December 2007.pdf - Nautilus NL

In this issue:PRIDE OF SCOTLANDMaritime training isalive and well inScotland, buoyed by amajor new campaignpages 22-23TONGUE TWISTEDLanguage experts havemet to consider ways toimprove multinationalcommunications at seapages 24-25HAVE YOU VOTED YET?Now is the time to haveyour say on the plans tocreate a new Anglo-Dutch maritime unionpage 31Telegraphthe journal ofVolume 40 ●✪ Number 12 ●✪ December 2007 ●✪ £2.25SCOTTISH BIDTO TREBLECADET INTAKEPICTURED left are GlasgowCollege of Nautical Studies cadetsCaroline Paterson and StevenBlair helping to launch anambitious new recruitmentcampaign that aims to triple thenumber of Scottish MerchantNavy officer trainees over the nextthree years.Warmly welcomed by NautilusUK, the £250,000 initiative —spearheaded by ScottishEnterprise — involves a majormarketing drive to take Scotland’sannual cadet intake to the 900mark by 2010.Nautilus UK general secretaryBrian Orrell said he was delightedto see the scheme. ‘This is a timelyinitiative, and one that is muchneeded,’ he added. ‘We wish itwell, and will do all we can toensure that it succeeds in itsobjectives.’✪ Full report — see centre pages.CONCERN OVER MCA CUTSNautilus UK seeks assurances from shipping minister as Agency unveils radical re-organisationNAUTILUS UK is seeking assurances overship inspection and seafarer certificationstandards following news of Maritimeand Coastguard Agency plans for a 20%cut in head office staff.In a major re-organisation of managementand administration revealed lastmonth, the MCA outlined plans that couldsee some 75 of the 300 Southampton HQjobs go and a number of support servicesswitched to South Wales.The re-structuring will also result inthe loss of regional managers and some‘non-frontline’ jobs.It will also see the number of MCAboard members being cut from five tothree to reflect a re-shaping of internaldirectorates covering maritime services,finance and governance, and corporatesupport.Nautilus UK has expressed concernthat the changes are inspired by a desire tocut costs rather than to improve standards.‘This concern is all the more acute,given that the MCA’s latest accounts showthat the Agency reported recognisedlosses of £2,629,000 for the year 2006-7,against a recognised gain of £652,000 inthe previous financial year,’ general secretaryBrian Orrell pointed out.In a letter to shipping minister JimFitzpatrick, the Union notes that theMCA’s latest annual report shows that thenumber of ‘frontline service deliverersand direct support staff’ declined from1,044 in 2005-6 to 1,032 in 2006-7.Mr Orrell said he was disturbed by theprospect of further staff reductions withinthe Agency at a time when the expansionof UK-registered tonnage should be leadingto an increase in frontline staff — andsurveyors in particular.‘Nautilus UK has repeatedly raisedconcerns over the quality of some of theships coming to the red ensign in recenttimes,’ he added, ‘and we have producedextensive evidence to support our case.‘It is of the utmost importance that theMCA has the staffing and resourcesrequired to uphold high standards underthe UK flag, and this news raises seriousquestions about the pressures on theAgency in delivering its statutory safetyduties.’The letter to the minister requestsassurances that the MCA will not be delegatingany more of its statutory safetyduties — including ship inspection andseafarer certification standards work — toclassification societies or other recognisedorganisations.‘We believe it is essential that the MCAretains its status as an independent body,and that the UK does not follow the pathof flags of convenience in using outsideagencies to do critical safety work,’ MrOrrell stated.He said the inspection demands arisingfrom flagging-in and port state controlcommitments ‘should warrant areal-terms increase in staffing andresources at the MCA rather than a freshprogramme of cuts and changes’. And headded: ‘It is essential that the governmentprovides an Agency that has the professionalexpertise required to develop andenforce critical national and internationalregulations, including the forthcomingintroduction of the Maritime LabourConvention.’The changes are set to take effect from1 April next year, and the MCA says it isseeking to secure the staffing reductionsthrough voluntary early retirement. In aletter to Lloyd’s List, MCA chief executivePeter Cardy defended the shake-up andclaimed the changes will ‘mean our workon the safety of seafarers and ships will beenhanced, not compromised’.✪ Full report — see page 19.✪ newsfront 2–13 ●✪ letters 16–17 ●✪ reports 19–33 ●✪ international 14–15 ●✪ appointments 36–41 ●✪ crossword 34 ✪

