 

region will again be patrolled by 

a UK presence next year, coordinated 

with the US Africa Partnership 

Station and regional partners. 

Highlights of the Dauntless 

and Gold Rover patrol included: 

zthe first RN visit to western 

Ghana for 18 years to build on a 

visit late last year by HRH The 

Princess Royal. This enabled UK 

strategic interests to be projected 

across the region to support UK 

industry and develop relationships 

with the Ghanaian Navy 

zDauntless hosted a UK Foreign 

Office-organised maritime 

security seminar involving key 

regional stakeholders. It was also 

attended by IMO and OCIMF 

and made significant progress 

towards delivering the Maritime 

Trade Information Sharing Centre 

(MTISC) initiative to the region 

zthe first RN visit to Ivory Coast 

for 10 years 

z10% of the Ghanaian Navy was 

hosted and engaged with Dauntless, 

along with 25% of the Ivorian 

Coast Guard/Navy 

zin Angola, the ships hosted 

a Chatham House-organised 

maritime security seminar 

including the Luanda-based Gulf 

of Guinea Commission. This key 

element of the regional maritime 

security infrastructure was 

engaged by the IMO and ECO- 

WAS to look to develop Angolan 

engagement with the maritime 

security issue. Chatham House 

is planning a follow-up event in 

London to further develop the 

progress made 

zThe presence of Dauntless in 

Luanda and the warmth of her welcome 

proved very useful levers in 

securing an improved Angolan/ 

UK defence relationship 

This deployment of HMS 

Dauntless and RFA Gold Rover 

clearly demonstrated that in a 

comparatively short period, a 

warship and accompanying RFA 

can imprint themselves on a large 

proportion of the local maritime 

infrastructure and maritime 

forces and generate real impact 

and effect — delivering support 

to government, industry and IMO 

initiatives to improve maritime 

security in the Gulf of Guinea. 

These initiatives are set to continue 

into 2013 and beyond. 

gA longer version of this article is 

available on the Nautilus website.


MARITIME WELFARE 

Making the 

case for 

17 

16 

21 

8 5 5 332 

10 

12 

23 

86 

91 

Concerns raised 

by clients: 

Benefits 91 

Grants 86 

Independent living 23 

Housing 21 

Pensions 17 

Social inclusion 16 

Debt 

12 

Consumer 10 

Health 8 

Social care 5 

Legal 5 

Employment 3 

Bereavement 3 

Other 2 

Caseworkers 

The caseworker project was any issues, including health and wellbeing, 

and then refer them to GPs, 

Ilaunched in September 2010 

with funding from the Maritime health workers, financial institutions 

Charities Funding Group (MCFG) — 

and the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society 

and Liverpool Seafarers’ Centre were 

joint partners in the pilot project. By 

June 2012 it had helped 165 former 

Merchant Navy seafarers (and their 

dependants) in Merseyside access over 

£130,000 in benefit entitlements and 

grants. It generated a staggering £5 for 

ex-seafarers for every £1 spent. 

‘The starting point for this work 

was about trying to find hidden former 

MN seafarers who weren’t known 

to maritime charitable services and 

therefore might not know what support 

they were entitled to,’ explained Mick 

Howarth, Nautilus welfare services 

manager. 

‘We have reported back to the 

funders that we managed to help 

165 people claim around £130,000 

in financial support, as well as 

signposting individuals to other health 

and social care support. Over a third 

of the people we reached had never 

been in contact with a maritime charity 

and much of the money is long-term 

income. The project was definitely a 

success!’ 

And it’s not just Mick who is hailing 

the success of the project — the 

beneficiaries themselves are full of 

praise for the support they received. 

‘I would like you to know how much 

I appreciate all your help and hard work 

or other maritime charities for support 

services.’ Mick explains. 

‘By far the most common problems 

were financial issues, although not 

necessarily debt related — almost twothirds 

of people had a range of financial 

concerns. 

‘Some people were not aware of 

what they could claim for and some 

couldn’t get through the paperwork 

themselves. There are problems 

associated with living alone, on a low 

income and with health problems,’ he 

adds. ‘Ex seafarers can get into a “spiral 

of decline”, cut off from other services 

and from society itself.’ 

In these instances the caseworker 

was able to take the time to sit down 

with the former seafarers, work out 

what they were entitled to, and help to 

complete the forms. The caseworker 

also assisted with applications for state 

benefits and grants from charities, 

including from the Nautilus Welfare 

Fund, and advised about additional 

services such as the Seafarers Link 

telephone project to help them 

re-engage in society. 

‘The home visit, or at the very 

least a face to face meeting, was vital 

to be able to fully evaluate a client’s 

situation,’ Mick explains. ‘These visits 

are obviously time-consuming and the 

safety of the caseworker needs to be 

considered, but the benefits greatly 

on my behalf,’ said one. ‘The successful 

conclusion could not have happened 

without your help.’ 

Breakdown of 

‘My daughter has been telling me to financial gain 

claim this for years, but I couldn’t face 

the form. Thank you so much for your to beneficiaries 

help,’ added another. 

Others thanked the staff for simple through the 

things like ‘being able to sleep better’ caseworker 

because of the guidance and support 

they received. 

project 

The project has proved so successful 

that the Nautilus Welfare Fund has 

agreed to provide the resources for 

a caseworker in Merseyside beyond 

the life of the original project and is 

looking to extend it to other regions 

where there are large numbers of 

ex-seafarers. 

Attendance Allowance 

Housing Benefit 

Pension credit 

Council tax benefit 

Carers allowance 

Disability Living Allowance 

£49,322 

£16,986 

£5,554 

£2,986 

£2,876 

£1,016 

The casework model involved 

Pensions (occupational) £15,500 

a ‘holistic’ approach to supporting 

former seafarers, where the 

Nautilus regular grants £13,347 

caseworker would sit down with them Nautilus one-off grants £13,829 

and discuss all their possible needs 

one-to-one, rather than assuming that 

Grants (other maritime charities) 

£7,912 

a charity — however focussed on the 

Grants (other charities) £545 

needs of ex seafarers — instinctively 

knew what was best. 

Consumer refunds £463 

‘Following these conversations the 

caseworker would be able to identify 

Debt reduction £144 

outweigh the concerns. 

‘On numerous occasions the 

real issue, or its root cause, was not 

discovered until well into a visit, when 

the client was feeling comfortable with 

the caseworker — and it was often 

clear that the seafarer benefited from 

the chance to talk and have social 

interaction with the caseworker.’ 

Social interaction was identified 

as one of the objectives for the 

project from the outset, as social 

isolation is known to have a number of 

detrimental effects for older people. 

Nearly 10% of former MN seafarers 

visited by a caseworker went on to take 

up a new activity such as attending 

coffee mornings at Mariners’ Park, 

or events organised by the retired 

Liverpool Merchant Seafarers. 

The caseworker project has been 

Iso successful that the MCFG has 

agreed to extend its funding until the 

end of the year, which will allow the 

Welfare Fund to put in a bid to Seafarers 

UK for a longer-term and more 

geographically spread project. 

‘We will keep it going in Merseyside, 

but also send out the message to other 

areas that it works here so it might work 

in other areas with large seafaring 

communities,’ Mick adds. 

‘We are initially targeting Grimsby 

and Hull, and Southampton and 

Portsmouth. We hope to have three 

caseworkers covering these areas, 

including Merseyside, with a senior 

case worker supervising. I hope we 

will see the same levels of success in 

those areas. We have learnt a lot in the 

last two years so we hope to be able to 

make some small changes which will 

make the future even more successful.’ 

The Nautilus Welfare Fund has 

pledged to fund the Merseyside 

caseworker. The Merchant Navy 

Welfare Board has generously 

promised office accommodation 

support in Southampton, and the 

Fisherman’s Mission the same for the 

project in Grimsby/Hull. 

‘We are putting our money where 

our mouth is and we are delighted that 

other people are willing to support us 

as well. It is an excellent example of 

maritime charities working together,’ 

concludes Mick. 

‘We have already managed to make 

every £1 spent on the project become 

£5 for retired merchant mariners and 

that money will keep on being received, 

so the ratio will continue to grow. 

‘If we continue to expand the 

project and continue to get, or even 

improve on, £5 for every £1 think of how 

much money retired mariners could be 

receiving in 10 years’ time!’ 

A visit in the life of a caseworker 

H 

Mr A heard about the casework project on radio 

Merseyside. Caseworker Cathy Tester visited Mr 

A at his home, a house on a cul-de-sac close to Everton 

football ground. 

‘Mr A has poor mobility, can only walk short distances 

and relies on his car to get around,’ explains Cathy. 

‘However, on street parking is at a premium in his 

neighbourhood and impossible on match days. The 

majority of Mr A’s neighbours had paid the council to have 

the kerb dropped outside their homes and were utilising 

their front gardens for parking. Mr A, who had retired 

early because of his health, had enquired about doing the 

same, but was unable to meet the cost. 

‘When I met Mr A he looked ill and anxious; he 

described the problem as “eating away” at him as every 

time he went out he didn’t know whether he would be 

able to park nearby on his return. On many occasions he’d 

had to park a few streets away and had struggled to get 

back to his house. 

‘I helped him make a successful application to The 

Nautilus Welfare Fund who were able to provide a grant to 

pay for the dropped kerb and work to the front garden to 

allow off street parking. He also applied for and received a 

regular grant to help with the cost of living. 

‘Mr A recently attended a coffee morning at Mariners’ 

Park, and I did not recognise him! He was sitting chatting 

to an ex-seafarer colleague that he’s not seen in years, 

and he looked happy, relaxed and years younger.’

24 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | November 2012 November 2012 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 25 

SAFETY AT SEA 

New alarm 

over ECDIS 

K 

Are electronic chart display and information 

systems (ECDIS) actually undermining 

standards of safety at sea Are seafarers 

getting proper training And is the equipment 

potentially fatally flawed 

These were some of the questions aired during a 

two-day conference in London last month. Owners, 

operators and seafarers raised the alarm over a wide 

range of problems that have undermined confidence 

in the equipment at a time when the compulsory carriage 

requirements are starting to be phased in. 

Opening the Marine Electronics & Communications 

conference, UK Hydrographic Office chief 

executive Rear Admiral Ian Moncrieff said digital 

navigation promised major advances in safety and 

efficiency — but the challenge was to ensure that seafarers 

were properly trained and supported to get the 

best out of the systems. 

‘Technology introduced to make work safer or 

more efficient can, and does, create new pressures 

and failure modes of its own that in turn lead to new 

types of accidents, often as a result of a failure to fully 

understand the “human factors” of the working environment 

and the complex interaction between man 

and machine,’ he pointed out. 

Chris Lowe, senior lecturer in simulation at Warsash 

Maritime Academy, warned that not everyone 

is convinced that ECDIS will improve safety. Training 

standards — especially those for type training 

— need to be tightened and procedures for using the 

equipment need to be enforced, he stressed. 

‘Anecdotal reports from ECDIS users tell of a large 

number of ships where the moving dot on the screen 

is believed implicitly and no other forms of navigational 

cross-checking are employed. If this is indeed 

the case, the overall training regime has broken down 

with the potential for dire consequences. 

‘We need to train people to operate ECDIS as they 

will at sea and the desired outcome should be that 

every deck officer is able to set up ECDIS correctly and 

understand what they are seeing,’ Mr Lowe said. 

But, he added, many systems are not userfriendly 

and there is a lack of common settings and 

Industry experts sounded 

warning signals last month 

over a range of problems 

which are undermining 

seafarer and shipowner 

confidence in electronic 

chart display systems… 

navigational menus — with some even using different 

terms to describe a guard zone. 

Mr Lowe said it is also essential that proper procedures 

are followed at sea. ‘If the atmosphere 

onboard is such that blind faith in the GPS and ECDIS 

is accepted, most officers will eventually forget all 

the cross-checking techniques that they have been 

taught and become lulled into a comfortable but 

dangerous sense of security,’ he warned. 

Simon Richardson, head of safety management 

at P&O Ferries, described the ECDIS performance 

standards as ‘deplorable’ and called for wider recognition 

of the failings. ‘The requirement for each 

officer to have equipment-specific training is expensive,’ 

he complained, ‘and the airline industry would 

laugh at us. We must recognise that some sort of 

standardisation is sensible and is the way forward.’ 

Capt Richardson said there were serious problems 

with alarms — which could often distract 

watchkeepers at the time when they needed to have 

the highest levels of concentration. 

He said the performance standard should set 

down a reversionary mode for ECDIS equipment. ‘It 

is incredible that we have a base display and a standard 

display that is not fit for navigation,’ he added. 

Shipowners will increasingly question the worth 

of ECDIS, Capt Richardson warned. ‘It’s costing a lot 

This was the question posed by Warsash Maritime Academy lecturer Chris Lowe in his 

presentation to the Marine Electronics & Communications conference last month 

of money, but we are not seeing any benefits. The 

equipment manufacturers have a moral obligation 

to provide good training for ships’ officers as it is not 

sustainable for companies to have to keep sending 

their officers to training courses.’ 

Bob Ball, from BP Shipping, described ECDIS as ‘a 

complete and utter minefield for the operator’. The 

four different systems used in his company’s fleet 

means four different types of procedures, he pointed 

out. 

‘Different manufacturers call the same thing by 

different terms and there is a real need for generic 

terms and standardisation,’ he added. ‘We know they 

want their unique selling points, but if it does the 

same thing it should have the same name.’ 

Captain Dominic Kapetanovic, marine operations 

manager with General Maritime Management, 

agreed that a change in culture is required. ‘ECDIS is 

a completely different concept and requires a completely 

different mindset,’ he added. 

Experience from implementation so far suggests 

that seafarer training needs to be significantly 

improved, he stressed. ‘The biggest challenges are 

equipment, procedures and training. We have to 

train people in the procedures, and not just in the 

hardware and software.’ 

Independent navigational consultant Alan Peacock 

warned of the ‘dangerous over-reliance’ upon 

global navigation satellite systems. The signals that 

ECDIS relies upon are vulnerable to such things as 

interference, spoofing, jamming and sun storms, he 

said. 

It is therefore essential that effective countermeasures 

and back-up systems are in place. ‘If you 

are going to work with GNSS denial, you must practise, 

you must have the right facilities and you must 

have the right training,’ Mr Peacock warned. 

K 

Captain John Dickie, secretary general of 

the International Federation of Ship Masters’ 

Associations, said the application of 

ECDIS at sea had raised some ‘disturbing’ questions 

and there are a growing number of individuals and 

organisations expressing concerns over the use of 

ECDIS as the sole means of navigation. 

‘When you arrive at a position where there is a 

request for all of the papers concerning ECDIS to be 

brought together to review the current status and 

formulate a way ahead, then there is a fundamental 

problem,’ he warned. 

Capt Dickie asked whether technology is running 

ahead of onboard operations — and should seafarers 

become experts in the systems that they have 

on their vessels. But only time will tell whether ships 

are carrying sufficient electrotechnical officers, he 

warned, and any further cuts in engineer numbers 

could make the situation impossible under current 

work and rest hour requirements. 

The issues are not simply restricted to ECDIS, Capt 

Dickie argued, and companies are going to need indepth 

expertise in a number of new areas that will 

be affecting their offices and fleets in the near future 

— including the Maritime Labour Convention, the 

application of the STCW 2010 amendments, and rule 

energy efficiency and ballast water regulations. 

‘What is the solution Does it lie in better training 

Is it the responsibility of maritime education and 

training colleges Is it the responsibility of the companies 

Or is it for the seafarer to ensure that they 

pay for and have the necessary pieces of paper that 

allow them to work onboard’ he asked. ‘In the current 

economic climate there needs to be a balanced 

approach that everyone can live with if these matters 

are to be resolved in a satisfactory manner.’ there are 

a growing number of individuals and organisations 

expressing concerns over the use of ECDIS as the sole 

means of navigation. 

Clear picture: concerns have been raised on such issues as standardised displays and terminology, training and operating anomalies Picture: UKHO 

Admiralty takes to the road 

with specialist workshops 

A global ‘roadshow’ of ECDIS workshops for seafarers came 

Dto London last month, giving users the opportunity to get 

expert advice about the transition to electronic charts. 

Organised by Admiralty, the sessions have been staged 

in various cities around the world over the past year and are 

presented by master mariners Paul Hailwood and Joe Collins as 

part of a drive to raise awareness and understanding. 

‘We started the transition to digital navigation in the early 

1990s, but the mandatory timetable is now focussing minds,’ 

Capt Hailwood pointed out. ‘When Admiralty looked at the 

issues, it was apparent that there is no single path to compliance 

and it is more like a meandering voyage. 

‘The constant cry for support is what we are trying to address,’ 

he added. ‘We are trying to give an objective view and advice 

on the areas that people find most interesting or challenging, 

such as the legal aspects and port state control and vetting 

procedures.’ 