DECEMBER 2007 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪3NVQ SUCCESS SETS NEWSTANDARDS AT UNION’SWELFARE COMPLEXNAUTILUS UK’s Mariners’ Park welfarecomplex achieved new standards ofexcellence last month, with 100% of its carehome staff gaining a recognised qualificationin health and social care.‘The government standard is for 50% ofcare home staff to achieve NVQ level 2,’ saiddeputy director of welfare Liz Richardson.‘But we have far exceeded that — just as wehave exceeded the standards for theaccommodation we provide.’She said bank and relief staff have alsobeen helped to gain NVQ awards. Inaddition, some staff members have gone onto gain healthcare NVQs (NationalVocational Qualifications) at level 3, as wellas qualifications in management andhorticulture — reflecting the range of workcarried out at the park.‘These qualifications demonstrate thecommitment of Nautilus UK to staffdevelopment,’ noted Mrs Richardson.Pictured right after receiving their awardsfrom assistant general secretary MarkDickinson are: back row L-R: VickyReynolds (NVQ2 Health & Social Care);David Crawford (completion ofapprenticeship in horticulture); MarkDickinson, Julie Plant (NVQ3 Health &Social Care); Karen Gill (NVQ2 Health &Social Care). Front row L-R: Jane Davies(NVQ4 in Management); Sue Vick (NVQ5 inManagement); Helen Roth (NVQ3 Health &Social Care); Jane Evans (NVQ2 Health &Social Care).nautilus UK at workbriefly...Criminalisation challenge: Europe’s top court has issued aruling challenging the controversial ship-source pollutiondirective that introduces tough new criminal penalties forseafarers and owners, annulling an associated EU Councilframework decision to strengthen the criminal lawframework. A court judgement in a separate legal challenge tothe directive, brought by a shipping industry coalition, isexpected by the end of February.Global gathering: representatives from officers’ unions in 11 different countries at last month’s International Officers’ Federation meeting in LondonOFFICER UNIONS INTRAINING APPEALDelegates from around the world meet at Nautilus UK head officeCALLS FOR action to tackle themounting maritime skills crisiswere made as representativesfrom officers’ unions around theworld met at Nautilus UK’sLondon headquarters last month.More than 30 delegates from 11different countries met to considerissues including the impactof the supply shortfalls as theUnion hosted the InternationalOfficers’ Federation meeting.Other items on the agendaincluded the outcome of therecent International BargainingForum negotiations on the payand conditions of seafarers servingon flag of convenience ships,shipping safety, and an update onthe review of the InternationalTransport Workers’ FederationFoC campaign.But it was the shortage of experiencedofficers that dominateddiscussions at the all-day meeting,the second IOF gathering underthe auspices of the ITF’s seafarers’section.Delegates considered a paperoutlining the way in which theshipping industry has expandedits capacity without consideringthe need to provide an adequatenumber of skilled seafarers.It highlighted the way in whichthe FoC system has uncoupled theresponsibility for training fromthose that require trained officers,and the evidence of increasedstress, fatigue and isolation sufferedby seafarers.‘The result is a career thatoffers a heavy workload, limitedopportunities for leisure —whether that be socialising withshipmates or going ashore — anonerous degree of responsibility,increased bureaucracy, and additionaldifficulties for thosedeemed to be a potential securitythreat,’ the report added.It suggested the shortage presentedopportunities for unions toincrease the pay of their members,improve shipboard conditionsand press for extra training.But the meeting also heardthat the shortage is generatingcounter-pressures to cut thelength of training courses,increase simulator time, to ‘deskill’officer positions, and to radicallychange the STCW rules onthe training and certification ofseafarers.Nautilus UK general secretaryBrian Orrell told the meeting thatthere needed to be more industrialand political campaigning onissues such as manning levels,fatigue and training. He urgedIOF delegates to give the ITF‘strategic direction to combat thecritical shortage of officers in theinternational marketplace’.And assistant general secretaryMark Dickinson said feedbackfrom the IOF delegates showedthat the skills shortfall hasreached crisis proportions on aglobal basis. ‘Now is the time to dosomething about it,’ he added.‘The issue is not just aboutrecruitment, but also about retention,’John Whitlow, of the ITF’sseafarers’ section, told the meeting.He said today’s seafarers havehigher expectations about theirlifestyle at sea, and owners shouldbe pressed into improvements inshipboard accommodation andcrew calling facilities.Jens Fage Pedersen, from theDanish officers’ union, said theshortage was too important toleave to shipowners to deal with.‘However, that is what we havebeen doing for some years andFoC ships are not paying towardsthe education of seafarers,’ headded. ‘They will not do so unlessthey are forced to do it.’Terry Snee, from theAustralian engineers’ union, saidthe situation is set to get evenworse — with more than 40% ofofficers due to retire in the next 10-15 years. ‘That should be sufficienttime for the ITF and its membersto develop a long-term growthstrategy,’ he added.The meeting agreed to establisha working group to furtherdevelop policies agreed at the previousIOF meeting in Sydney. Itwill look at issues including campaigning,collective bargainingand the FoC campaign, and continuework to assess employmentcosts in various countries.Seafarer murdered: a seafarer from Goa was killed and ashipmate injured after they were attacked by a gang whilereturning to their ship, the Marshall Islands flagged tankerGaronne, at Fawley oil terminal. Seven youths aged between13 and 17 were released on bail after being questioned bypolice on suspicion of murder, grievous bodily harm andviolent disorder.Bullies ban: the TUC has urged employers to do more toprotect staff from victimisation and harassment followingnew research revealing that one in 10 workers was bullied inthe last six months. TUC general secretary Brendan Barbersaid workplace bullying was a cost to companies because itlowers morale and adversely affects the health of staff.Accident alarm: concern over the rate of fatigue-relatedaccidents and at the number of seafarer deaths in enclosedspaces was raised by experts meeting at the MaritimeAccident Investigators’ Forum in Beijing. Chairman DougRabe said members had also expressed alarm at cases showing‘disregard’ for the collision prevention regulations.Breaking win: a Teesside company has won a four-year battlefor permission to dismantle four US Navy ‘ghost ships’. AbleMarine has also rejected claims from the Friends of the Earthenvironmental group that a ‘toxic armada’ of up to 150 shipswill come to the UK to be broken up as a result of the decision.RFA rescue: the RFA replenishment tanker Wave Knight lastmonth joined an international relief effort following adevastating tropical storm in the Dominican Republic. Thevessel spent a week helping to provide aviation support for thedistribution of aid to the worst-affected areas.Manx move: the Isle of Man ship registry has announcedchanges to its registration procedures and cuts in the cost ofusing the flag as part of a package intended to attract moreowners — especially those in Asia.GMDSS upgrade: Lairdside Maritime Centre has completedan upgrade of its GMDSS training suite — with new ‘live’equipment giving students greater hands-on experience of awider range of systems.Welfare member: the Anglo-Eastern Group has become thefirst ship management company to be a corporate member ofthe International Committee on Seafarers’ Welfare.

4 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ DECEMBER 2007BID TO IMPROVESMIT ROSTERSNAUTILUS UK industrial officerGavin Williams is picturedduring a visit to membersemployed at Smit International’sPlymouth base.The meeting with memberstook place ahead of discussionswith management on a numberof issues affecting the work/lifebalance of officers workingonboard the vessels Smit Dart,Smit Yare and Smit Tamar.‘Nautilus is now working withthe company on ways in whichwe can improve upon the currentwork rosters at the base,’ saidMr Williams. ‘In particular, weare looking at an agreement thatwill give masters the discretionto stand down crews in certaincircumstances.’A review period of 17 weekshas been suggested, he added.MDHC PAY ROLLCONSULTATIONNAUTILUS UK has joined withother unions representing MerseyDocks & Harbour Company staffto discuss company proposals tochange pay roll procedures.Management have presentedplans to harmonise the current13 pay roll systems into a singlemethod.The company wants toimplement the changes in Aprilnext year, and Nautilus UK hassecured assurances that themove to 13 salary payments perannum will reflect the actualhours worked by members.Industrial officer Garry Elliottsaid the proposals had thepotential to be contentious, butunions are seeking to ensure thatthe company is made aware ofany changes that could provedetrimental.newsbriefly...United approach: British and Dutch seafarers serving withP&O Ferries met in Hull last month to discuss a wide range ofissues, including drug and alcohol policy, profit share, andcollective bargaining agreements. Nautilus UK industrialofficer Joe Heeney described the talks as ‘very positive’ andsaid they were a good example of the benefits of the linksbetween Nautilus UK and Nautilus NL.Nedlloyd pressed: Nautilus UK is pressing Maersk Nedlloydfor a response to its claim for a substantial pay increase formembers. Senior national secretary Paul Moloneycommented: ‘We are disappointed by the delay and have madethis clear to the company. However, we have been assured thatthis is because management is giving serious consideration tothe submission.’WIGHT VISITNAUTILUS UK industrial officerJonathan Havard is picturedright with chief engineer officerVince Lovell and Captain MartinAdams during a visit to theLymington-Yarmouth ferryCenwulf last month.Mr Havard met membersahead of a meeting withWightlink management on thisyear’s pay and conditions claim,which seeks a 7.5% increase thisyear and RPI plus 1% in 2008.Mr Havard said the companyhad made a formal offer innegotiations with the Union lastmonth, but Nautilus UK was notin a position to consult membersuntil it received feedback oncounter-proposals.IoMSP visits: with the two-year Isle of Man Steam PacketCompany pay deal still in force, there is now the time andspace to work on a terms and conditions update, saysindustrial officer Steve Doran. Members’ views have beengathered during a series of ship visits, and detailed work onthe terms and conditions will start shortly.Trinity revision: Nautilus UK?has sought feedback frommembers serving with Trinity House on the outcome of itsSVS pay evaluation. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard saidthe exercise would give members additional increases worthbetween 1% and 3.2%, depending on rank, effective fromAugust 2007.PNTL partnership: five nominations have been accepted forthe company's new liaison committee — but Nautilus UK isurging more members to come forward to fill the remainingseven places on the committee. Industrial officer Steve Doransaid the body has many important issues to deal with.Azalea review: Nautilus UK has called for a substantial payrise for members serving with Azalea car carriers. The Unionis seeking to maintain differentials and to secure aconsolidated salary and permanent terms and conditions.Weir submission: Nautilus UK has presented a pay claim onbehalf of members employed by BIS on Andrew Weir vessels.The Union is seeking an above-inflation increase, a loyaltybonus and seniority payments.Stena confirmation: Stena Line has confirmed that memberswill receive a 4.5% pay increase effective from 1 November2007, as part of an inflation plus 0.6% deal in a two-year payagreement with the Union.UECC claim: following feedback from members employed byUECC (Guernsey), Nautilus UK has presented a claim for anabove-inflation pay rise, a bonus scheme, seniority payments,and reduced tour lengths.Fisher liaison: Nautilus UK has reported a positive responseto a call for delegates for a new partnership at work committeefor the combined James Fisher/FT Everard fleet.Intrada request: Nautilus UK has requested a meeting withIntrada Ship Management to discuss a claim for a substantialacross-the-board pay increase for members.Forth call: a claim for an above-RPI pay increase, sick pay andstandby pay has been submitted by Nautilus UK on behalf ofmembers serving with Forth Tankers.NEW HOPE AT RFADifferentials issue could be tackled as part of 2008 pay processNAUTILUS UK has urged Northlink Ferriesmanagement to give its officers a substantialpay increase and additional leave to addressrecruitment and retention issues.The Union met the company in Aberdeenlast month to submit a claim for a 6% pay riseand the introduction of four weeks’ annualleave entitlement.National secretary Ronnie Cunninghamsaid management told the Union there was stillno remit on pay from the Scottish government,NAUTILUS UK national secretaryPaul Keenan is pictured withmembers onboard the Royal FleetAuxiliary vessel Lyme Bay inPortland last month during aseries of ship visits to discuss thelatest developments in the disputeover leave harmonisation.Following a stage two meetingin the disputes procedures, theUnion has moved to consult memberson proposals to suspend theprocess to enable discussions to beheld in the hope of securing anagreement under a new pay remitthat takes effect next year.Mr Keenan said the ship visitshave provided a chance for membersto seek further informationand clarity about the proposals.He stressed that the move tonegotiate on the issues within the2008 pay process does not meanthat any settlement is tied to theoutcome of next year’s pay talks.‘The move has been madebecause the Treasury guidelineshave changed for the next payround, to allow savings made to bere-invested,’ he explained. ‘As aresult, we intend to run negotiationson our claim in respect ofleave harmonisation in tandemwith the pay process and to aim fora form of payment that willbecome payable on 1 July 2008.‘However,’ he stressed, ‘even ifwe are unable to reach agreementon pay on 1 July next year, thisshould not affect the discussionson restoring differentials betweenofficers and ratings.’Mr Keenan stressed that hehad secured assurances from theRFA that the move would not beused as a stalling tactic, and thatthe Union could revert to stagethree of the disputes process if thetalks fail to make progress.so it was not possible to make an offer.‘They went on to say that they expect theremit, when it comes, to be grim — because discussionsbetween Scotland and Westminstersuggested that the amount of money will beseverely restrained,’ he added.‘For our part, we concentrated on the claimfor four weeks’ holiday,’ Mr Cunninghamexplained, ‘emphasising that other major operatorshave such entitlements for their officersand that there is presently a tribunal underway‘The next stage will be to startoff the 2008 pay process, and weare planning to have a pay andconditions claim ready to submitearly in the new year,’ he added.High on the agenda will be adesire to address the contentiousissue of concessionary travelarrangements,’ Mr Keenan said.Northlink urged to address leave claimin Aberdeen on the rights of offshore workersto four weeks of leave a year.‘Although it may be true that there may beno legal right for the implementation of theworking time directive, from a purely industrialpoint of view the pool of well qualified officersis decreasing and the shortage is startingto bite for Northlink,’ he stressed.‘If this element of the claim is not addressed,I believe these difficulties will continue toincrease.’