The big issue for users is moving from the ‘what you see is 

what you get’ format of paper charts to the electronic chart 

systems in which information can be presented in very different 

ways, he explained. 

Many companies underestimate how long the transition to 

digital navigation will take, he said. ‘It’s crucial that they make 

every effort to fully understand what ECDIS compliance requires, 

and the key thing for the shipping industry is that it is not just 

about compliance with the regulations, but also about safety 

and efficiency. Seafarers can only do their job properly if they are 

given efficient systems.’ 

Capt Hailwood said he had been ‘virtually laughed off the 

stage’ at an early ECDIS conference when he suggested training 

would be needed — as the manufacturers had suggested that 

systems would be simple and intuitive. 

Now, however, training has taken a high priority — and 

port state control inspectors will be checking for documentary 

evidence that seafarers have undergone generic and type specific 

training, as well as familiarisation. 

With ECDIS coming under the ISM Code, it is importance that 

the competence of officers can be demonstrated, Capt Hailwood 

added, and risk management and risk assessments should be a 

key part of the development of an implementation strategy. 

Properly implemented, ECDIS could deliver important 

benefits, he argued. ‘It all comes down to using the system 

properly and understanding the limitations. The vast majority 

of incidents are caused by a lack of situational awareness and 

electronic charts should enhance situational awareness as there 

will be no more dashing to the back to put fixes on a paper chart.’ 

More must be done to make 

JECDIS a user-friendly system 

for seafarers, the head of the UK 

Hydrographic Office has told the 

Telegraph. 

Ian Moncrieff — a retired Rear 

Admiral — said it is clear there is 

a major challenge to introducing 

technology that delivers assurance 

and safety to seafarers, especially 

at a time of reducing crew levels, 

commercial pressures, and declining 

standards of seamanship. 

Mr Moncrieff — who served for 34 

years in the Royal Navy — described 

digital navigation as ‘a massive 

advance’ and said electronic charts 

have the potential to provide huge 

safety and efficiency benefits to the 

shipping industry. 

But, he warned, manufacturers 

and regulators need to stand in the 

shoes of seafarers if the systems are 

to succeed. ‘It is pointless producing 

something if you can’t use it properly,’ 

he added. 

‘The solutions need to be 

simple and intuitive to operate,’ he 

stressed. ‘There is a need to make the 

equipment much more reflective of 

the way in which seafarers actually 

work. It needs to be humanised and 

presented in a clear and coherent 

way.’ 

Mr Moncrieff said the shipping 

industry faces a massive task in 

training some 200,000 to 300,000 

officers over the next six years of the 

ECDIS implementation period. 

He said UKHO has launched a 

series of worldwide training initiatives 

as part of its ‘moral obligation’ to 

help seafarers get the most out 

of the equipment and to properly 

understand its capabilities, limitations 

and different operating modes. 

Its Admiralty wing has published 

manuals that aim to give clear and 

uncluttered advice to maritime 

professionals at sea and ashore — 

with what he describes as ‘top tips’ on 

using the equipment. 

‘We care deeply about the mariner 

and I am interested in the interface 

with what we produce,’ he said. ‘We 

don’t want to see people flounder. We 

need to go back to the original aim — 

to improve safety of navigation.’ 

Mr Moncrieff said the introduction 

of new technology can result in 

unintended consequences and it 

is clear that digital navigation will 

SAFETY AT SEA 

Industry needs 

to go back to 

the basics, says 

UKHO leader 

Ian Moncrieff says ECDIS 

systems should be more 

intuitive Picture: UKHO 

change the way in which ships are 

operated. However, he cautioned, the 

requirement for an understanding of 

core navigational principles remains 

as strong as ever. 

‘It must be emphasised that all 

these things are aids to navigation, 

that ECDIS is just one of the tools on 

the bridge, and mariners need to be 

cross-checking and correlating their 

information,’ he stressed. 

Mr Moncrieff said UKHO also faces 

a massive task in ensuring that the 

data used for electronic charts is up 

to date and reliable and it employs 

more than 550 people in its charting 

operations. ‘People trust an Admiralty 

chart and we are getting tens of 

thousands of pieces of information 

every day; and we check everything — 

not just soundings, but imagery such 

as new jetties or new features, depths, 

and positional marks,’ he added. 

Mr Moncrieff said he recognises 

the concerns of many seafarers over 

the lack of standardised ECDIS displays 

and a basic ‘S-Mode’ standard set-up. 

‘There is a frustration that there is a 

tacit recognition of something that 

might improve mariners’ confidence 

in the system,’ he added, ‘and it 

strikes me that it is something the 

professional navigation community 

should be hollering for…’ 

Captain Paul Hailwood explains ECDIS principles and problems 

We started the 

transition “ to digital 

Nautilus seeks action to address ‘anomalies’ 

navigation in the 

early 1990s, but 

Nautilus members have spoken of their worries about that particular attention has been paid to tackling ‘anomalies’ features like archipelagic sea lanes and particularly sensitive 

JECDIS — including problems with displays, settings and which have caused some ECDIS equipment to fail to display sea areas were unlikely to be displayed with the correct 

the mandatory 

‘operating anomalies’. 

certain significant features — including underwater hazards — symbology in any ECDIS older than two and a half years without 

Last month’s meeting of the Union’s professional and in the standard display mode. 

appropriate updates, and that some systems being used at sea 

technical committee discussed the issues that have caused 

Nautilus, through the International Federation of Ship will not detect and warn of a dangerous approach to land when 

timetable is now 

difficulties for masters and officers and received an update on Masters’ Associations, has brought this to the attention of the using small scale ENCs. Nautilus is also concerned about the 

the work being undertaken to address the problems. 

IMO by co-sponsoring papers with the main hydrographical performance of cheaper systems when it comes to anomalies, 

focussing minds 

And as a result of the discussions, the committee is urging nations, he added, and it is now possible for ships to receive Mr Graveson added. 

members and owners to check whether the equipment on their information using the world wide navigation warnings service In response to the problems, test datasets were developed 

Captain Paul Hailwood ” ships is in need of software updates. 

to broadcast anomalies. 

and distributed to help ships identify any problems. ECDIS 

Senior national secretary Allan Graveson told the meeting Concerns have been raised that the anomalies mean 

manufacturers have agreed to publish information on the 

International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) website about 

software updates to address some of the operating anomalies 

that have been identified with some older systems. 

A key issue which has emerged is the need for significant 

improvements to the way in which ECDIS software and systems 

are maintained and updated — including the development of a 

regulatory regime for software maintenance. 

Further talks are being held between industry 

representatives, manufacturers, regulators, data service 

providers, type-testing authorities, and seafarers’ organisations 

‘to consider what actions might still be required’.


COASTAL SHIPPING 

The proportion of 

UK freight being 

moved on water 

has slumped 

significantly in 

recent years. 

But some 

British ports are 

managing to 

boost shortsea 

shipping services. 

MIKE GERBER 

heard the success 

stories… 

BG Freight has expanded in recent years, adding new feeder services on routes linking the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and other parts of Europe Picture: Danny Cornelissen 

Shortsea success stories 

Some UK-based 

shortsea ship and port 

Moperators are thriving 

in the face of recession — and 

the scale of their success was 

highlighted at the recent Freight 

Transport Association/Freight by 

Water conference. 

PD Ports Unitised MD Frans 

Calje revealed some impressive 

statistics about the rise of 

warsash 

maritime academy 

New Full Mission Engine Room Simulator 

 

 

Engine Control Room 

Touchscreen controls to operate and 

monitor propulsion and auxiliary 

systems. 

Engine Room 

Interactive 3D work stations with a 46” 

monitor and 22” navigation panels to 

navigate a photorealistic engine room. 

 

Real switchboard, real circuit breakers 

and touchscreen monitor displaying 

emergency generator and battery 

back-up systems. 

Teesport. In 2005, Teesport 

handled about 150,000TEU 

before embarking on its 

‘portcentric’ freight by water 

strategy. 

Today, its container terminals 

alone account for about 300,000 

TEU. ‘If you overlay that with the 

ro-ro traffic we do, we handle 

about 420,000 to 450,000 TEU,’ 

Mr Calje told the meeting. 

Teesport, however, had to 

overturn initial resistance from 

the industry, he stressed. In 2006, 

the current chief executive, 

David Watson, approached the 

major shipping lines and urged 

them to use Teesport ‘because 

it’s a fantastic unitised gateway 

into the north of the UK’. 

The replies he got were 

disheartening, Mr Calje said. 

High Voltage Room 

Real 11kVA switchboard section with 

vacuum circuit breaker, HV cabling and 

connection box. 

 

Bridge console allows simulation of 

bridge controls, enabling instructors 

to play roles of Master and Bridge 

Watchkeepers. 

 

Very Large Crude Carrier 

Fast RoRo Ferry 

Cruise Ship 

For more information about the facility visit the dedicated section on our website: 

 

For course enquiries contact the course administrator: 

E. julie.thorne@solent.ac.uk T. +44 (0)1489 556174 

www.warsashacademy.co.uk 

Operators told him Teesport 

didn’t really work for them 

because they were very 

comfortable in Felixstowe and 

Southampton. 

‘So what used to happen, all 

the containers that used to be 

fed into the wider conurbations 

of the UK came in through 

the major two container ports 

then were roaded up,’ Mr Calje 

explained. ‘David persuaded 

Asda and Tesco to build major 

distribution centres in Teesport. 

So instead of all those lorries 

hitting the road to feed the wider 

distribution network, they were 

saving quite significant road 

miles and therefore carbon 

emissions and a lot of costs by 

putting most of those boxes from 

Felixstowe onto a feeder into 

Teesport. 

‘That makes so much more 

sense from a cost, environmental 

and logistics perspective.’ 

Through its logistics 

partnership with PD Ports, Asda 

is saving roughly £3m a year 

on transport, and a further 

12m road miles with associated 

significant CO2 savings. 

And as PD Ports business 

development director Geoff 

Lippitt explained, Teesport’s 

portcentric strategy and its 

connections with the renewable 

energy sector have created some 

1,000 jobs — both directly and in 

the wider community — and it 

is aiming to double that over the 

next five years. 

‘This year we brought into 

the business 13 apprentices to 

give them a second chance in life,’ 

Mr Lippitt added. 

‘They’re disadvantaged 

youngsters, and they’re now 

undertaking full-time jobs in 

Teesport.’ 

PD Ports was not just about 

Teeside, Mr Lippitt pointed 

out. ‘We are a national logistics 

and ports business, and the 

largest warehouse operation 

in Felixstowe. So that’s when 

we talk about our twin-port 

strategy. We’re the only 

northern port to feature in DP 

World [the projected London 

Gateway deepsea container 

port and logistics park] and 

Felixstowe’s feeder strategy for 

their marketing campaigns, 

and it’s probably fair to say that 

Container traffic at the port of Teesport has more than doubled since 2005 

these guys are going head to 

head in what I think is going 

to be a very strong battle for 

southern and base-port cargo, 

and we see ourselves in a strong 

position there. Our business 

is geared around feeder rather 

than deepsea business, and 

because we have that flexibility 

to work with multiple base ports, 

we think we have longevity to 

weather whatever storm that 

comes our way.’ 

M 

Another success story 

the conference learned 

about is that of BG 

Freight, a feeder shipping line 

in the Peel Ports Group that 

operates up the east coast of UK, 

on the Irish Sea, and now also 

between European mainland 

ports, including an Iberian 

service. 

‘What we’ve done in the last 

three or four years is expand our 

operation and grow our business 

to a point where we’ve added four 

new services, not only in the UK 

but other parts of Europe,’ John 

Hie, BG’s UK representative, told 

delegates. 

‘We use various vessels — 

some aren’t ours — and we’ve 

not fought our competitors, 

we’ve learned to work with them. 

We share slots, vessels, we even 

call at our competition’s berth in 

Dublin and Belfast, it just makes 

it work economically. And face 

facts, our customers and their 

customers, it all comes out of the 

same mix. 

‘So it made sense to us, when 

things started to get a little bit 

difficult in 2008 and 2009, to have 

intelligent conversations with 

our competitors to see how we 

could solve the problem, and work 

together, and it’s been working 

very successfully since then.’ 

He related an example of how 

feeder shipments were proving 

an eco-logistical boon for one of 

BG’s clients: ‘This particular tank 

movement was going by road 

down to Montoir [de Bretagne, 

in France] from the Rotterdam 

area and they were doing a 1,683 

km round trip; now it’s down to 

75km. They ticked the green box, 

we did the business, win-win for 

everybody. Often they want to 

establish their green credentials 

and you want to help them. That 

particular piece of business saved 

31,000 tonne-km off the roads.’ 

Announcing the launch 

of the FTA Freight by Water 

interactive online ports map, 

with filters for over 30 different 

commodity types, conference 

chairman Christopher Snelling 

commented: ‘If we can make 

people more familiar with water 

freight, there will be increased 

use, lower costs, more service, 

and as more shippers use water 

freight, more familiarity. I think 

when it’s seen as part of the every 

day, that it’s natural to make use 

of these modes.’


MEMBERS AT WORK 

A meeting of minds... 

ANDREW 

LININGTON 

speaks to Nautilus 

members who 

help to support 

vital seagoing 

scientific research 

into some of 

the biggest 

challenges of 

modern times 

c 

It’s not often that two 

Natural Environment 

Research Council ships 

are in port at the same time — and 

so it was extra busy in Southampton 

last month as the crews of the 

James Cook and Discovery loaded 

cargo, stores and equipment, 

and carried out training before 

departing on separate scientific 

missions in the Atlantic. 

It was also the closing of a chapter 

of NERC history — as it marked 

the start of the final expedition 

for the 50-year-old RRS Discovery, 

which is being replaced next year 

by a new £75m vessel currently 

under construction in Spain. 

‘This cruise is part of the Rapid 

Watch project which is investigating 

climate change by measuring 

Atlantic Ocean currents, and 

we will be collecting data from a 

series of moorings dotted across 

the Atlantic from the west African 

coast to the Caribbean. It’s a nice 

way for the ship to finish,’ said 

Discovery’s master, Captain Peter 

Sarjeant. 

During the 41-day voyage, 

Discovery will collect data from 

instruments at 30 different stations 

which record such factors 

as temperature, salinity, bottom 

pressure and the strength 

of the currents, from the surface 

to the ocean floor. The information 

is analysed by scientists and 

assessed against previous measurements 

to examine how the 

behaviour of the Gulf Stream may 

be affecting ocean currents and 

climate change. 

Discovery purser David Hartshorne 

looks forward to retirement 

The research vessel Discovery 

prepares for her final voyage 

All pictures: Andrew Linington 

Built at the Hall Russell yard in 

Aberdeen, Discovery underwent 

a major refit in 1992 which added 

new accommodation, new laboratories, 

new machinery and 10m to 

the length. But time has caught up 

with the ship, which lacks such key 

equipment as a multibeam echosounder 

and dynamic positioning, 

while the main propulsion 

motor is the one fitted at build. 

During Discovery’s halfcentury 

of service, the ship has 

helped to make major advances 

in oceanographic knowledge, 

supporting a wide range of scientific 

projects ranging from ocean 

floor survey to measuring ocean 

currents, monitoring climate 

change, and discovering new species 

around the globe. 

Capt Sarjeant — who also 

sailed on the final voyage of the 

RRS Charles Darwin in 2006 — 

joined NERC in 1999 following a 

seagoing career that began with 

Blue Star, included three years 

with the British Antarctic Survey, 

and service as mate/master on 

North Sea support vessels. 

‘It’s been a good career, and I 

have really enjoyed the survey 

work,’ he said. ‘You are not just 

going from A to B, but carrying scientists 

who are really enthusiastic 

about their work, and there can be 

a great sense of satisfaction when 

it all goes well.’ 

He says there have been lots of 

highlights — and one particularly 

good experience occurred during 

a mission off the coast of Chile. 

‘It was the whale mating season 

and there were lots of cruiseships 

coming out of Punta Arenas 

charging a fortune to watch them 

— while we were seeing these 

exceptional sights for free!’ 

Discovery’s purser/catering 

officer David Hartshorne was 

also starting his final voyage last 

month. ‘I came to sea in 1967 as a 

cadet purser on the Empress of 

Canada and here I am 45 years 

later — I can’t believe it,’ he said. 

David’s career also included 

time with Cable & Wireless, but 

he says Discovery has been a great 

ship to work on. ‘I’ll be very sad to 

see her go,’ he added. 

A few berths away, the crew of 

the RRS James Cook were also preparing 

to sail to the south Atlantic 

for the annual Atlantic Meridional 

Transect voyage — part of 

Your ticket 

to move on 

at sea 

Expanded fund gives up to £17,000 

support for certificate studies 

If you’re a Merchant Navy 

rating, electrotechnical officer 

or yacht crew member looking 

to move up the maritime 

career ladder, we may be able 

to help you… 

Named in honour of a former 

general secretary of the 

Union, the JW Slater Fund 

has helped more than 1,300 

seafarers with the costs of 

securing their certification 

since it was launched in 1997. 

Administered by Nautilus 

International, the scheme can 

provide assistance worth up to 

£17,000 to help ratings study 

for their first certificate. And 

now it has been expanded, to 

provide similar assistance for 

ETOs and yacht crew to gain 

STCW 2010 certification. 

There’s even a discretionary 

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those who successfully obtain 

an approved OOW certificate! 

The scheme provides help Nautilus International is now 

for selected UK-resident inviting applications for the 

applicants towards the costs 2012 Slater Fund awards.: 

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study for a certificate. website: www.nautilusint.org 

Captain Peter Serjeant of the Discovery 

Captain Bill Richardson of the 

James Cook 

a project which began in 1995 to 

conduct biological, chemical and 

physical oceanographic research 

over a distance of up to 13,500km. 

Captain Bill Richardson said he 

was looking forward to the voyage. 

‘The projects we are involved 

in can vary enormously and a voyage 

can be quite short or up to our 

maximum endurance of about 

50 days,’ he explained. ‘It is great 

not having a fixed run and to get 

involved in some really interesting 

projects.’ 

Capt Richardson — who joined 

NERC in 2010 after service with 

Cable & Wireless and Global 

Marine — said it is rewarding to be 

part of important research work. 

‘The bidding process for time 

onboard the ship is six years in 

advance, so some scientists have 

waited for ages to get a voyage and 

it means a huge amount to them. 

We have a great team onboard and 

the crew realise how critical it can 

Complete this form and send it to: 

be to their studies, and they work 

really hard to make it a success for 

them.’ 

His job has taken him from 

the north and south Atlantic, to 

the Caribbean, Antarctic, and 

Indian Ocean. Highlights for 

him have included research connected 

with the eruption of the 

Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland 

and deepsea ROV work which 

gave instant views of ‘incredible’ 

underwater features. 

Another ROV project looking 

at cold water coral sites off the 

Hebrides and NW Rockall Bank 

heightened his appreciation of 

the work being carried out by 

the scientists on his ship and 

increased his sense of the fragility 

of the marine environment. 

‘It was remarkable to see such 

amazing sites,’ Capt Richardson 

said, and it definitely changes 

your perceptions. When you 

see things like industrial fishing 

activities in remote locations in 

the southern oceans or find garbage 

in the nets in every single 

trawl you do at depths of up to 

4,000m, you understand how 

important it is that people should 

realise why the sea needs to be 

protected…’ 

Slater Fund, The Marine Society, 202 Lambeth Road, London SE1 7JW. 

I am over 20 years of age and a rating normally resident in the UK. 

Please send me details of the John Slater Award. 

Name: _____________________________________________________________________________ 

Address: ___________________________________________________________________________ 

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 

Email: _____________________________________________________________________________ 

This form is also available online at: www.nautilusint.org or email your name, 

address and request for Slater Fund details to: slater@ms-sc.org 

500


MNOPF OLD SECTION 

How 

many 

eggs can 

a basket 

hold 

Re the MNOPF Old section, I am 

reluctant to write — one old man can 

do very little. However, I wish to express 

my views. 

Placing all our assets in one 

insurance company is the same as 

putting all our precious eggs in one 

basket — 50 % is already deposited, 

the remainder under discussion. 

Over the past few years we have 

seen vast corporations collapse and 

governments powerless to act. Lehman 

Brothers, AIG comes to mind. 

It is easy to say our pension rights 

are covered by the FSA, and we have 

seen just how ineffective they have 

been. They may succeed, but it would 

take a long time. What are you going 

to put on the table with the knives and 

forks, promises Our trustees with 

MN representation are a much more 

effective management. 

Liquidating our assets at this time, 

just when markets are undecided 

because of the Euro crisis, Greece, Spain 

and Italy, the market at the lowest level, 

means our assets will be sold ‘cheaply’. 

Then there is the issue of MNOPF 

section 8.1. What about our next of 

kin — are Lucida plc going to give the 

promised half pension when the MN 

officer dies to the widow or widower 

Lastly, why all the rush Each 

remaining member can only become 

better off as we, the older ones, die off. 

would like to see it kept for issues of 

concern to real modern day seafarers. 

mem no 311621 

(a member for more than 55 years) 

What 

happened 

to 2009 

assurances 

I write to express my dismay and 

alarm at the Trustee’s proposal 

contained in Peter McEwen’s 

letter of 29 August, to convert 

assets (a group insurance policy) 

in the Old Section of the MNOPF, 

to individual insurance policies 

for each member and to wind up 

the fund. 

I am totally opposed to this 

proposition and am shocked that 

the Trustee should be seriously 

considering this strategy. 

Because of the composition 

of the Board of Trustees of 

the MNOPF — with half the 14 

nominated by the officers’ union 

— members have an affinity with 

the fund that is unique. 

The fund comprises a pool 

of assets and liabilities which 

are jointly owned by all the 

employers in the scheme. 

Responsibility for the pension 

fund is shared under a ‘last 

man standing’ structure which, 

MNOPF chief executive Andrew 

Waring says, is ‘one of the most 

secure pension arrangements in 

the UK’. For it to fail, the ‘last man’ 

or employer would have to ‘fall’, or 

become insolvent. 

As an individual insurance 

policy can only be less secure than 

our existing scheme, as stated 

by the chief executive, why then 

wind up the Old Section of the 

fund Why sever the relationship 

between members and the fund 

and at the same time take away 

protection under the employer 

covenant and ultimately the 

Pension Protection Fund 

When in 2009 the Trustee 

undertook its strategic 

review, members were given 

assurances that any insurance 

agreement ‘would not change the 

relationship between members 

and the MNOPF’. Peter McEwen, in 

his letter of 10 February 2009 to 

members, stated that: ‘I would like 

to make it clear that the Trustee’s 

intention to secure member 

benefits does not mean that the 

Old section would cease to exist. 

The Trustee fully expects the Old 

Section to continue.’ 

It is hugely disappointing the 

Trustee appears to be moving 

away from honouring those 

assurances. I, along with everyone 

I have spoken to, am opposed 

to the winding up proposal. We 

ask that the Trustee reviews its 

position, secures the remaining 

Old Section liabilities through a 

group policy and continues to pay 

benefits in the usual way through 

MNPA Ltd. 

H.G. LOANE 

Former NUMAST Council member 

Giving you a voice on your future 

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 

1 & 2 The Shrubberies, George Lane, South Woodford, London E18 1BD 

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

npa@nautilusint.org www.nautilusint.org 

Members are looking for answers on the future of their pension plans… Picture: Thinkstock 

Pension changes are 

happening too fast 

MNOPF members and pensioners 

have been well served for many years 

by the Fund rules. Rules that stipulate 

member representation on the Trustee 

board. 

We now have just one Union. 

Nautilus alone has the responsibility to 

appoint our trustees. 

In 2009 half the assets of the 

Old Section of the Fund were put in 

the hands of an insurance company 

called Lucida. At that time we were 

given assurances that taking out an 

insurance policy would not mean that 

the fund would be wound up. 

On 29 August 2012 the MNOPF sent 

letters informing us of their intention 

to take out another insurance policy 

with the remainder of the Old Section 

assets. This is scheduled to happen by 

the autumn — ie, very quickly. It is my 

I have received a letter from the 

MNOPF stating that the Old Section 

of the pension fund was to be 

transferred to Lucida plc, an insurance 

company. 

The terms and conditions were so 

good, says the chairman of MNOPF, 

we did not have to be told what they 

were. This was said at a previous 

meeting, and in fact we still do not 

know what the terms are. 

The MNOPF have arranged several 

venues where, presumably, this 

transfer is to be discussed, but how 

can we discuss it if we do not know 

what the terms and conditions are 

understanding that if and when this 

happens the Trustees would then be 

legally obliged to wind up the fund. 

Rule 31 of the fund calls for a 

majority of fund members to be in 

favour before the fund can be wound 

up. 

Many members have contacted 

me expressing their concern at the 

speed with which this is taking place. 

Another cause for concern is in regard 

to the recent revelations regarding the 

business ethics of the American parent 

company of Lucida. 

During the financial crash of 2008 

Lehman Brothers were able to transfer 

millions of pounds overnight, to its 

parent company in New York, filing for 

Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection the 

very next day, leaving no funds with its 

British subsidiary. 

They seem to be discouraging 

people from attending this meeting. 

They say it does not matter if they do 

not attend, travelling expenses will 

not be paid, you must register to find 

the address of the meeting. 

Presumably the Old Section of the 

pension fund will be transferred and 

our views will not be considered. The 

speed of the transfer indicates this to 

be the case. 

Possibly only the Old Section 

members of the fund will attend these 

meetings as it only affects them. I 

hope other members of the other 

sections will attend, as they will be 

Equitable Life pensioners, Icelandic 

Bank investors and Northern Rock 

shareholders are now all regretting 

at leisure that their interests were left 

solely in the hands of the FSA. 

MNOPF management, in 

presenting their proposals to perhaps 

1,000 members all at different 

locations around the country, may 

consider that there has been sufficient 

consultation to go ahead with their 

proposals. I am not sure that the 

pensions regulator would agree with 

them. 

Can the general secretary assure 

us that all 40,000 members of the 

MNOPF are properly consulted in the 

time-honoured way of a ballot, once all 

the facts are known 

DAVID ROWBOTHAM 

Former MNOPF Trustee 

Terms and conditions must be known 

presumably going after other sections 

in due course. 

I understand a court case set 

up by the MNOPF resulted in the 

companies who contributed to the 

MNOPF pension fund being financially 

responsible for the benefits of the 

fund. Is this a way of the shipping 

companies divesting themselves of 

this responsibility 

I would rather the fund was 

protected by several shipping 

companies than one insurance 

company. 

R.A. JOHNSTON 

MNOPF mem no 181441K


MNOPF OLD SECTION 

Peter McEwen explains the pension changes Picture: Colin McPherson 

Nautilus senior 

policy advisor 

Peter McEwen 

replies to members’ 

letters about 

proposed Old 

Section pension 

fund changes and 

gives an update on 

developments… 

Is your pension 

heading 

int 

the right ightdi 

direction The MNOPFT 

FTr 

Trustees es think hinkit 

it is 

I have been travelling 

Kthroughout the UK to meet 

hundreds of members at a series of 

Pension Forums, and have heard from 

hundreds more by email and letter. 

Nautilus provides half of the 

MNOPF Trustee Board and 

understands that members are 

concerned about the significant 

changes planned for the Old 

Section, and we therefore 

organised the forums, with the 

Fund, as an opportunity for 

members to provide their views 

and go over the ‘nuts and bolts’ of 

the plans. 

At the end of each forum 

meeting, most members had a 

clearer view of the extra security 

provided by the Trustee’s plans 

and were much more supportive 

of them. I’m pleased to say that 

three of the writers featured on the 

page opposite came to a Pension 

Forum meeting after initially 

getting in touch by letter, and I 

hope that they were reassured by 

what they heard on the day. 

For those scheme members 

who were unable to attend a 

Pension Forum meeting, I give 

below details of the main issues 

raised. 

Regarding letters and 

emails, I’m afraid I cannot 

respond individually to all of 

the communications received; 

and in any event it is better if all 

members share the information. 

So in addition to this article, a 

comprehensive summary of the 

comments and questions from 

members, with answers is going to 

all Old Section members. 

Wouldn’t it be possible for the 

FTrustee to continue as before to 

ensure the long-term security of the 

benefits in the Old Section 

Not with the level of security 

provided by the proposed 

insurance arrangements. The 

Trustee is not in practice able to 

rely (as it is in the New Section) on 

the participating employers to 

cover any actuarial deficits (like 

the £131m disclosed in the 2009 

Valuation) since the vast majority 

of the 3000+ companies who 

participated in the MNOPF from 

1937 have ceased to exist. It is not 

at all certain that those remaining 

could be required to cover the 

liabilities of the many that have 

gone. In addition the Trustee is 

not in practice able to rely on the 

Pension Protection Fund (set up 

under legislation), as to enter 

the PPF would require all of the 

employers to be unable to make 

possible deficit contributions. This 

is unlikely to be the case. Insurance 

companies are in a better position 

than the Trustee to manage risks 

on a large scale. 

Is it safe to invest all the Old 

FSection assets with insurance 

companies 

The answers to your 

pensions posers… 

Insurance companies are in a 

good position to provide security 

because they have access to 

additional sources of capital 

(not available to pension funds) 

and they have to have capital 

funding in the UK to cover the 

benefits. Insurance companies 

are regulated by the FSA and their 

solvency is checked each month. 

Often, if an insurer’s solvency 

margin looks to be getting weaker, 

the FSA will seek a merger with 

a larger company. In addition, 

the Financial Services 

Compensation Scheme is a 

government scheme which 

provides a level of protection for 

members’ benefits (similar to the 

PPF) in the unlikely event of an 

insurance company going out 

of business. 

Is Lucida plc being considered to 

Finsure the remaining liabilities 

Lucida has not made a bid to 

insure the remaining liabilities 

in the Old Section. The new 

provider has not yet been chosen 

to cover the remaining liabilities. 

The existing Lucida policy 

covering £600m of liabilities 

will remain in place, at least for the 

time being. 

Will members receive the 

Fsame level of benefits as they 

do currently; for example widow’s 

pensions and tax free cash 

There will be no material 

change to the basis of your 

pension provision. 

In particular, existing and 

future widows will continue to 

have benefits as now. The Trustee 

currently has discretion in a 

very small number of cases as 

to whether certain benefits are 

provided. If the Trustee’s plans 

proceed, these discretions will 

in the future be exercised by the 

insurer or insurers. The Trustee 

will ensure as far as possible that 

the insurer or insurers adopt the 

same practices as the Trustee. 

The insurer or insurers will also, 

in due course, apply their own 

factors in order to calculate certain 

benefits such as transfer values 

and tax-free lump sums to reflect 

changing conditions (economic 

or otherwise). The Trustee has 

undertaken similar reviews on 

previous occasions. 

Peter McEwen addresses the Belfast NPA forum 

Can members expect any 

Fpension increases 

The Old Section does not currently 

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: 

All aspects of self assessment 

100% Claims 

Non Resident Claims 

Completion of Income Tax returns 

A full Tax service for Mariners’ spouses, starting from £25 

Now including online filing for speedier settlement 

Annual Return ......................................................................................................... £195.00 inclusive of VAT at 20% 

No commission charged on refunds gained. 

OUR FEES ARE AS FOLLOWS: 

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: 

have sufficient assets to provide 

pension increases either from the 

assets or via an insurer. 

How will the ‘nuts and bolts’ of 

Fthe new arrangements work; 

for example how and when will the 

pension be paid and what will the tax 

arrangements be 

The Trustee will do whatever it 

can to ensure that the practical 

arrangements for payment of 

pensions cause as little disruption 

as possible for members. 

Who will members look to for 

Fsupport if they have individual 

insurance policies 

Members will be able to contact 

the helpline of the insurer or 

insurers that hold their policy (or 

policies) with routine queries, 

just as contact is made now with 

MNPA. The Nautilus Pensions 

Association will continue to 

provide support to any Old 

Section member. 

When might the changes 

Fcoming into effect 

The precise timing of this exercise 

is uncertain; however, given the 

right circumstances, the policy 

could be in place by the end of 

this year. The Trustee will write to 

members again with more details 

as matters progress. 

MNOPF Old Section members 

are understandably vigilant over 

any changes that could have a 

bearing on their livelihood, and 

I would like to emphasise that 

the motivation for the changes 

is to provide greater security for 

your pension. You are more than 

welcome to get in touch with any 

remaining concerns — but please 

first read the detailed information 

being sent by the Fund. 

gFor more on the MNOPF Old 

Section changes, go to www. 

nautilusint.org and follow the 

link on the homepage. 

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 

Seatax 16 x 4.indd 1 6/12/10 11:04:50


OFFWATCH 

ships of the past 

by Trevor Boult 

The Orkney Islands, which lie to the 

Fnorth of mainland Scotland, form a 

complex archipelago and the local waters 

are renowned for their challenging tidal 

streams and their scenic glory. The interisland 

ferries, as well as being a vital lifeline, 

have always been integral to the way of life 

of the communities they serve. Their arrival 

was often the highlight of the day, each pier 

a focal point for activity and social 

interchange. 

Investment in new tonnage by the 

Orkney Steam Navigation Company during 

the late 1920s eventually saw the 

displacement of the veteran steamer 

Orcadia. The new Earl Thorfinn, which 

delivered ‘improved standards and 

commitment’, was joined later by the Earl 

Sigurd. Smaller and more basic than the 

Thorfinn, Sigurd nevertheless proved to be a 

sturdy little steamer. She also eventually 

brought to a close almost a century of steam 

propulsion to the North Isles. 