DECEMBER 2007 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪5ORKNEY ACTION’S‘SOLID SUPPORT’NAUTILUS UK members servingwith Orkney Ferries are stillobserving an overtime ban whileefforts continue to resolve theindustrial dispute with thecompany.Industrial officer Steve Dorantold the Telegraph that he isworking with fellow unions RMTand Unite (T&G section) to set upa meeting of all parties as soon aspossible.The overtime ban began inOctober after members votedunanimously in favour of takingindustrial action short of a strikein protest at the failure to secureimprovements to a rejected payoffer.Mr Doran said members hadbeen solid in their support of theaction, which has had an impacton services.NORFOLKLINE INTALKS ON TERMSNAUTILUS UK industrial officerGavin Williams is pictured leftwith Captains Antonio Carielloand Garry Strangwood during avisit to the ferry Dublin Vikinglast month.Mr Williams met members onthe vessel as part of a series ofmeetings to discuss issues inadvance of talks with Maerskmanagement on variouselements of the terms andconditions for seafarers servingon Norfolkline vessels.Because a long-term payagreement runs until 2009, theUnion is now seeking to addressother elements of the workingpackage. Points identified bymembers include the possibilityof a combined Dover/Irish Seaagreement, differentials, sickleave and mileage allowances.newsUNITY DEAL‘WIN-WIN’AT CALMACSingle agreement consultationFOLLOWING months of negotiations,members serving withCaledonian MacBrayne are beingconsulted on plans for a singleagreement covering terms andconditions on the Clyde andWestern Isles services.Nautilus UK industrial officerGarry Elliott said the proposalswere significant and could deliverimportant benefits to members.‘We think it is a “win-win” package,’he added.The move to put the proposalsout to the membership wasbacked at a meeting of liaison officersand partnership delegates,and Nautilus UK hopes that if theconsultation proves positive thesingle agreement could be in placefor the new year.‘This is something that hasbeen worked on for the past 30years and we are pleased that wenow have concrete proposals toput to the membership,’ said MrElliott.‘We are in the position wherethe tendering process every sixyears will pose a constant threat ofa private operator coming in,’ headded. ‘In this context, a singleagreement will create unity andstrength and help to protect jobsand conditions.’Mr Elliott said the Union hadsecured a number of importantsafeguards — including an agreementthat there will be no adversechanges to any member’s termsand conditions, and that all officerswill be allowed to remainworking in the existing geographicalareas.There is also a 12-month ‘disclaimer’period, allowing bothsides to come to the table with anyissues missed through the negotiatingprocess.Mr Elliott said the unified fleetwould provide members withgreater opportunities for promotionand career development.The changes would also meanthe application of hours of restregulations across the entire fleet— which in turn should lead toincreased crewing and a move totwo-on/two-off tour rotation.Officer reps have been visitingships in November, and theNautilus UK consultation outcomeis expected to be known byDecember.If the result is positive, a furtherpartnership forum will bearranged for early in the month toratify the agreement — with theaim of making it effective from 1January.PICTURED above are Nautilus UK liaisonofficers from around the UK meeting atthe Union’s head office last month.The meeting was called to discuss theproposals to create, with the Dutchpartner union Nautilus NL, a new unionfor maritime professionals.Assistant general secretary MarkNAUTILUS UK has welcomed an agreementbetween European maritime unions andshipowners that paves the way for the introductionof the ‘bill of rights’ for seafarers.The European Transport Workers’Federation and the European CommunityShipowners Association deal covers the incorporationinto Community law of key provisionsof the ILO Maritime Labour Convention.Dickinson told the Telegraph the forumhad provided a platform to explain thebackground to the plans. He said thefeedback had been positive, withconstructive discussion on the wayforward.Nautilus UK’s policy of expanding theinput and involvement of lay representatives has been payingdividends, with the number of liaisonofficer and partnership delegate postshaving tripled over the past six years.The Union is now considering plans tostage an annual event for lay reps, todiscuss developments and issues oftopical relevance to the membership.EU agreement on seafarer ‘bill of rights’It was reached after a year of negotiationsbetween the two sides, and it is hoped that itwill be formally signed in February 2008 — onthe second anniversary of the ILO agreementon the bill of rights.The agreement means that key elements ofthe convention will be adopted through an EUdirective that will require member states totranspose the contents into their domestic legislation.Both ETF and ECSA have requestedthe Commission to start working on a proposalfor a Council decision, under which the provisionscontained in their agreement should beimplemented within the European Union.In concluding the agreement, ETF andECSA stressed the need for a level playing field,with labour standards applicable to all seafarersonboard vessels.NAUTILUS UK industrialofficer Gavin Williams ispictured above withmembers of the Red Funnelliaison officer committee,Captain Steve Poole, PCODave Hughes and chiefengineer Michael Clark.Mr Williams met members todiscuss the Union’s position innegotiations withmanagement on the winterroster patterns. As a result ofrepresentations by NautilusUK, the company hasamended the schedules.‘Members raised concernsabout the impact on work/lifebalance, rest periods andtravelling time,’ Mr Williamsexplained. ‘The company hasresponded positively, and wewill now have regularquarterly meetings withmanagement — with the firstdue to take place in January.’