Up to 1963, when a one-class fare system 

was implemented, the second-class 

accommodation was a small saloon under 

the topgallant foc’sle, with little concession 

to decor or comfort. First-class boasted 

panelling, upholstered seats and a 

mahogany dining table. However, 

segregation was liberally interpreted by 

passengers and ship’s staff alike. The crew, 

apart from the officers, had a cramped 

triangular space in the lower foc’sle, accessed 

by steep companionway. 

Earl Sigurd backed up and relieved the 

Thorfinn as required. For many years she 

also operated a Friday ‘Round of the Islands’, 

which included the much longer and more 

difficult sailing to North Ronaldsay. Despite 

its relatively small size, this most northerly 

island of the Orkneys has generally had its 

own individual sailings. Its remote nature 

and exposed pier meant many cancellations, 

a source of frustration after a three-hour 

passage from Kirkwall only to find that 

deteriorated conditions made berthing 

untenable. 

Although these two new steamers 

provided a regular and reliable service in the 

1930s, there was discontent in the isles. 

Infrequent mail caused most complaints, 

sufficient to fuel threats of offering service 

competition to bid for the mail contract. In 

response, an enhanced schedule was soon in 

operation. 

The Earl Sigurd 

Sturdy little steamer for 

Orkney islands services 

By modern standards the ‘Earls’ would 

appear antiquated, but in their time they 

were considered the best that could be 

provided for the inter-island services. In 

their earlier days much of the cargo was 

manhandled, often being slid down a plank 

from pier to hold. Latterly more use was 

made of slings and nets. Lifting by steam 

winch was the only power-assisted aid, the 

derrick being swung by hand. To ease 

matters the ship would be ballasted to lean 

to the pier, helping the derrick to swing by 

gravity. 

All manner of cargo was worked to the 

isles. Cargoes exported were primarily 

livestock. Most were driven on and off by 

hoof, when tides permitted the use of a 

suitable gangway or, if at anchor, slung by 

derrick into waiting tenders. A valuable extra 

source of income for island crofters was egg 

production. This also benefited the carriers, 

especially in the great ‘egg boom’ of the 

1950s before the era of mass production. 

In late 1940 both ‘Earls’ were 

requisitioned by the Ministry of War 

Transport, during which time the Sigurd was 

dispatched on several occasions to relieve 

the Earl of Zetland on the route to the 

Shetlands. 

Peace-time special sailings included an 

annual trip-day to Kirkwall, enabling islanders 

to make a return journey without an overnight 

stay. The ‘Earls’ were also pressed into 

ambulance service on occasions when an isles 

patient needed treatment in hospital. The 

captain's cabin saw impromptu duty as a 

surgery, as canny islanders in need of tooth 

extractions would take advantage of the 

dentist's professional visit to the last port of 

call. The unforgiving local waters brought 

misfortune to many ships. The ‘Earls’ often 

responded to the needs of stranded vessels. 

Due to company financial pressures, in 1961 

the government stepped in, placing an order 

for the motor vessel Orcadia. This was operated 

by the new Orkney Islands Shipping Company, 

which also took over the assets of its 

predecessor. Of the two ‘Earls’, the Sigurd’s 

lesser draught meant she was better able to 

negotiate the more difficult piers and the 

Thorfinn was withdrawn from service. 

As with all machinery, although there were 

minor repairs and adjustments made during 

their lifetimes, there is evidently no record of 

any major components requiring replacement. 

To the day she sailed for the breaker’s yard in 

1969, Earl Sigurd’s quiet engine ran ‘as sweetly 

and smoothly as a sewing machine’. 

50 YEARS AGO 

The Ministry of Transport has drawn seafarers’ attention to the danger which 

attends entering a tank or closed space onboard a ship without first taking 

the precaution of thoroughly ventilating it. In 23 cases of accidents 

investigated by the Ministry the spaces were not thoroughly ventilated before 

entry and in most of them the men had no suspicion that the atmosphere 

might be dangerous. Thirty-one men died; 19 of them had gone in without 

first getting someone to stand by. Ballast tanks, oil tanks, voids, storerooms, 

cargo holds, pump rooms and other spaces which may contain a dangerous 

concentration of suffocating or poisonous gas should always be thoroughly 

ventilated before any attempt is made to enter, and it should be borne in 

mind that any gas in the compartment is likely to be heavier than air and 

may be localised MN Journal, November 1962 

25 YEARS AGO 

The Director of Public Prosecutions is expected to rule shortly whether 

management or crew involved in the Zeebrugge disaster should face legal 

proceedings. The DPP has been examining material from the disaster inquiry 

and the Dover inquest which ruled last month, that the 188 people who died 

were unlawfully killed. NUMAST said it was ‘extremely concerned’ by the 

inquest verdict. Legal officer Martin Rogers said solicitors acting for the Union 

are considering avenues of challenging it, possibly through a judicial review. 

‘We do not think it is right to continue to look for individuals to take the 

blame for the disaster,’ he added. ‘If there is any question of our members 

involved in this case facing further action in the courts we believe it would 

simply be the result of the desire to find scapegoats for what happened.’ 

The Telegraph, November 1987 

10 YEARS AGO 

NUMAST officials Peter McEwen and Mark Dickinson attended top-level talks in 

Geneva last month on the proposed new international ‘bill of rights’ for the 

world’s seafarers. Union and shipowner representatives agreed a set of 

fundamental principles and rights to underpin a proposed new International 

Labour Organisation convention covering working and living conditions at sea. 

Due to be agreed in 2005, the treaty would cover such issues as certification, 

training, recruitment, wages, hours of work, repatriation, accommodation, 

health and safety and social security. Governments will now be considering the 

proposals developed by the owners and the seafarer representatives, with all 

sides coming together for further detailed discussions in the middle of next year 

The Telegraph, November 2002 

THEQUIZ 

1 What is the world’s busiest 

shipbuilder, in terms of ship 

numbers in its orderbook 

2 Which company has the world’s 

biggest car carrier fleet, in terms 

of capacity 

3 How many cruiseships in the 

world fleet are aged 35 years or 

older 

4. The 1979 Atlantic Empress 

incident was the biggest 

oil spill in the past 50 years — 

how much oil was 

spilled 

5. How many tonnes of oil were 

spilled in the Exxon Valdez 

disaster 

6. What do the initials BIMCO 

stand for 

J Answers to quiz on page 46. 

Telegraph prize crossword 

Name: 

The winner of this month’s cryptic crossword competition 

will win a copy of the book Eileen Ramsay: Queen of 

Yachting Photography (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, 1&2 The Shrubberies, George Lane, 

South Woodford, London E18 1BD, 

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 Monday 12 November 2012. 

Address: 

Telephone: 

Membership No.: 

QUICK CLUES 

Across 

8. Alternative power plants (4,4) 

9. Leafy street (6) 

10. This place (4) 

11. Sunny seating (10) 

12. Container (6) 

14. Put in holy place (8) 

15. City in Georgia (7) 

17. Shipwreck (7) 

20. Bailiff (8) 

22. Single item (3-3) 

23. Treat water (10) 

24. Strings (4) 

25. Mountainous (6) 

26. Turn up again (8) 

Down 

1. Drop explosives (4-4) 

2. Lazy (4) 

3. Walk in water (6) 

4. Kiss (7) 

5. Flowers (8) 

6. Another wedding (10) 

7. Overtake in race (6) 

13. Gun sight (10) 

16. Spikes in small flowers (8) 

18. Hellish (8) 

19. Business (7) 

21. Breathe in (6) 

22. Restricted street (3-3) 

24. Optimism (4) 

CRYPTIC CLUES 

Across 

8. Crashed limo into refurbished 

Oval — quite a character (8) 

9. Club in charge, but not what 

was expected (6) 

10. It’s discreetly grafted to mask 

injury (4) 

11. Wall Street celebration to 

make the heart spin (6,4) 

12. Confused, so supplement 

with a bit of illumination (6) 

14. Left job ahead of time, 

what can one do (8) 

15. No, a swan can be a feature 

of winter (7) 

17. Acknowledgment it has 

become ripe etc. (7) 

20. Grief-stricken as a thousand 

contract these people’s new 

form of flu (8) 

22. Kitchen utensil sounds like it 

might be used for seabird (6) 

23. Len returned or male 

offspring, but not both — 

hold there (4,6) 

24. Parts of feet that are digital 

and decimal (4) 

25. ‘And --- reasons shall be 

rendered / Of Caesar’s death’ 

(Brutus, Julius Caesar) (6) 

26. Caver lit another way, straight 

down and up (8) 

Down 

1. Gave up as crowd were short 

of space (6,2) 

2. Not odd for people in 

Siberia (4) 

3. Very happy to be behind 

schedule with news chief 

around (6) 

4. Play trick on likely winner 

of musical event (7) 

5. Publican to fib about change 

of scene (8) 

6. Language of rogue set-up lost 

in translation (10) 

7. A drink, half please — but 

gratuity first (6) 

13. Pastoral sound for dossier 

kept for its inconspicuous 

features (3,7) 

16. Calf sore at being made to go 

into the open (2,6) 

18. Another half please — half 

of beer — a Scottish name 

quite common (8) 

19. European left to employ about 

four, but not easy to find (7) 

21. Military manoeuvre spelling 

end of armada, which in Spain 

may be hard to understand (6) 

22. A way to preserve tomatoes 

perhaps, grafted as several 

varieties (6) 

24. The car’s interior is very 

smart (4) 

J Crossword answers 

are on page 46.


books 

OFFWATCH 

Blue Flue memoir hits 

the spot with interest 

Those in Peril — a Blue Funnel Story 

by Ian Cook 

Willson Scott Publishing, NZ$65 

ISBN 978-1-877427-312 

f www.willsonscott.biz 

You never quite know what you’re going to get 

Kwhen you open up a new maritime memoir. 

Sometimes it turns out that the book has been 

written mainly as an attempt to settle scores, and 

whole chapters are given over to rants about 

former employers. Then there are the authors with 

miraculous memories for the mundane, whose 

interminable tomes document every ‘good 

morning’ from a shipmate, every meal, every 

sunset. 

Fortunately, Captain Ian Cook actually has 

something to say — and an interesting way of 

saying it. From his early years in Scotland to his 

retirement in New Zealand, his life has been full of 

incident, and many of his experiences will strike a 

chord with Telegraph readers. 

Capt Cook started his Merchant Navy 

apprenticeship during the Second World War, 

meaning that his first voyages were on the 

notorious Atlantic convoys. But the risks he was 

running mattered little compared with the 

excitement of visiting New York, and happily the 

war drew to a close as he continued to west Africa. 

Rationing was still a major feature of British life 

in the late 1940s. With good clothes in short supply 

at home, young Ian is pleased to win a Canadian 

wedding dress for his sister in a poker game with 

fellow midshipman Martin Attlee (the prime 

minister’s son). Quirky little episodes like this 

are an enjoyable feature of the memoir. 

Following its strong start, the story of Ian 

Cook’s life continues at a good pace. He travels 

the world, rising through the ranks of the 

Alfred Holt company, qualifies as a master and 

eventually decides to embark on a related 

second career as a marine pilot. His work takes 

him to some fascinating places, often 

captured during the dying days of empire — 

including Singapore, Malaya, Saudi Arabia, 

and of course New Zealand. 

Tales of eventful times at sea are intertwined 

with details of Ian’s family life. His romantic 

relationships often seem to be turbulent, but he 

retains a steadfast fondness for his parents and 

sister back in Scotland, and is proud of the children 

and stepchildren from his two marriages. 

At the end, the reader comes away from this 

memoir pleased to have spent some time with the 

author, and you can’t say fairer than that. Future 

maritime autobiographers, take note. 

Courageous... 

or simply stark 

raving mad 

A Brilliant Little Operation 

by Paddy Ashdown 

Aurum, £25 

ISBN 9781845137014 

Former Liberal Party leader 

KPaddy Ashdown has led a 

considerably more exciting life than 

many politicians, including time in the 

Special Boat Service. This military 

background gives him good 

qualifications for writing the account 

of one of the most remarkable 

maritime operations of the second 

world war. 

The book is subtitled The 

Cockleshell Heroes and the Most 

Courageous Raid of WW2. You put it 

down thinking that it should have 

read ‘The most mad raid of WW2’ — 

for it is stretching euphemism to 

describe Operation Frankton (the plot 

to cut off supplies to Nazi Germany by 

destroying the German merchant fleet 

in the French port of Bordeaux) as an 

audacious mission. 

Twelve British commandos were 

chosen to paddle 70 miles into the 

harbour in canoes in the winter of 

1942 to fix limpet mines to the ships. 

It was a plan which started to go 

spectacularly wrong as soon as the 

canoes were launched from a 

submarine at the mouth of the 

Gironde estuary. 

Only two of the 12 men returned 

— and even that was the result of 

good fortune, as the mission failed to 

set out plans for their escape from 

Bordeaux after blowing up the ships. 

Paddy Ashdown’s book has all the 

hallmarks of first class research, 

making great use of contemporary 

accounts, vividly describing the 

personalities involved in the 

operation and reading at times like 

a thriller. It also delivers a fairly 

devastating critique of the mission — 

criticising the poor planning and interservice 

rivalry that undermined the 

operation and pointing out that two 

of the five ships attacked were 

refloated on the next tide, while 

another was back in service only a few 

weeks later. 

However, he notes, the attack did 

have a big impact on German morale 

— coming at a time when ‘German 

belief in their own invincibility was at 

its highest’ — and may also have 

given a valuable boost to the French 

Resistance. 

Ultimately, the book serves as a 

moving tribute to extraordinary 

courage. As Paddy Ashdown notes, 

it was remarkable that the men on 

the mission achieved so much ‘on 

such skimpy preparation and 

without any external support… In an 

age of easy living when we are rarely 

faced with the need to choose 

between ourselves and something 

greater, they should be an inspiration 

to us all’. 

New version 

of the ship 

stability Bible 

Ship Stability for Masters and Mates 

by C.B. Barrass & D.R. Derrett 

Elsevier, £49.99 

ISBN 978 00809 70936 

A remarkable 48 years after it 

Kfirst appeared, this new edition 

of Ship Stability for Masters and 

Mates — the seventh — is probably 

more important than it has ever 

been. 

As Dr Bryan Barrass notes in his 

introduction, the courts are 

continually dealing with cases arising 

from shipping accidents and stability 

has become an increasingly 

significant factor — especially in 

relation to certain ship types. 

This impressive guide remains true 

to its original aim of helping those 

studying for their OOW certificates, 

but Dr Barrass also points to others in 

the maritime community who would 

benefit from an understanding of the 

principles it covers — not least naval 

architects, surveyors, port authorities 

and drydock personnel. 

Quality tribute to 

photo-pioneer 

Eileen Ramsay: Queen of Yachting Photography 

by Barry Pickthall 

Adlard Coles Nautical, £25 

ISBN 978 14081 78416 

Crowned as the queen of yachting 

Kphotography, Eileen Ramsay is a fascinating 

woman — now aged 97 — who helped to change 

the way in which yachts were captured on film, and 

this book should rightly bring her achievements to 

a wider audience. 

She began her professional career as a 22-yearold 

when, working as a receptionist at a 

photographic studio, she and other staff members 

were given cameras and told to take some 

‘interesting’ pictures. The person taking the best 

shots would take over the studio when the war 

began. 

Eileen won, and she went on to set up another 

studio after the war, and soon established herself 

as one of the best boating photographers in the 

business. 

With nine new chapters, this 

edition has been comprehensively 

revised from the last overhaul, in 

2006, to reflect some of the sweeping 

changes in shipping since then — 

including the introduction of ‘mega’- 

size containerships and gas carriers, 

as well as advances in understanding 

of ship squat problems. 

The book runs to almost 60 

chapters, ranging from the core 

elements of weights, draft and density 

to the factors that determine stability 

and influence a vessel’s centre of 

gravity. It gives detailed information 

on such issues as aspects of trim, heel 

Learning her trade in the 

war meant that she valued 

every frame she took, carefully 

composing her images. She 

also revolutionised maritime 

photography by pioneering 

the ‘water-level shot’ — 

hanging over the side of a 

boat to capture the action in 

a dynamic and fresh manner. 

Earlier this year, Eileen’s 

archives were saved for the 

future through the wonders of digitisation and the 

owner of the agency that holds the collection, 

Barry Pickthall, has produced this lovely book 

celebrating her work. 

There’s a mix of black and white and colour, 

and a mix of subjects — anything from the 

pictures of the famous Mirror dinghy that she was 

commissioned to do for its launch in 1962 to the 

Gipsy Moth IV trials before Sir Francis Chichester’s 

solo circumnavigation in 1966. 

due to turning, the effects of wind 

and waves, squat and interaction, 

together with rolling, pitching, 

heaving and synchronous and 

parametric rolling. 