6 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪DECEMBER 2007offshore bulletinbriefly...Maersk settlement: consultations with members serving onMaersk supply vessels have revealed a 47-41 majority opposedto a ballot for industrial action on this year’s pay andconditions claim. Industrial officer Joe Heeney said the Unionhad been left with no option but to conclude an agreement onthe company’s 10% two-year offer, effective from 1 June 2007.DSV claim: following feedback from members serving onBibby DSVs, Nautilus UK has submitted a pay and conditionsclaim seeking an above-RPI increase, a loyalty bonus,seniority payments and sickness, illness and injury payments.Technip talks: Nautilus UK is arranging a Technip Offshoreliaison officers’ forum early in the new year. The meeting willbe the first of a series planned for 2008, and industrial officerGarry Elliott says he hopes for a good turn-out of members.Viking support: Nautilus UK is continuing to provide supportand representation to members involved in police andaccident investigation inquiries into the death of three ratingsin an enclosed space onboard the ERRV Viking Islay .Stena review: initial talks on a pay and conditions claim formembers serving with Stena Drilling were arranged late lastmonth, with the RMT taking part in discussions in relation tofuture collective bargaining arrangements.Seahorse meeting: Nautilus UK was set to meet SeahorseMaritime Management late last month to discuss a number ofancillary terms and conditions following a 10% salary upliftintroduced with effect from 1 September.Aberdeen call:?Nautilus UK?has asked for a meeting withmanagement to discuss a claim for a substantial increase inthe salaries of members serving onboard the Aberdeen.REPORT ON AHTS LOSSA PRELIMINARY report intothe fatal capsize of the AHTSBourbon Dolphin, above,some 85 miles off Shetlandlast April has cited a numberof factors that may havecaused the incident.The research — carried outfor the vessel’s insurers — wasunable to determine theprecise cause of the accident,but highlights stabilityproblems and anaccumulation of water ondeck.Eight lives were lost —including that of the master’sson, who was onboard forwork experience — when thevessel capsized during aroutine operation.The report does notapportion blame for theincident, but notes that aballast tank was only partiallyfilled, and stability had beenreduced by the weight of ananchor chain. The vessel hadswung suddenly to port whena pin was lowered on deck.An official Norwegiancommission of inquiry isexpected to publish itsfindings early next year.EX-ENGINEER OFFICER ISNEW CHIEF OF ERRVOWNERS’ ASSOCATIONA FORMER engineer officer with BPShipping has taken over as the head of theorganisation representing North Sea rescueand recovery vessel operators.David Kenwright — who has more than40 years’ experience in the maritimeindustry, most recently as MD of GulfPICTURED right is the Norwegianflaggedplatform support vesselOlympic Triton, which has justentered into service in the North Sea.Built by Ulstein Verft, the 5,947gtvessel operates with a permanentcrew of 20 and is a larger version oftwo earlier P101 ships, speciallyadapted for underwater operations.Olympic Triton is 95m loa and isequipped with an ROV hangar,moonpool, a 150-tonne offshorecrane, helideck andaccommodation for 100 people forsubsea work. The ship is alsoprepared for a tower and a 150-tonne A-frame on the stern.Canyon Offshore in Aberdeen haschartered the ship on a three-yearcontract, with an initial assignmentin the North Sea before heading forthe US section of the Gulf of Mexico.Offshore North Sea — succeeds John Wilsonas chairman of the Emergency Response andRescue Vessel Association (ERRVA).ERRVA presently has 10 membercompanies, who operate nearly 130 vesselsin the North Sea, employing around 3,000crew members, and providing collision andpollution monitoring, as well as general fieldsupport services.Mr Kenwright held a series of senior postswith BP Shipping after first joining the BPgroup in 1965 as an engineer cadet. Hebecame division manager for Gulf Offshoreafter it acquired BP Shipping North Seaassets in 1993, and was appointed MD inFebruary 2001. He is also a director of thegas tanker company Navigator Holdings.ERRVA senior vice-chair Callum Bruce, ofNorth Star Shipping, said: ‘We are delightedto have someone of David’s skills andextensive experience as the focal point of ourorganisation. It’s very important that wecontinue to promote the diverse services weprovide and underline our operational andsafety credentials. The North Sea ERRV fleetis viewed as a global leader in its field andcollectively we’re determined it will remainthat way.’Safety league tables ‘not the answer’SAFETY league tables should be published forthe UK North Sea, according to the head of theHealth & Safety Executive’s offshore safetydivision.In an interview with the Aberdeen Press &Journal’s Energy supplement Ian Whewellargued that safety performance league tablescould encourage greater safety consistencyacross the industry, with good performingoperators inspiring those lower down.He said that the concept had been raisedwith the operators’ organisation Oil & Gas UK— and stressed that it could only work if operatorsagreed to individual safety performancebeing put into the public domain.Mr Whewell said he had identified a changeof attitude from operators recently — a recognitionthat ‘the industry really needs to get itsact together’ —?and urged Oil & Gas UK toshow ‘leadership’ on the North Sea safety issue.OPTIMISM OVERSECTOR FUTUREResearch predicts continued boom in OSV ratesTWO NEW reports have raisedoptimism over prospects for theoffshore support vessel market —both in the UKCS and globally.A study published last monthby Ocean Shipping Consultants(OSC) suggests that strong worldwideexploration and developmentdemand looks set to keepsupport vessel rates at historicallyhigh levels.The report — OffshoreSupport Vessels: Global Prospectsto 2020 — notes that limited vesselavailability has seen day ratessoaring, reaching record levels lastyear and remaining relatively highin 2007.‘This has led to an orderbook ofunprecedented size, with morethan 500 vessels currently onorder — including 200-plusAHTS vessels and close to 180platform support vessels, as ownerstry to capitalise on the strengthof the offshore support sector,’OSC adds.The consultancy forecasts thatoffshore exploration and developmentwill ‘increase in prominence’in the near term, and thatalthough the overall magnitude ofthe vessel orderbook will have adownward pressure on day rates,rates will remain at historicallyhigh levels.The worldwide fleet of offshoresupply vessels currently stands ataround 1,032 — but OSC commentsthat the fleet ‘is heavilyreliant on older tonnage’, withsome 52% built before 1982.Another report published lastmonth shows that more than 220new wells are being planned tocover future drilling activity in theUKCS.The study, by consultantsHannon Westwood, forecastsexploration and appraisal (E&A)well activity through to 2010 —with reserves being targeted of9.6bn boe (barrels of oil equivalent).The consultancy identifies atotal of 224 planned wells, andforecasts 55 to 60 wells becomingactive annually over the next threeto four years — subject, however,to oil price.Regionally, planned activityenvisaged over the period breaksdown as follows: central NorthSea, 97 wells; southern North Sea,68; northern North Sea, 35; westof Shetland, 16; and east Irish Sea,eight.Hannon Westwood foundingpartner Jim Hannon commented:‘As of the end of September 2007,our database on future drillingshows that we are continuing a 10-year trend of E&A activity levels.’The consultancy’s technicaldirector Andrew Vinall added:‘With activity levels returning tolevels previously unseen since1998, low rig capacity more thanany other factor seems to be themain constraint on the pace inwhich the UKCS is now drilled.’However, Nautilus UK said improvedNorth Sea safety would be best achievedthrough an adequately funded Health & SafetyExecutive rather than league tables.Senior national secretary Allan Gravesoncommented: ‘This type of initiative, while producingpress-grabbing headlines, falls short ofwhat is required. The best way of ensuringsafety is to have a properly staffed andresourced HSE.’North Sea’shelicopters‘the safest’OFFSHORE helicopter transportis just as safe as travellingby car, according to industrybody Oil and Gas UK.A study has been carried outin response to workers’ concernsthat helicopters are ahigh-risk mode of transport —and researchers found that the‘unsafe’ perception is notmatched by the evidence.‘Whilst there have been anumber of tragic helicopteraccidents, the overall safetyrecord is in fact a good one,when compared with mostforms of UK land-based passengertransport,’ said Chris Allenof Oil and Gas UK.‘Indeed,’ he added, ‘whencomparing passenger fatalityrates, offshore helicopter travelis 18 times safer than riding amotorbike and of a similarorder to travelling by car.’The report reviews 30 yearsof safety data from 1977 to 2006.Despite two fatal crashes in thelast 10 years, the UK’s recordcompares favourably with othercountries. The study puts theworldwide accident rate for1996 to 2005 at 0.64 fatalitiesper 100,000 helicopter flyinghours, whilst the rate for theNorth Sea was 0.2, and for theUKCS only 0.12.

DECEMBER 2007 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪7ITF TRAINEES GETSOME PRACTICALWORK IN THE UKPICTURED right are traineeInternational Transport Workers’Federation inspectors TaalatElseify and Bergur Thorkelsson,who accompanied NautilusUK/ITF inspector Tommy Molloyas part of their practical studies.The two trainees were in theUK for a month and were placedwith Mr Molloy, who works fromthe Union’s Wallasey office, toget direct experience of ITFinspection procedures.Taalat is the vice-president ofthe Egyptian General Union forMaritime Workers and will covervessels entering the Suez Canal.Bergur has been nominated byhis union, Sjómannafélag Island(Iceland Seaman’s Union), andwill cover all of Iceland’s ports.‘Whilst they were with me,we dealt with a number ofinteresting cases, including a$128,000-plus back pay claim;a smaller but just as important$283 claim, and a number ofvessels which were in fullcompliance with the agreementsthe owners had signed with ITF,’Mr Molloy told the Telegraph.Taalat was a full internationalfootballer who played at the toplevel with the Egyptian nationalteam for a number of years in the1970s. He also played at clublevel in Germany for a time withthe likes of Kevin Keegan.‘I thought it would beappropriate to invite the guys toattend an Everton match whilethey were here,’ said Mr Molloy.