Throughout, there’s lots to help 

the student — with plenty of worked 

examples, diagrams, graphs and 

equations, as well as exercises to test 

knowledge. The appendices include a 

summary of stability formulae, 

guidance on the stability sections of 

the masters’ and mates’ syllabuses, 

revision and exam tips, and some 

handy additional reference points. 

It’s hard to put the book down 

without reflecting on the critical 

importance of stability to ship safety, 

and it is equally hard to imagine a 

more comprehensive and 

authoritative guide to the subject. 

Look back at 

RN and RFA 

in the 1980s 

The Royal Navy in Focus 1980-89 

by Steve Bush 

Maritime Books, £14.99 

ISBN 9 781 904 459 484 

f www.navybooks.com 

There are some terrific action 

shots from offshore racing in the Solent, 

and also some excellent portrait work, including 

former merchant seafarer Val Howells, French 

sailing legend Eric Tabarly, and Alec Rose. 

It’s a quality production that shows the pictures 

to great effect and also provides good background 

on the techniques and equipment Eileen used, 

as well as giving an insight into the significance of 

her work. 

This is the sixth in a series of 

Kbooks displaying the ships of the 

Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary by 

decade. One of the touching parts of 

the book is the introduction by the 

author where he acknowledges that 

much of his readership will be 

comprised of seafarers who sailed with 

the RN and RFA in the years it covers. 

He apologises for not being able to 

document every one of over 320 ships 

around at the time, and also for some 

images which ‘show ships in a less 

than flattering light’ — which he 

worries may hurt the pride of those 

who sailed on them. 

The 1980s will immediately conjure 

thoughts of the Falklands conflict, but 

it began with the John Nott Defence 

Review which stated that the Navy and 

support vessels would never operate 

without NATO and could therefore be 

stripped back — echoes of today’s 

defence review and its subsequent 

cutbacks 

The author’s claim that the book 

will appeal mostly to seafarers is sad 

but possibly true as it merits a much 

greater coverage than that. The 

pictures, despite the author’s apology, 

are glorious and the descriptions are 

short but engaging. It could prove the 

perfect way to encourage young 

people to think more about a life at 

sea. The glossary of terms make it 

accessible to those who are less 

familiar and the index at the beginning 

lists all the vessels and their class, even 

if they are not all covered in details 

further on. 

All the better-known ships are 

covered — Ark Royal, RFA Orangeleaf, 

HMS Plymouth and HMS Endurance to 

name but a few. It is a wonderfully 

presented book which is a must for any 

seafarer’s coffee table — and try to 

encourage some young people to take 

a look at it when they’re around! 

Book savings 

Nautilus members can buy the books 

reviewed on these pages at a whopping 

25% discount on publisher’s price through 

the Marine Society’s online bookshop. 

fTo qualify for this offer, readers need 

to make their purchase through the online 

bookshop www.msbookshop.org and 

use the promotional code Nautilus.


NAUTILUS ELECTIONS 

Wilt U zich 

kandidaat 

stellen voor 

de Council 

2013 Elections 

Kiesgroep 

1. Kapiteins en Stuurlieden 

(incl. maritieme off.) 

2. Werktuigkundigen 

3. Gezellen 

4. Binnenvaart 

5. Wal 

totaal aantal UK NL 

zetels totaal vacant totaal vacant 

14 

11 

2 

1 

4 

inclusief één 

tussentijdse 

verkiezing voor 

een tweejaarlijkse 

periode 

11 6 

9 4 

1 1 

0 0 

3 2 

3 1 

2 1 

1 1 

1 0 

1 1 

TOTAAL 

32 

24 13 

8 4 

Bent u bezorgd over zaken 

als scholing, veiligheid, 

criminalisering en piraterij 

Ondersteunt u een actieve 

inzet ter verbetering van 

loon- en arbeidsvoorwaarden 

voor maritieme professionals 

AVeel leden van Nautilus 

International houden 

zich bezig met de 

problemen waarmee de 

maritieme sectoren worden 

geconfronteerd en hebben goede 

ideeën hoe ze de bond daarbij 

kunnen helpen. Om die reden 

moedigen wij onze leden aan 

om zich kandidaat te stellen 

voor de Council, het hoogste 

gezaghebbende orgaan van onze 

vakbond. Daarnaast is Council 

ook nog ‘trustee’ van het Nautilus 

Welfare Fund, een charitatieve 

instelling beheert door Nautilus. 

Onze internationale vakbond 

bestaat nu iets meer dan drie jaar, 

dus een belangrijke periode om 

kandidaat voor Council te zijn. 

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 Council 

uit 32 leden, waarvan 24 uit 

het Verenigd Koninkrijk en 8 

uit Nederland. Elke twee jaar 

is ongeveer de helft aftredend 

en worden er verkiezingen 

georganiseerd. In bovenstaand 

schema ziet u de zetelverdeling 

en de vacatures die in 2013 

ontstaan. Ook de verdeling 

tussen UK en NL 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. 

Controleer eerst of er een 

Avacature ontstaat in uw 

kiesgroep. Indien dat het geval 

is en u wenst zich kandidaat 

te stellen, vul dan de bovenste 

helft van formulier A in. Laat 

vervolgens twee andere actieve 

leden uit dezelfde categorie 

als de uwe de kandidatuur 

ondersteunen door formulier 

A als supporter in te vullen. Het 

formulier dient uiterlijk op 27 

december 2012 om 17.00 uur 

lokale tijd ontvangen te zijn op 

het hoofdkantoor van Nautilus 

International. 

Formulier B kan gebruikt 

Aworden als de kandidaat 

niet persoonlijk de handtekening 

van de supporters kan verkrijgen, 

bijvoorbeeld omdat die op een 

ander schip varen. In dat geval 

vult de kandidaat formulier 

A in (zonder gegevens en 

handtekening van supporters) en 

de supporters maken gebruik van 

formulier B. Beide formulieren 

dienen dan uiterlijk 27 december 

2012 om 17.00 uur ontvangen te 

zijn. 

Aan alle stemgerechtigde 

volle leden zal een voordracht 

formulier worden gestuurd 

voor de verkiezing van Council 

en de verkiezing van de General 

Secretary voor 15 september 2012. 

Grijp uw kans 

“ 

to stand up for 

what you believe in 

” 

Mark Dickinson, Nautilus general secretary 

VOOR KANDIDATEN 

nominatieformulier A 

Dit formulier MOET worden ingevuld door de kandidaat en mag eventueel 

worden gebruikt door één of meer supporters. 

UITERLIJK op Donderdag 27 December 2012 om 17.00 uur MOET het formulier 

ontvangen zijn op het hoofdkantoor.: 

Nautilus International Head Office, 1&2 The Shrubberies, George Lane 

South Woodford, London E18 1BD. 

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 Councilverkiezingen 2013. Ik verklaar bij deze 

dat ik een volledig betalend lid van Nautilus International in de bovenstaande 

categorie ben conform de statuten van de vakbond. 

Handtekening 

Datum 

IN TE VULLEN DOOR SUPPORTERS 

Ik ondersteun de nominatie van de bovenvermelde persoon voor de 

Councilverkiezingen 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 

3. Naam Lidnr 

Adres 

Postcode 

Rang 

Handtekening 

Tel nr 

Bedrijf 

Datum 

Councilverkiezingen Nautilus 2013 

VOOR SUPPORTERS 

nominatieformulier B 

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. UITERLIJK op 

Donderdag 27 December 2012 om 17.00 uur MOET het formulier ontvangen 

zijn op het hoofdkantoor: 



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 die ik ondersteun 

Adres Kandidaat 

Postcode 

Lidnr 

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

Councilverkiezingen in de vermelde kiescategorie. Ik bevestig dat ik een volledig 

betalend lid in dezelfde kiescategorie ben. 

Naam 

Lidnr 

Adres 

Postcode 

Rang 

Handtekening 

Tel nr 

Bedrijf 

Datum 




Naam 

Lidnr 

Adres 

Postcode 

Rang 

Handtekening 

Tel nr 

Bedrijf 

Datum 




Naam 

Lidnr 

Adres 

Postcode 

Rang 

Handtekening 

Tel nr 

Bedrijf 

Datum 

Councilverkiezingen Nautilus 2013

2013 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 

Total Seats UK Seats NL Seats 

Total 2013 Total 2013 

No. of seats Vacancies No. of seats Vacancies 

14 

11 

2 

1 

4 

including 

1 by-election for 

2 year period 

11 6 

9 4 

1 1 

0 0 

3 2 

3 1 

2 1 

1 1 

1 0 

1 1 


NAUTILUS ELECTIONS 

Have YOU 

thought of 

standing for 

the Council 

TOTALS 

32 

24 13 

8 4 

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 Thursday 27 December 2012, 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 2013 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 the 

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 


Address 

Postcode 

Rank 

Signature 

Tel no 

Company 

Date 


Address 

Postcode 

Rank 

Signature 

Tel no 

Company 

Date 

Nautilus Council Elections 2013 

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 Thursday 27 December 2012, 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 the Council 

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

electoral category. 

Name 

Mem No 

Address 

Postcode 

Rank 

Signature 

Tel no 

Company 

Date 




Name 

Mem No 

Address 

Postcode 

Rank 

Signature 

Tel no 

Company 

Date 




Name 

Mem No 

Address 

Postcode 

Rank 

Signature 

Tel no 

Company 

Date 

Nautilus Council Elections 2013 

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. 

With the Union still only a 

little over three years 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 top left shows the 

number of seats and highlights 

those vacancies which are for 

election in 2013. The table also 

shows the split between NL and 

UK. 

Full paid-up members 

(including cadets ) in categories 

for which there are vacancies are 

entitled to stand for election. 

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 Thursday 27 

December 2012. 

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 Thursday 27 

December 2012. 

All eligible full members 

have been sent the Council 

and General Secretary election 

nomination papers by the 

deadline of 15 September 2012. 

“ 

Please use 

this chance to 

stand up for what 

you believe in 

” 

Mark Dickinson, Nautilus general secretary


NL NEWS 

Update Nieuwe 

Vakbeweging: 

Deel 2 

Naar verwachting zal 

CNautilus International in 

maart 2013 een extra algemene 

ledenvergadering uitschrijven 

om definitief te besluiten over 

toetreding tot De Nieuwe 

Vakbeweging. Ondertussen zijn 

de voorbereidingen in volle gang 

en begint de opvolger van de FNV 

langzamerhand contouren te 

krijgen. 

Grote vakbonden als FNV 

Bondgenoten, ABVAKABO en 

FNV Bouw hebben zich in de 

loop der jaren gerealiseerd 

dat kleine vakbonden die zich 

specifiek op een sector richten, 

zoals Nautilus International, een 

veel betere organisatiegraad 

realiseren. Daarom gaan die 

grote vakbonden zich opsplitsen 

in herkenbare sectoren met als 

gevolg dat ze uiteindelijk zullen 

verdwijnen. De leden uit deze 

herkenbare sectoren zullen 

rechtstreeks lid zijn van De Nieuwe 

Vakvereniging. De sectoren zelf 

worden verantwoordelijk voor 

het afsluiten van de CAO’s en de 

belangenbehartiging van de 

leden. De Nieuwe Vakvereniging 

bemoeit zich met de zogenaamde 

sector overstijgende zaken, zoals 

sociale zekerheid, arbeidsrecht, 

enzovoorts. 

Nautilus International gaat zich 

natuurlijk niet opsplitsen en zal 

evenmin verdwijnen. Integendeel, 

Nautilus blijft Nautilus. Echter, 

om reden van de eerder 

genoemde sector overstijgende 

belangenbehartiging, is Nautilus 

nu aangesloten bij de FNV en er zal 

straks wellicht behoefte zijn ons 

ook aan te sluiten bij De Nieuwe 

Vakbeweging. 

Ledenparlement 

Ter voorbereiding van het een 

en ander heeft Nautilus nu al 

een aparte status bedongen met 

betrekking tot het ledenparlement. 

Binnen De Nieuwe 

Vakbeweging wordt het 

zogenaamde ledenparlement 

het hoogste democratische 

orgaan. Een vakbond van en voor 

leden en dat is natuurlijk prima! 

Echter, Nautilus heeft zelf ook een 

ledenparlement als het hoogste 

democratische orgaan, namelijk 

Council. Het wordt natuurlijk 

een beetje lastig als Nautilus 

gebonden wordt aan besluiten van 

twee ledenparlementen, vooral als 

beide parlementen niet hetzelfde 

besluiten. Om dat probleem te 

voorkomen is nu al duidelijkheid 

geschapen: Nautilus zal alleen 

gebonden zijn aan besluiten 

van het ledenparlement van De 

Nieuwe Vakbeweging als Council 

daarmee instemt. 

Een aantal werkgroepen is 

momenteel druk bezig allerlei 

zaken verder uit te werken. Eind 

dit jaar moet dat klaar zijn, zodat 

begin 2014 alle 16 bij de oprichting 

betrokken vakbonden het interne 

besluitvormingsproces kunnen 

doorlopen. 

Loon- en arbeidsvoorwaarden 

2013 

AHet jaar 2012 loopt ten 

einde en dus is het zaak 

om ons te beraden over 

het loon- en arbeidsvoorwaardenbeleid 

2013. Zoals 

gebruikelijk coördineert onze 

vakcentrale FNV het één en 

ander en in dat kader heeft de 

FNV de concept nota ‘FNV in 

beweging voor gewoon goed 

werk’ gelanceerd. De prioriteiten 

zijn echter niet veranderd, 

namelijk werkzekerheid voor 

iedereen, een looneis die 

minimaal de inflatie dekt en veel 

aandacht voor gewoon goed 

werk. 

Natuurlijk realiseren ook de 

vakbonden zich dat we leven in 

onzekere tijden. De eurocrisis is 

echt nog niet opgelost en de 

economie stagneert nog steeds. 

Het is dan ook niet verwonderlijk 

dat veel werknemers zich zorgen 

maken over het behoud van het 

werk, het inkomen en de 

toekomst daarvan. Bovendien 

staat de sociale zekerheid in 

Nederland onder grote druk en 

dreigt de ontslagbescherming 

geheel of gedeeltelijk te 

verdwijnen. Ondertussen is de 

BTW van 19% naar 21% gegaan en 

wordt de AOW leeftijd veel sneller 

dan gedacht verhoogd naar 67 

jaar, zodat langer doorwerken 

voor veel mensen bittere 

noodzaak wordt. 

Redelijke 

inzet 

Ondanks al deze ontwikkelingen 

realiseren de vakbonden zich heel 

goed dat ook veel werkgevers het 

niet makkelijk hebben. Daarom 

kiezen vakbonden heel bewust 

voor een redelijke inzet en zal een 

‘arbeidsvoorwaardenruimte’ van 

3% worden voorgesteld. Deze 

ruimte is deels gebaseerd op 

productiviteitsstijging (2%) en 

deels op prijsontwikkeling (1%). 

Voorts stelt de FNV voor om van 

die 3% maximaal 2,5% te besteden 

aan loonsverhoging en 0,5% aan 

de andere prioriteiten als 

‘werkzekerheid voor iedereen’ 

en ‘gewoon goed werk’. 

Gewoon goed 

werk 

Wat hier onder moet worden 

verstaan kan van bedrijf tot 

bedrijf erg verschillen. In ieder 

geval is de FNV van mening dat de 

flexibilisering van de arbeidsmarkt 

wellicht te ver is 

doorgeschoten met als resultaat 

dat met name jongeren nagenoeg 

geen kans meer hebben op het 

verkrijgen van een vast 

arbeidscontract. Maar de vraag 

hoe om te gaan met oudere 

collega’s die langer moeten 

doorwerken, heeft natuurlijk ook 

alles te maken met gewoon goed 

werk. Per CAO kunnen onze leden 

hier invulling aangeven, zodat 

Nautilus hier per ledengroep 

maatwerk kan leveren. 

Besluitvorming 

De FNV zal in november definitief 

besluiten over het te voeren 

loon- en arbeidsvoorwaardenbeleid 

in 2013. Bij Nautilus 

International wordt vooraf altijd 

de Raad van Advies gevraagd om 

zich over het te voeren loon- en 

arbeidsvoorwaarden beleid uit te 

spreken. Zodra de FNV het beleid 

heeft vastgesteld, zal Nautilus dat 

op hoofdlijnen volgen. Dat wil 

zeggen dat Nautilus het FNV 

beleid als uitgangspunt bij de 

discussie neemt, maar dat 

Nautilus meer ruimte zal 

vragen aan die maritieme 

werkgevers die zich dat kunnen 

veroorloven en dat Nautilus 

minder ruimte zal vragen in die 

situaties waarin het niet 

verantwoord is. Per CAO 

krijgen dan de leden het laatste 

woord over zowel de in te 

dienen voorstellen als het 

bereikte onderhandelingsresultaat. 

Leden zeggen 

volmondig ‘JA’ 

Nieuwe CAO Handelsvaart 

tot 9000 GT en 

Spliethoff Beheer B.V. 

Geef uw mening 

Vorige maand vroegen wij: Vindt u het 

juist dat ‘klokke luidende’ zeevarenden door 

rechtbanken worden beloond als collega’s de 

wet overtreden 

Nee 

59% 

Zoals wij vorige maand reeds 

Fpubliceerden in de Telegraph 

wilden de reders in eerste instantie 

geen verbeteringen aanbrengen in 

beide CAO’s. Na een tweede overleg 

was de onderhandelingsdelegatie 

van de reders echter alsnog bereid 

om 2% beschikbaar te stellen voor 

verbetering van het loon en de 

financiering van de afkoop van 

het verhoogde eigen risico in de 

zorgverzekeringswet. 

Inmiddels is het onderhandelingsresultaat 

verder uitgewerkt en 

heeft Nautilus het ter goedkeuring 

voorgelegd aan de leden. 

werkzaam onder een van deze CAO’s 

is het natuurlijk wel zaak om de 

zorgverzekering bij het AZVZ onder te 

brengen, maar dat is voor zeelieden 

sowieso al de beste optie. 

Besteden wij 0,1% van de loonruimte 

aan de afkoop van het eigen risico, 

dan resteert een percentage van 

2% - 0,1% = 1,9% voor gageverhoging. 

In het kader van de uitwerking zullen 

de gagetabellen hiermee worden 

aangepast. 

Instemming leden 

Nautilus besloot om alle betrokken 

leden middels een enquête om 

hun mening te vragen. De respons 

was massaal en een zeer grote 

meerderheid van de leden gaf aan 

vóór aamvaarding van deze twee 

CAO’s te zijn. Uiteraard werden 

de reders over deze uitkomst 

geïnformeerd. 

Al met al is Nautilus tevreden met deze 

uitkomst. Temeer omdat we samen met 

de reders ook in volle vaart doorgaan 

met het aantrekken van jongelui door 

het aanbieden van baangaranties, 

het garanderen van stageplekken, het 

aanbieden van snuffelstages en het 

project ‘Zeebenen in de klas’. 

Ja 

41% 

De poll van deze maand vraagt: Zou u 

jongeren een zeevarende carrière aanbevelen 

Geef ons uw mening online, op www. 

nautilusnl.org 

Uitwerking 

Onze regering heeft besloten om 

het verplichte eigen risico in de 

zorgverzekering verder te verhogen. 

Nu is het verhogen van de kosten voor 

niemand leuk, maar uitgerekend 

aan zeevarenden die zo weinig 

gebruik maken van de medische 

voorzieningen in Nederland is het 

natuurlijk helemaal moeilijk uit te 

leggen. Nu had Nautilus in deze twee 

CAO’s al de afspraak dat het eigen 

risico bij zorgverzekeraar AZVZ door 

de werkgever zou worden afgekocht. 

Deze afspraak willen we graag behouden 

en daarom stemmen we in 

met de besteding van 0,1% van de 

loonruimte aan de afkoop van het 

eigen risico. Voor de zeevarende


NL NEWS 

CONTRIBUTIES 2013 

C 

Per 1 januari 2013 geldt voor het lidmaatschap van Nautilus 

International de volgende contributie : 

Categorie 

Maandelijkse contributie 

18 jaar of jonger €6,95 

19 jaar €10,60 

20 jaar €11,10 

21 jaar €11,75 

22 jaar €12,75 

23 jaar of ouder met maandsalaris < €3.000 €17,30 

23 jaar of ouder met maandsalaris > €3.000 €19,60 

Wal gestationeerd voor minder dan 30 uur/week €9,10 

Student €6,95 

Gepensioneerd of uitkeringsgerechtigd €7,45 

Niet meer varend €8,45 

Aspirant lid €2,80 

Naleving 

afspraken CAO 

Waterbouw 

onder druk 

FNV Waterbouw wordt de laatste tijd regelmatig benaderd door 

Cwerknemers die zich zorgen maken over de naleving van de afspraken 

die de vakbond met de werkgevers heeft gemaakt. Steeds vaker worden de 

gemaakte CAO-afspraken door werkgevers creatief geïnterpreteerd zodat 

zij enkele euro’s kunnen besparen op de loonkosten. 

Werknemers maken zich zorgen om hun positie en vinden het in deze 

tijd moeilijk om met de werkgever in discussie te gaan wanneer een 

artikel in de CAO niet meer wordt nageleefd. Net als alle bonden, heeft 

FNV Waterbouw belang bij het naleven van de CAO. Als de afgesproken 

arbeidsvoorwaarden niet meer worden nageleefd ontstaat er namelijk 

concurrentie op arbeidsvoorwaarden tussen bedrijven. Dit is onwenselijk. 

Juist in een tijd van crisis moet concurrentie op kwaliteit plaatsvinden en 

minder op oneigenlijke kostenbesparingen. Desondanks zijn reisuren, 

ploegendiensten en zelfs inschaling onderwerpen waarop werkgevers nu 

lijken te bezuinigen. In eerste instantie heeft de Ondernemingsraad 

binnen de organisatie de taak toe te zien op de naleving van arbeidsvoorwaarden. 

Maar omdat in veel kleinere bedrijven een OR of Personeelsvertegenwoordiging 

ontbreekt, kan naleving niet via die route gecontroleerd 

worden. In die gevallen gaat FNV Waterbouw zelf in gesprek met de 

betrokken werkgever om deze zaken opgelost te krijgen. 

Vooral in deze tijd is het voor werkgevers van belang om gemotiveerd 

personeel in dienst te houden. Al is het maar om het materieel zo efficiënt 

als mogelijk draaiende te houden. 

Wordt u als werknemer geconfronteerd met een situatie waarbij de 

CAO niet wordt nageleefd Neem dan contact op met FNV Waterbouw. 

De vakbond helpt u verder. Bent u nog geen lid 

fGa naar fnvwaterbouw.nl en schrijf u in. 

Nautilus en reders maken 

nieuwe afspraken over 

gevaarlijke gebieden 

AAl gedurende een aantal 

jaren maakt Nautilus 

met de Nederlandse 

redersgemeenschap afspraken 

over de wijze van omgaan met 

het varen in gebieden waar 

serieuze veiligheidsrisico’s 

bestaan. De afspraken worden 

regelmatig doorgelicht om te 

bekijken of deze nog steeds de 

lading dekken. Hieronder vindt 

u 

een overzicht van de afspraken 

die op 26 september jl. met de 

reders gemaakt zijn. 

Protocol inzake het dienstdoen 

in gevarengebieden: 

Dit protocol, dat gezien wordt als 

de moederregeling voor gevaarlijke 

gebieden, liep op 30 september 

jl. af en is ongewijzigd met een 

jaar verlengd. Het was destijds 

bedoeld om de leemte te vullen 

die er bestond: een gebied was 

toen namelijk of wel of geen 

oorlogsgebied. Meer smaken 

waren er niet. Dit leidde 

vervolgens tot oeverloze discussies 

met de reders over de gebieden 

waar het op dat moment 

geen oorlog was maar tegelijkertijd 

ook niet echt pluis. Om deze 

impasse te doorbreken en reders 

en zeevarenden duidelijkheid te 

verschaffen, werd in 2009 het 

protocol opgesteld. Het bevat 

onder meer spelregels over de 

wijze waarop reders de opvarenden 

moeten informeren en op 

welke wijze en onder welke voorwaarden 

de opvarenden het 

dienstdoen in gevaarlijke 

gebieden kunnen weigeren. 

Al jaren moet de binnenvaart 

Fin Nederland het stellen zonder 

deugdelijke bedrijfstak CAO. Iedere 

keer stellen de werkgevers namelijk 

de voorwaarde dat de CAO alleen van 

kracht kan worden als de minister 

van Sociale Zaken tot algemeen 

verbindend verklaring overgaat. 

Maar de minister weigert dat te doen, 

omdat de werkgeversorganisaties 

onvoldoende representatief zijn. 

Zodoende houden partijen elkaar 

gevangen en gebeurt er niets. 

Gelukkig valt de schade voor werknemers 

nog enigszins mee; de meeste 

werkgevers volgen nog steeds de al 

jaren afgelopen CAO en indexeren 

bovendien ieder jaar het loon. 

Daarnaast maakt de CAO echter geen 

enkele ontwikkeling door en dat is 

natuurlijk niet goed. 

Positieve ontwikkeling 

Inmiddels hebben de werkgevers 

wel het nodige gedaan om hun 

representativiteit te verhogen. 

Werkgeversverenigingen Rijn- en 

IJssel, ONS, CBOB alsmede Kantoor 

Binnenvaart zijn samengegaan in 

de Binnenvaart Branche Unie (BBU). 

Nigeria en Benin 

Het eerste gebied dat sinds de 

totstandkoming van het protocol 

werd aangewezen als gevarengebied 

was Nigeria. Deze regeling 

functioneerde naar behoren 

omdat zowel de reders als de 

zeevarenden zich gedroegen 

overeenkomstig de intentie van 

de regeling. Daarom besloten de 

sociale partners twee jaar later 

om de regeling voor Nigeria 

slapend te maken. In het kort 

betekent dit dat de regeling 

formeel niet werd verlengd, maar 

dat de sociale partners ‘als heren’ 

afspraken, dat, mochten er zich 

problemen voordoen, zij onmiddellijk 

bij elkaar zouden komen 

om deze te bespreken en zo 

mogelijk op te lossen. De regeling 

kon dan formeel weer van kracht 

worden verklaard. 

Het ‘slapend’ houden betekent 

natuurlijk niet dat de regeling 

niet moet worden nageleefd. 

Integendeel, partijen verwachten 

dat de rederijen en de zeevarenden 

er net zo secuur mee blijven 

omgaan als ware de regeling nog 

formeel aangegaan. 

En dat heeft kennelijk nieuwe leden 

opgeleverd, want het Centraal 

Bureau voor de Rijn- en Binnenvaart 

(CBRB) en BBU zeggen nu samen 

56 à 57% van de werkgevers in de 

sector te vertegenwoordigen. De 

absolute ondergrens is 55%, dus 

hiermee zouden de werkgevers net 

voldoende representatief zijn voor 

Vanwege de ontwikkelingen in 

Benin is tijdens het overleg op 26 

september jl. besloten de voornoemde 

slapende status van 

Nigeria uit te breiden naar de 

kustwateren van Benin. 

Komt er nu eindelijk toch een 

nieuwe CAO Binnenvaart 

het verkrijgen van een algemeen 

verbindende verklaring voor de CAO. 

De hierboven genoemde 56 a 57% 

moet nog wel worden gedekt met een 

accountantsverklaring, maar dan staat 

partijen niets meer in de weg om nu 

eindelijk aan de slag te gaan en een 

nieuwe CAO Binnenvaart het liefst per 

1 januari 2013 in te laten gaan. 

Gevarenregeling Piraterij in 

de Golf van Aden en de noordelijke 

Indische oceaan: 

Deze regeling is de afgelopen 

jaren een flink aantal keren aangepast 

om in te kunnen spelen op 

het almaar uitbreidende 

werkterrein van de Somalische 

piraten. Begonnen als een 

regeling voor de Golf van Aden, 

groeide deze regeling uiteindelijk 

uit tot een gebied dat inmiddels 

een groot deel van de Indische 

oceaan beslaat. Tijdens het 

overleg hebben de onderhandelaars 

de regeling verlengd tot het 

einde van het jaar. Tegelijkertijd 

is vastgesteld dat de regeling 

bedoeld is als een pure doorvaartregeling 

en niet is ingesteld 

op situaties waarbij in het gebied 

havens worden aangedaan. Om 

ook op deze situatie een antwoord 

te hebben, zijn de onderhandelaars 

uitgekomen op een 

uitbreiding van de regeling met 

een addendum waarin het 

navolgende dient te worden 

vastgelegd: 

a) Bij het aandoen van een 

bestemmingshaven in het gebied 

wordt bij het weer uitvaren 

dezelfde all-in vergoeding 

betaald die geldt voor het 

binnenvaren van de zgn. 

Extended Risk Zone. 

b) Een aanvullende financiële 

regeling voor die gevallen waarbij 

het verblijf in de Extended 

Risk Zone langer duurt dan 4 

weken. 

De voornoemde aanvullingen 

zijn nog onderwerp van achterbanberaad 

bij de reders; de uitkomst 

hiervan wordt rond eind 

oktober 2012 verwacht. 

fDe volledige teksten van de 

afspraken zijn terug te vinden 

op onze website 

www.nautilusnl.org 

Hyves 

Always in touch 

with your friends 

WILT U EEN 

ADVERTENTIE 

PLAATSEN 

IN DE 

TELEGRAPH 

NEEMT U 

DAN CONTACT 

OP MET: 

BUREAU VAN 

VLIET B.V. 

en vraag naar 

Maarten de Wit 

T: 023-5714745 

F: 023-5717680 

E: m.dewit@ 

bureauvanvliet.com


NL NEWS 

Loonstrook wordt 

eenvoudiger 

Svitzer Ocean 

Towage 

voorgoed 

aan de kant 

Het sluimerde weliswaar al een tijdje, maar het komt voor de 

Cmedewerkers natuurlijk toch hard aan: eind van het jaar moet 

Svitzer Ocean Towage bv de deuren definitief sluiten. De noodlijdende 

financiële situatie, de noodzakelijke investeringen en de huidige 

marktomstandigheden hebben ertoe geleid dat de rederij haar drie 

zeeslepers te koop heeft gezet. 

De London, Singapore en Rotterdam zijn dusdanig verouderd dat alleen 

groot onderhoud tot de vereiste certificering kan leiden en de schepen weer 

aantrekkelijk genoeg kan maken voor een zeer beperkt deel van de markt. 

De kosten die daarmee gemoeid zijn, lopen echter in de miljoenen en gezien 

de financiële situatie is dat voor Svitzer Ocean Towage een onoverkomelijk 

probleem. Daarom zoekt de rederij voor de drie zeeslepers nu een nieuwe 

eigenaar. 

Voor de totaal 27 zeevarenden en kantoormedewerkers wordt een sociaal 

plan opgesteld met goede sociale voorzieningen en een afvloeiingsregeling, 

gebaseerd op de kantonrechtersformule. Ondertussen stelt de werkgever 

alles in het werk om de medewerkers te herplaatsen, hetzij binnen het 

Svitzer concern, hetzij bij een andere rederij. Of dat lukt is nog even 

afwachten, al zal het in deze economisch moeilijke tijd niet eenvoudig zijn 

voor de medewerkers elders een passende functie te vinden. 

Op 16 oktober hebben de leden in dienst van Svitzer Ocean Towage hun 

oordeel mogen vellen over het sociaal plan. Tijdens het ter perse gaan van 

dit nummer waren hun reacties nog niet bekend. 

Per 1 januari 2013 wordt 

de Wet Uniformering 

ALoonbegrip van kracht. 

Met deze wet wordt bewerkstelligd 

dat de loonbegrippen 

voor de sociale verzekeringen, 

de zorgverzekeringswet en 

de loonheffing helemaal worden 

gelijkgetrokken. Logisch gevolg 

hiervan is dat de loonstrook er 

veel eenvoudiger gaat uitzien. 

Al in 2006 werd een begin 

gemaakt met vereenvoudiging 

van de loonberekening dankzij de 

invoering van de Wet 

Administratieve 

Lastenverlichting en 

Vereenvoudiging In Sociale 

verzekeringswetten, toentertijd 

beter bekend als WALVIS. 

Omdat deze wet niet alleen 

vereenvoudiging voor de 

werkgevers maar ook 

inkomensschade voor 

werknemers opleverde, werd 

deze door sommigen niet als 

Al vanaf het prille begin in 2009 

Fis Nautilus nauw betrokken bij 

‘Zeebenen in de klas’, het bijzondere 

project van de Taskforce 

Arbeidsmarkt Zeevarenden (TAZ) 

dat jongeren moet interesseren voor 

de scheepvaart. Op 24 september 

jl. vond alweer de 500ste gastles 

plaats op basisschool Jacob Maris te 

Rotterdam. Een heuglijk moment dat 

natuurlijk gevierd moest worden. 

WALVIS maar als HAAI (Haal Af 

van Arbeid Inkomen) aangeduid. 

Zorgverzekeringswet 

Ook dit keer dreigt er weer schade 

en wel zeer specifiek voor 

zeevarenden. Als onderdeel van 

de wet verdwijnt de premie 

zorgverzekeringswet van de 

loonstrook en de door de 

werkgever daarvoor betaalde 

vergoeding wordt afgeschaft. In 

plaats daarvan gaat de werkgever 

direct aan het zorgverzekeringsfonds 

betalen. De af te schaffen 

vergoeding werd echter gezien 

als ‘loon’ waarover loonbelasting 

en premies verschuldigd zijn. 

De bijdrage die de werkgever 

rechtstreeks aan het zorgverzekeringsfonds 

gaat betalen, 

wordt niet gezien als ‘loon’, 

waardoor de grondslag voor de 

loon- en inkomstenbelasting 

gaat versmallen. Om de 

daardoor optredende derving 

van loon- en inkomstenbelasting 

te voorkomen en te 

vermijden dat bij (wal) 

medewerkers een onbedoeld 

positief inkomenseffect ontstaat, 

is een pakket aan maatregelen 

getroffen, zoals: stijging eerste 

tarief met 2,8%, stijging tweede 

tarief met 0,25%, verlaging van de 

algemene heffingskorting met 

€35, verlaging van de arbeidskorting 

met €125, enzovoorts. 

De walmedewerker zal hiermee 

inderdaad wel quitte spelen 

zodat gesteld kan worden dat de 

wet echt alleen maar tot 

vereenvoudiging leidt. 

De zeevarenden 

Voor de zeevarenden pakt het 

daarentegen anders uit. De 

procentuele premie zorgverzekeringswet 

is voor zeevarenden 

al vanaf de invoering van 

de zorgverzekeringswet op 0% 

gesteld. Daar hadden de 

zeevarenden een voordeel aan. 

De werkgever hoefde immers 

geen vergoeding te betalen 

die als loon werd aangemerkt 

waardoor zeevarenden een klein 

fiscaal voordeel hadden. 

Het in de vorige alinea bedoelde 

positieve inkomsteneffect 

voor walmedewerkers treedt 

dus niet op voor zeevarenden 

terwijl het pakket maatregelen 

om het positieve 

inkomsteneffect te beteugelen, 

wel gaat gelden voor 

zeevarenden. Anders gezegd: 

voor zeelieden geldt de plus niet, 

maar zij worden wél 

geconfronteerd met de min. 

De netto loonschade zal 

uiteindelijk beperkt blijven tot 

een getal achter de komma, maar 

het gaat toch meer om het idee. 

Natuurlijk zal Nautilus bekijken 

hoe hiermee omgegaan moet 

worden en de vakbond zal zeker 

aandacht vragen voor deze — 

voor zeevarenden — rare 

uitkomst. 

Zeebenen in de klas bereikt 

voorlopig hoogtepunt: 

500ste gastles krijgt feestelijk tintje 

Bij ‘Zeebenen in de klas’ geven 

(ex)zeevarenden, die hiervoor de 

geuzenaam ambassadeur kregen, 

op vrijwillige basis gastlessen aan 

leerlingen van groep 7 en 8 van 

het basis onderwijs. Met alweer de 

500ste gastles werd een voorlopig 

hoogtepunt bereikt en dat 

kon natuurlijk niet onopgemerkt 

voorbijgaan. En hoewel minister 

Schultz van Haegen-Maas van I&M 

op het allerlaatste moment helaas 

verstek moest laten gaan, werd het 

toch een waar feest. Ambassadeur en 

kapitein Ewoud Voor in ’t Hold van ms 

Sardius had namelijk weinig moeite 

met het geven van zijn eerste gastles. 

Alsof het de gewoonste zaak van de 

wereld was wist hij de jongens en 

meisjes binnen de kortst mogelijke tijd 

voor zich te winnen met zijn verhalen, 

hier en daar ondersteund met mooie 

lichtbeelden en een quiz. Ter ere 

van de 500ste gastles kregen alle 

leerlingen bovendien een reisje op ms 

Betelgeuze van het zeekadettenkorps 

als cadeau aangeboden uit handen 

van TAZ voorzitter mw. Tineke 

Netelenbos. 

Cijfers nader bekeken 

Vanaf de eigenlijke start in 2010 heeft 

het project zich kunnen verheugen op 

de zeer gemotiveerde medewerking 

van een grote groep ambassadeurs. 

Deze groep is ruim 100 personen 

groot in wisselende samenstelling en 

heeft inmiddels in totaal (inclusief de 

pilot projecten) zo’n 900 gastlessen 

verzorgd aan ongeveer 27.000 

leerlingen van het basisonderwijs. 

Uit de enquêtes die na afloop werden 

gehouden, blijkt dat zo’n 1 op de 15 

leerlingen uit deze groep interesse 

heeft gekregen voor het zeevarende 

beroep. 

Professionele impuls 

Het project is in korte tijd geprofessionaliseerd. 

Zo werd een coördinatrice 

op het project gezet die onder 

andere zorgt voor de match tussen de 

ambassadeurs en de basisschool. Het 

bestuur van de Stichting Opleidingsen 

Ontwikkelingsfonds Zeescheepvaart 

zag al snel in dat ‘Zeebenen in 

de klas’ een belangrijke impuls kan 

geven aan de toekomstige instroom 

van Nederlandse zeevarenden; 

het fonds financierde daarom een 

serie filmopnamen over de diverse 

zeescheepvaartsectoren ten behoeve 

van schooltelevisie die tijdens de 

gastlessen worden ingezet. Ook 

draagt het fonds financieel bij aan 

de totstandkoming van een nieuwe 

video over het leven aan boord dat 

in de stijl van het tv-programma 

‘Klokhuis’ wordt gemaakt. Ten slotte 

financiert het fonds de reiskosten 

en onkostenvergoedingen van de 

ambassadeurs. 

Word ook ambassadeur! 

Heeft ook u wellicht interesse om 

ambassadeur te worden, neem dan 

contact op met de heer Pepijn van 

Delft van Nautilus. Hij kan u verder 

informeren en voegt uw naam graag 

toe aan deze belangrijke pool van 

vrijwilligers.



See you in 

Cyberspace! 

Picture: Thinkstock 

In the second of a two-part series looking into the Union’s online 

offerings, Debbie Smith explores the new and ever-expanding 

world of social media… 

LSocial media is loosely defined as an instant, 

interactive, online way to communicate, and 

Nautilus International makes increasing 

use of it to keep in contact with as many members as 

possible at one time. 

The ability to interact is the unique part of social 

media, and it allows members to have direct contact 

with Nautilus in a public and instant way — as 

opposed to letters to the editor which are only published 

once a month, or direct communication with 

the Union which other members would not be aware 

of or benefit from. 

Although it is not strictly a social media tool, the 

Union also places its online job site under this category. 

Click the ‘Nautilus Jobs’ button from the website 

home page or go straight to http://jobs.nautilusint. 

org/. 

The Nautilus job site runs in parallel to the recruitment 

pages in the Telegraph, and as it is instant, 

companies are not bound by the newspaper’s print 

deadlines and therefore it can also attract different 

recruiters. 

The site usually has around 10 jobs listed at any one 

time, and you can search by sector or by company or 

simply view all jobs at once. If you click ‘Find a job’ it will 

take you to a list of all the jobs with a brief description 

of what each one is. You can then narrow your view to 

show only jobs in certain categories, including your 

desired rank, salary band, location, or sector. 

Once you see a job that is of interest you can click 

on it to see more information. As the site does not 

have the same limitations on space as the Telegraph, 

you can often find out more about the potential job 

than you would with a paper advert. 

You can even apply instantly for many jobs. By 

clicking ‘apply now’ you will either be taken to a 

form which you complete and send instantly to the 

recruiter, or be directed to the recruiter’s website. If 

you join the Nautilus Jobs website you can save your 

details and save time when completing a form — it 

really couldn’t be quicker or faster to apply for a new 

position! 

There are new jobs added to the job site all the 

time, so be sure to return often. Alternatively, you 

can follow Nautilus on Twitter and receive a tweet 

every time a new job is uploaded. 

Find a new job today on the Nautilus jobsite 

LTwitter is an online ‘real-time’ communication 

site where users communicate to ‘followers’ 

in 140 characters (approximately 

20 to 25 words). Therefore, it is used to either point 

readers to further information or just give a (very) 

brief overview. 

Nautilus and the general secretary have Twitter 

accounts — the Union’s is @nautilusint and the general 

secretary’s is @Mdickinson1262. To be able to follow 

them you have to sign up for your own Twitter 

account and then follow people you are interested in. 

Once you are following Nautilus, you will be able to 

You can find short instant updates on Twitter 

see all the ‘tweets’ (one 140 character entry) we send. 

Nautilus uses Twitter for a number of purposes. 

When a new news story is added to the website, the 

headline of the story is posted to Twitter with a link to 

read the full story — so it’s a great way to ensure you 

are up to date with the latest news without having to 

keep checking the site. If new reports or campaigns 

are added to the website these will be linked on Twitter 

and we tweet links to various individual stories 

in the Telegraph that followers may have missed. If 

there is a breaking news story this could be trailed on 

Twitter while a full story is being written. 

The Union will also ‘re-tweet’ tweets which other 

people have sent. These could be links to stories in 

industry newspapers, comments from maritime 

organisations, updates from Union members, or 

information from specific sectors. The Union’s Twitter 

feed has more than 1,000 followers and follows 

100 other people, so there is a lot of information out 

there waiting for you! 

LNautilus also posts links to new news stories 

on its Facebook page. Facebook is the 

ultimate in social networking, which most 

people will have heard of. It is another site which you 

have to be a member of to see the Union’s page but 

once you have a profile set you can ‘Like’ the Nautilus 

International page. Members are encouraged to 

comment on news stories and join debates on various 

maritime issues. 

The Nautilus recruitment team are often out and 

about visiting colleges or meeting members and 

they will often remind people where they are, using 

Facebook and Twitter. Members can also post comments 

on the Facebook page if they would like support 

or advice from other members on any issues. 

Because of the instant and un-edited way that 

people can add comments to Facebook and other 

social media, all users are required to adhere to the 

Union’s social networking policy. We will not tolerate 

any comments which are in any way aggressive, bullying, 

discriminatory or offensive. These comments 

will be removed and further action could be taken 

against the poster. The full social networking policy 

can be found on the Nautilus website (this is a test to 

see if you can remember from last month where it 

can be found!). 

Nautilus also has a page on Hyves, which is similar 

to Facebook but mainly used by Dutch speakers. 

The site contains news in Dutch and the Nautilus 

Hyves page gives updates on what the Union is doing. 

Members can start and join discussions on various 

topics of interest. 

On the Facebook and Hyves pages members 

may notice that videos from the Union have been 

uploaded. These are part of the Union’s You Tube 

account, or Nautilus TV as we like to call it. These 

short videos can be found on our UK website under 

the ‘Time Out’ section or directly from YouTube at 

www.youtube.com/user/nautilusint. 

Video updates are a relatively new concept for 

the Union, so there are only a limited number available 

— but members can currently watch interviews 

with the captain of the Tenacious, filmed during the 

recent Jubilee events, and interviews with Nautilus 

officials. We are currently planning some brand new 

videos about the Union which we hope to launch at 

the end of the year. 

Survey Monkey is the final social networking site 

which the Union often uses. This is an online survey 

site where Nautilus can devise its own surveys 

for members to complete online free of charge. The 

recent communications survey used Survey Monkey 

Comment and share maritime opinions on Facebook 

LEGAL 

and a fantastic 1,500 responses were recorded. The 

Union also used the instantaneous nature of online 

surveys to ask cadets about finances. We were able 

to compile some statistics in just a few days which 

stopped a rumoured threat to cadet funding before 

it even got off the ground. There is currently a food 

survey being run through Survey Monkey which can 

be found at www.research.net/s/WCZNNY6. 

We are keen to encourage as many members as 

possible to use the Union’s online offerings and are 

shortly going to launch a monthly email update 

which will inform members about the latest updates 

to the website — including when the online Telegraph 

is available. Obviously we can only send this to 

members who we have an email address for. If you 

have not provided yours and you would like to receive 

these monthly updates, please email membership@ 

nautilusint.org — ensuring that you include your 

membership number, name and postal address. 

And finally, if all this talk of worldwide webs, social 

networking and tweeting fills you with dread, then 

never fear — your trusty hard copy Telegraph is not 

going anywhere yet. But technology is constantly 

changing, so who knows where we will be in five or 

10 years’ time…


SHIP TO SHORE 

The face of Nautilus Alex Forrest, lay representative 

Alex Forrest is a chief engineer officer with 

gCaledonian MacBrayne and has been a 

Nautilus lay representative for four years. 

‘I got involved when the previous liaison rep 

stepped down,’ he explains. ‘There was a period of 

about two months where nobody was doing it. 

Quite a few engineers then approached me about 

standing and I agreed. I was voted in, and last 

year I put my name in for re-election and was 

re-elected.’ 

Alex has already been involved in a number of 

personal cases on behalf of the Union — including 

one which involved a crash course in UK working 

visa regulations. 

He had been anticipating a busy year ahead, as 

he and the other members at CalMac were ‘looking 

forward’ to the Scottish government re-tendering 

the contract for the Clyde and Hebrides lifeline ferry 

services. However, the government announced last 

month that it was deferring the tender for three years. 

‘The announcement of the contract extension 

was excellent news for me as the Union rep, and all 

the employees,’ explained Alex. 

‘It had been a worrying time, especially with 

fears around the pension scheme, as many 

members of staff are also members of the CalMac 

pension fund. 

‘We hope this extension, given by Scottish 

ministers, will allow the directors and 

management at the head office in Gourock time to 

draw up a tender to win the bid. 

‘This will help us all move towards a more 

secure future for the company and all employees,’ 

he added. 

Alex is also hopeful that this extension will 

make the company more attractive to young 

officers, who can go on to be trained in the 

operation of ro-ro ferries on the west coast of 

Scotland. 

‘As well as the security of a long-term contract, 

the company needs to secure the future of its 

workforce,’ he added. ‘We have a number of 

ageing senior officers and we need to encourage 

the seafarers of the future.’ 

zNew courses for rep training have just been 

announced. Basic reps training on monday 22 April 

to thursday 25 and a new advanced course on 

monday 1 to Wednesday 3 July 

M-Notices 

Member meetings and seminars 

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

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

M-Notices, Marine Information 

Notes and Marine Guidance Notes 

issued by the Maritime & 

Coastguard Agency recently 

include: 

MGN 453 (M) – Large Commercial 

Yacht Code (LY3) 

This note reports that a third edition 

of the Large Commercial Yacht Code 

has been published, known as LY3. 

The new edition has been 

developed by an industry working 

group in order to keep up with 

developments in the industry and 

amendments to international 

conventions. In particular, it 

acknowledges the implications of the 

Maritime Labour Convention 2006, 

which enters into force internationally 

on 20 August 2013. 

LY3 has not yet replaced the 

previous version, LY2, but has been 

published now in response to requests 

from industry to assist designers and 

builders preparing new designs. It will 

also help Red Ensign flag states to 

plan ahead. 

A Merchant Shipping Notice will 

be issued when LY3 comes into effect. 

In the meantime, a person may 

voluntarily use the new edition as an 

equivalent provision under regulation 

6 of the Merchant Shipping (Vessels in 

Commercial Use for Sport or Pleasure) 

Regulations 1998. Thus a certificate 

issued in compliance with LY3 will be 

accepted as valid. 

The text of LY3 can be found on 

the MCA website; go to Ships and 

Cargoes, then Large Yacht Services. 

zTurn to page 21 for more on LY3 

MGN 458 (M+F) – Accident 

Reporting and Investigation 

This note is to inform all seafarers and 

vessel owners of the requirements of 

the new Merchant Shipping (Accident 

Reporting and Investigation) 

Regulations 2012. 

The new Regulations primarily 

transpose the requirements of 

Directive 2009/18/EC into UK 

national law but also, where 

appropriate, make logical 

amendments to the previous 

regulations to reflect current practice. 

A comprehensive definition of the 

term ‘accident’ is provided in Annex B 

to MGN 458. An ‘accident’ is defined 

as any marine casualty (including very 

serious marine casualties and serious 

marine casualties) or any marine 

incident. An accident also includes 

serious injuries as defined by the 

Regulations. The Regulations now 

state that an accident does not 

include a deliberate act or omission 

with the intention to cause harm to 

the safety of a ship, an individual or 

the environment. 

The MAIB preliminary 

examination has been replaced by 

‘preliminary assessment’ to 

harmonise with terminology used in 

the Directive. The MAIB is required to 

carry out full investigations for vessels 

involved in a very serious marine 

casualty. Preliminary assessments are 

required for such vessels involved in 

accidents classified as serious marine 

casualties. 

A ‘marine incident’ incorporates 

the 2005 Regulations’ definition of 

hazardous incidents. These can 

include ‘near misses’, stemming from 

failure of procedures in shipboard 

operations, material defects, fatigue 

and human errors. Marine incidents 

are now required to be reported to 

the MAIB. A guide to marine incident 

reporting can be found in Annex F to 

MGN 458. 

An MAIB inspector may record a 

witness interview of any person who 

is assisting a safety investigation in 

any manner he/she sees fit. This 

regulation recognises MAIB practice 

and is designed to be future-proof 

against new technological 

developments. 

The definition of a ‘serious injury’ 

has been broadened. Injuries are no 

longer divided into serious or major 

injuries – full details are in Annex B to 

MGN 458. All serious injuries must be 

reported and investigated by the 

master/senior officer and/or the 

owner/operator. 

A safety investigation may be 

undertaken in co-operation with 

another European Economic Area 

(EEA) member state or a 

‘Substantially Interested State’, 

providing that state abides by the 

confidentiality regulations set out 

within Article 9 of the Directive. See 

Annex E for a definition of a 

Substantially Interested State. 

The existing regulations covering 

disclosure of records have been 

expanded to provide protection to 

correspondence received by the chief 

inspector from parties involved in a 

safety investigation, evidence from 

VDRs, all communications between 

persons involved in the operation of 

the investigated ship and 

notes/opinions documented by an 

MAIB inspector during an 

investigation. 

A report of a safety investigation 

should now be produced within 12 

months of the date of the accident. 

However, the chief inspector is 

required to publish an interim report 

should the final report into a marine 

accident not be ready within 12 

months of the date of the accident. 

Additionally, the chief inspector may 

allow the publication of a simplified 

report if he/she feels that a safety 

investigation will not have the 

potential to prevent future accidents. 

The length of time that evidence 

must be retained by persons specified 

in MGN 458, plus the time allowed for 

consultations and responses to 

recommendations, has been 

extended from 28 to 30 days. 

The Accident Report Form (ARF) 

has now replaced the Incident Report 

Form (IRF) as the means for reporting 

to the MAIB. 

MIN 445 (M+F) – Navigation Safety: 

Electronic Chart Display and 

Information System (ECDIS); use of 

ECDIS as primary means of 

navigation (PMN) 

Amendments to Chapter V of SOLAS, 

in force since 1 January 2011, 

introduced a requirement for 

mandatory carriage of ECDIS for 

certain vessels. This requirement 

comes into force on a rolling 

timetable between 1 July 2012 and 1 

July 2018. 

The amendments also accepted 

the use of ECDIS as a means of 

complying with the chart carriage 

requirement, as an alternative to 

paper charts. 

MIN 445 clarifies the 

requirements for use of ECDIS as the 

primary means of navigation. It 

details the amendments and 

additions to SOLAS Chapter V, 

grouping them under the following 

headings: 

zrevised carriage requirements 

zgeneral principles of ECDIS usage 

as primary means of navigation 

zrecord of equipment 

zadequate back-up 

zcompliant ECDIS 

zECDIS – modes of operation 

zECDIS – apparent anomalies 

zmaintenance of ECDIS software 

ECDIS users are also advised to 

refer to the website of the 

International Hydrographic 

Organization (www.iho.int), which 

will include links to enable ships to 

download the latest versions of the 

operating software — see feature, 

pages 24-25. 

zM-Notices are available as 

electronic documents or as a set of 

bound volumes. 

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 

zIndividual copies can be 

electronically subscribed to by 

emailing a request to 

mnotices@ecgroup.co.uk or 

downloaded from the MCA website. 

Go to www.dft.gov.uk/mca and click 

on ‘Ships and Cargoes’, then 

‘Legislation and Guidance’. 

g National 

Pensions Association 

The meeting due to be held in London 

on Wednesday 31 October 2012 was 

cancelled. The next meeting is 

scheduled for 29 January 2013, in 

Aberdeen. This meeting will cover the 

latest developments in the MNOPF, 

MNOPP and TMSP schemes, and is 

open to all UK members, including 

associate and affiliate. 

Contact Adele McDonald: 

+44 (0)20 8989 6677 

npa@nautilusint.org 

UK Head office 


1&2 The Shrubberies, George Lane 

South Woodford, London E18 1BD 

Tel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 

Fax: +44 (0)20 8530 1015 


Northern office 



Wallasey CH45 7PH 

Tel: +44 (0)151 639 8454 

Fax: +44 (0)151 346 8801 


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 

Tel: +31 (0)10 477 1188 

Fax: +31 (0)10 477 3846 

infonl@nautilusint.org 

Induction visits 

See www.nautilusint.org/newsand-events 

for dates of upcoming 

college visits by the 

Nautilus recruitment team 

(scroll down to ‘latest events’). 

For further information, email 

recruitment@nautilusint.org 

or call Blossom Bell on 

+44 (0)151 639 8454. 

g Youth Forum 

Saturday 10 November 2012 

1100hrs-1600hrs 

at 1&2 The Shrubberies 

George Lane, South Woodford 

London E18 1BD 

The forum provides guidance 

to Nautilus Council on the challenges 

facing young people in the industry 

in Union activity. Open to all young 

members (UK & NL). 

Contact Blossom Bell: 

+44 (0)151 639 8454 


Contact Nautilus International 

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. 

Please give us your vessel’s ETA and as much information as possible about the 

issue that needs addressing. 

College contacts 

SWITZERLAND 

Gewerkschaftshaus, Rebgasse 1 

4005 Basel, Switzerland 

Tel: +41 (0)61 262 24 24 

Fax: +41 (0)61 262 24 25 

infoch@nautilusint.org 

SINGAPORE 


10a Braddell Hill #05-03 

Singapore, 579720 

Tel: +65 (0)625 61933 

Mobile: +65 (0)973 10154 

singapore@nautilusint.org 

FRANCE 

Yacht sector office in partnership with 

D&B Services 

3 Bd. d’Aguillon 

06600 Antibes, France 

Tel: +33 (0)962 616 140 

nautilus@dandbservices.com 

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@nautilusint.org 

www.dovaston.com 

Industrial support for cadets 

All Nautilus members are entitled to 

industrial support from the Union — and 

cadet members are no exception. For 

queries about employer relations, workplace 

conditions or legal matters, please 

contact Blossom Bell (details left), who 

will put you in touch with the industrial 

organiser assigned to your college. Support 

can be given via phone or email, or by 

arranging a visit to your college. 

g Professional & Technical Forum 

Monday 3 December 2012 

1300hrs-1700hrs 

Venue TBC 

The forum deals with a wide 

range of technical, safety, 

welfare and other professional 

topics of relevance to 

all members, including training 

and certification. Open to all members 

(UK & NL). 

Contact Sue Willis: 

+44 (0)20 8989 6677 

protech@nautilusint.org 

See www.nautilusint.org/news-and-events for the latest information on member meetings, forums and seminars. 

Quiz and 

crossword answers 

ACDB 

Quiz answers 

1. Hyundai Mipo Dockyard of South 

Korea currently has the world’s biggest 

orderbook — a total of 144 ships. 

2. Stamco Ship Management has the 

world’s biggest car carrying fleet, with a 

total capacity of just under 35,000 cars. 

3. A total of 111 cruiseships in the world 

fleet are aged 35 or older. 

4. A total of 287,000 tonnes of oil was 

spilled in the Atlantic Empress incident. 

5. The Exxon Valdez spill totalled 37,000 

tonnes. 

6. BIMCO stands for the Baltic & 

International Maritime Council. 

Crossword answers 

Quick Answers 

Across: 8. Wind farm; 9. Avenue; 

10. Here; 11. Deckchairs; 12. Bottle; 

14. Enshrine; 15. Tbilisi; 17. Titanic; 

20. Tipstaff; 22. One-off; 23. 

Chlorinate; 24. Harp; 25. Alpine; 

26. Reappear. 

Down: 1. Dive-bomb; 2. Idle; 3. Paddle; 

4. Smacker; 5. Narcissi; 6. Remarriage; 

7. Outrun; 13. Telescopic; 16. Spadices; 

18. Infernal; 19. Affairs; 21. Inhale; 

22. One-way; 24. Hope. 

This month’s cryptic crossword is a prize 

competition, and the answers will 

appear in next month’s Telegraph. 

Congratulations to Nautilus member 

Ken Bolden, who wins the October 

cryptic crossword. 

Cryptic answers from October 

Across: 1. Humidify; 5. Toecap; 

9. Water polo; 11. Enter; 

12. Dictatorship; 15. Dent; 

16. Incomplete; 18. Animadvert; 

19. Inca; 21. Illegitimate; 24. Taboo; 

25. Reticence; 26. Clever; 27 Crossbar. 

Down: 1. Howl; 2. Mute; 3. Derail; 

4. Floating voter; 6. Overripe; 

7. Catchpenny; 8. Peripheral; 

10. Outboard motor; 13. Idealistic; 

14. Inviolable; 17. Mangrove; 20. Stocks; 

22. Snob; 23. Fear.


JOIN NAUTILUS 

Pay and conditions 

Nautilus International is the first truly 

trans-boundary trade union for maritime 

professionals, reflecting the global nature of the 

industry. We negotiate with employers on issues 

including pay, working conditions, working 

hours and pensions to secure agreements which 

recognise members’ skills and experience, and 

the need for safety for the maritime sector. 

Legal services 

Nautilus Legal offers members a range of legal 

services free of charge. There are specialist 

lawyers to support members in work related 

issues and a number of non-work related issues. 

The Union also has a network of lawyers in 54 

countries to provide support where members 

need it most. 

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. 

Certificate protection 

Members are entitled to free financial 

protection, worth up to £112,600, against the loss 

of income if their certificate of competency is 

cancelled, suspended or downgraded following a 

formal inquiry. 

Extra savings 

Members can take advantage of many additional 

discounts and benefits organised at a local level. 

These include tax advice, insurance discounts 

and advice on pension matters. In the 

Netherlands, discounts are organised through 

FNV, and trade union contributions are mostly 

tax-friendly, entitling members to receive a 

significant part of their contributions back. 

CALL NOW 

+44 0151 639 8454 UK 

TO JOIN +31 010 477 11 88 NL 

NAUTILUS ON: +41 061 262 24 24 CH 

Join today so we can be there for you too! 

International representation 

Nautilus International represents members’ 

views on a wide range of national and 

international bodies including the European 

Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), the 

International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) 

and the International Federation of Shipmasters’ 

Associations (IFSMA). We work at the 

International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and 

the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on 

key global regulations covering working 

conditions, health and safety and training. The 

Union is affiliated to the TUC in the UK, FNV in 

the Netherlands and SGB/USS in Switzerland. 

In touch 

As a Nautilus International member, help is 

never far away — wherever in the world you are. 

Officials regularly see members onboard their 

ships and visit cadets at college. Further support 

and advice is available at regular ‘surgeries’ and 

conferences. The Union has offices in London, 

Wallasey, Rotterdam and Basel. There are also 

representatives based in Aberdeen, France and 

Singapore. 

Your union, your voice 

The Union represents the voice of more than 

23,000 maritime professionals working in all 

sectors of the industry at sea and ashore — 

including inland navigation, large yachts, 

deepsea and offshore. 

For members, by members 

Nautilus International is a dynamic and 

democratic trade union offering members many 

opportunities to become actively involved and 

have your say — at a local, national and 

international level. 

www.nautilusint.org 

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: 

FIRST NAMES 

SURNAME 

ADDRESS 

POSTCODE 

EMAIL ADDRESS 

MOBILE (INCLUDING DIALLING CODE) 

HOME TELEPHONE 

GEN DER 

EMPLOYER 

SHIP 

RANK 

DISCHARGE BOOK NO (IF APPLICABLE) 

COLLEGE OF STUDY (CADET APPLICATIONS ONLY) 

COURSE (CADET APPLICATIONS ONLY) 

Please post this form to: 

Membership services department 



Wallasey CH45 7PH, United Kingdom 

DATE OF BIRTH


NEWS 

Declan is top trainee 

The 16th annual Nautilus Bevis Minter award is presented to ‘diligent and determined’ young deck officer 

PA young officer serving 

onboard the Natural 

Environment Research 

Council vessel RRS James Cook 

has been presented with this 

year’s Nautilus Bevis Minter 

award for the most worthy cadet. 

Declan Morrow was nominated 

for the award by lecturers at 

Blackpool & The Fylde College, 

who praised his ‘diligence, fortitude 

and courage, both at sea and 

at college’ and spoke of the way in 

which he had ‘shown determination 

to reach his ambition which 

would have tested most people in 

his position’. 

Tony Dumbell, head of the 

maritime faculty at the college, 

commented: ‘We are delighted 

the award has gone to Declan. He 

is the epitome of a determined 

young man that wants to achieve 

and did achieve.’ 

The award made each year by 

Nautilus in tribute to a former 

chairman of Council, Bevis 

Minter, who worked as a marine 

pilot with the Port of London 

Authority and who had been a 

passionate advocate of the need 

for training and investment in 

young people. 

Declan is the 16th recipient of 

the award and successfully completed 

his cadetship just before 

last Christmas. His training was 

sponsored by Bibby Ship Management, 

and he is now employed 

by the National Oceanography 

Centre Southampton (NOCS) as 

third officer. 

Presenting the award — a 

cheque for £300 and a certificate 

of recognition — general secretary 

Mark Dickinson described 

Declan as ‘an exceptional young 

man’ whose achievements had 

made him a very worthy recipient 

of the award. Ships are becoming 

increasingly sophisticated 

and technologically advanced, 

and they increasingly need highly 

qualified and committed personnel 

to operate them safely and 

efficiently,’ he pointed out. ‘There 

is indeed no future for the shipping 

industry without investment 

in such talent, and I am 

delighted that we are here tonight 

to help celebrate that future and 

that talent.’ 

Declan said he was honoured 

and surprised to receive the 

award. During his cadetship he 

served on a containership and roro 

vessels, but had no job after 

gaining his OOW certificate earlier 

this year. However, he secured 

a short-term post as second officer 

with P&O Maritime Services 

and then had the opportunity to 

work for NOCS, which eventually 

led to a successful interview for a 

permanent position. 

‘It’s really important to give 

people that first chance after their 

training,’ he said. ‘Lots of employers 

ask for experience, but it can 

be really hard to get that as a 

newly-qualified officer.’ 

Declan decided to go to sea 

after meeting a cadet at a careers 

open day. ‘The big attraction for 

me was the old one of seeing the 

world and being paid for it,’ he 

said. ‘Most of my friends went to 

university and now have debts of 

£20,000. For three years I was 

studying and seeing the world, 

while they were seeing Preston or 

Manchester.’ 

Immediately after receiving 

the award, Declan was off to join 

his ship to sail to Chile to support 

a scientific research project in the 

South Atlantic. He is keen to study 

for his DP ticket and wants to rise 

through the ranks to serve as 

master or superintendent. ‘There 

are lots of opportunities — the 

sky’s the limit really,’ he added. 

Pictured, left to right, are Bibby Ship Management training manager Gabby Dolan; Nautilus general secretary 

Mark Dickinson; Bevis Minter Award winner Declan Morrow; and Tony Dumbell, head of maritime operations at 

Fleetwood Nautical Campus 

‘Exceptional’ Elizabeth 

is UK cadet of the year 

A Nautilus member who was 

Atold by a teacher that she was 

wasting her time thinking about a 

career at sea has won this year’s UK 

Trainee Officer of the Year award. 

Elizabeth Dykes decided when 

she was just 10 years old that she 

wanted to become a ship’s officer 

and her dedication and 

commitment was rewarded last 

month when she was presented 

with the award by Maritime & 

Coastguard Agency (MCA) chief 

executive Sir Alan Massey — 

pictured left. 

‘I went on a cruise with my 

parents when I was 10 and talked to 

one of the officers, which convinced 

me that I wanted a job at sea,’ she 

said. 

After completing her studies at 

Fleetwood Nautical Campus, 

Elizabeth is now serving as a third 

officer with James Fisher & Sons, 

working onboard the 12,984dwt 

chemical/products tanker Clyde 

Fisher. 

Presenting the award, Sir Alan 

paid tribute to Elizabeth’s 

‘exceptional dedication, positive 

outlook and outstanding attitude’ 

during training. He described her as 

‘a one-off individual with an 

incredible personality’ and had 

been voted as student of the year 

out of more than 21,000 students 

at Blackpool & The Fylde college. 

‘She is a natural leader who 

brings groups of people together to 

work collaboratively and as a team 

to achieve their objectives,’ he 

added. 

Besides speaking at the Union’s 

General Meeting in Rotterdam last 

year, Elizabeth has also been active 

in the Nautilus forums for women 

and young members. 

Elizabeth said she had no regrets 

in rejecting her teacher’s advice to 

go to university rather than to sea, 

and she is now planning to go on to 

obtain her mate’s and master’s 

certificates. ‘This is definitely a 

career I would recommend to 

anyone,’ she told the Telegraph. 

‘I like the way you do a couple of 

months of solid work and then get 

some clear time at home, and I like 

the way you get to see different 

places and meet different people,’ 

she added. 

Elizabeth said she was surprised 

to learn she had won the award, 

which includes a framed certificate 

and a cheque for £1,500. ‘I got a 

phone call from the college asking 

me to come in and I thought I was 

in trouble!’ she recalled. ‘They 

showed me the nomination form 

and then said they were glad I 

thought it was OK, as I had won the 

award…’

NAUTILUS P01 NOVEMBER 2012 - Nautilus International

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