‘Although Everton won 2-0against Middlesbrough, a teamwhich included Taalat’s fellowcountryman, Mido, I can think ofa couple of positions Taalatcould probably walk into theEverton team at the moment!’AGENCY RIGHTSTHE TUC has stepped up itscampaign for equal rights foragency workers — urging thegovernment to offer protection totemporary staff from day one oftheir assignments. Talks on a newEU directive to cover temporaryworkers are due to take place thismonth, but the TUC is concernedat talk of a ‘qualifying period’ forworkers covered by the rules.newsUNIONS SLATE EU POLICY PLANETF says ‘joined-up’ maritime package has failed to tackle European seafarer employment issuesEUROPEAN seafaring unions have madea blistering attack on the EuropeanCommission’s ‘blue paper’ plans for anintegrated EU maritime policy.The European Transport Workers’Federation (ETF) has accused theCommission of missing a major opportunityto ‘address the dramatic employmentcrisis affecting EU seafarers’.The blue paper was published inOctober following a year-long Europewideconsultation on proposals to bringtogether all aspects of Brussels’ maritimepolicy work — in such areas as shipping,fishing, offshore energy and tourism.But an ETF analysis of the packagesays the Commission has taken anemployer-friendly approach that takes‘less regulation and more self-regulationas a cornerstone of its policy’.Pledging ‘determined opposition’ tosuch moves, the ETF warned that thesteep decrease in the number of EU seafarerscannot be reversed without targetedregulation.The ETF — which represents morethan 2.5m European transport workers —said Brussels should build on the conceptof ‘common European maritime transportspace’ to protect EU maritime skills.It also condemned the blue paper’sfailure to come up with fresh proposals toaddress working conditions in the EUferry sector following the withdrawal ofthe so-called manning directive in 2004.The ETF urged the Commission to domore to combat discrimination on thebasis of residence or nationality criteriasuffered by foreign seafarers workingonboard EU-flag vessels.And it deplored the absence of measuresto tackle the unfair competitionposed by FoCs. ‘The issue of flags of convenienceand substandard shipping havenot been tackled by the Blue Paper and itsaction plan,’ the ETF added. ‘Unless theEU and member states resolve to addressthis issue seriously, no sustainable reversalof the decline in EU seafaring will beachieved.’The ETF said it was pleased that theCommission has moved to consult theindustry on proposals to reassess thegrounds on which seafarers are still discriminatedfrom key directives that coverland-based workers. ‘However, this recognitioncannot fill the vacuum of other crucialsocial issues that remain unresolved,’it stressed.The blue paper also proposed a ‘certificateof maritime excellence’ for EU seafarersthat could boost their employabilityby ‘enhancing competencies’. However,the ETF said it feared this initiative couldbe ‘an empty shell’ because its applicationwould not be binding upon employers.The organisation urged theCommission to take a tougher line on themisuse of the state aid guidelines for shipping— stressing the need for support tobe tied to the use of EU seafarers. ‘EU taxpayersexpect to see a beneficial impact onthe employment opportunities for EUseafarers in return for tax advantages,’ theanalysis pointed out.The Tuvalu-flagged bulk carrier Vinashin Island under detention at Silvertown in the Port of London last monthSeafarers ‘imprisoned’ onboardFoC ship detained in LondonVISIT BRITAIN and spend threemonths cleaning maggot-infestedshowers… Such is the lot of thecrew of the Vinashin Island, aTuvalu-registered bulk carrierunder detention in Tilbury dockssince September.The 31,501dwt Vietnameseownedvessel was held after portstate control inspectors found 24deficiencies — including a holedfire main, a hole in the focsle aftbulkhead, a defective mainMF/HF radio installation, missingrest records for the master,chief engineer and some othercrew, and a major ISM Code nonconformityin the maintenance ofthe ship and equipment.From the crew’s perspective,the deficiencies meant living in‘pure filth’, said Father PaulBoagey of Tilbury Seafarers’Centre. ‘The mess room, toiletsand showers were in a terriblestate,’ he added. ‘There were maggotsin the cubicles. It’s prettyrough to expect someone to workin that environment.’The worst part, said Fr Boagey,is that, for two months, many ofthe seafarers were not evenallowed to go ashore. Immigrationauthorities allowed Indian crewmembers to leave the ship, butjudged most of the Vietnameseseafarers to be a flight risk.Nautilus UK/ITF inspectorChris Jones has also been involvedin the case, and helped to securePICTURE: CHRIS JONESan additional US$14,000 forFilipino crew members replacedby Indian seafarers.Maritime & CoastguardAgency inspector Rod Shaw toldthe Telegraph that progress ofrepairs was slow and anothermonth’s work would be neededbefore the ship could be released.Officials finally agreed that theVietnamese seafarers could havepasses to the seafarers’ centre —giving them access to phones,internet and recreation facilities.About time, says Fr Boagey.‘Seafarers are a soft target — it’seasy to stop them coming ashorebut we need to come to a greaterdegree of understanding in thecase of a long detention like this.’INSPECTOR RECOVERS OWEDWAGES FOR FOREIGN CREWSNAUTILUS UK/ITF officialTommy Molloy has secured aseries of settlements torecover back pay forseafarers on flag ofconvenience ships in UKports.In one recent case, he wascalled to the heavy loadcarrier Klampenborg —pictured right — in EllesmerePort, after inspectionsrevealed problems includinga serious cockroachinfestation, and safety andcrew accommodationdefects.He discovered that the payof the Ukrainian, Turkish andIndian crew members was notin line with ITF levels and theseafarers did not have ITFcontracts of employment.In fact, he added, NautilusNL ITF inspector AswinNoordermeer had calculateda claim of US$35,000-plus atthe Turkish-managed vessel’sprevious port, Rotterdam.After further investigations,it was revealed that the samesituation existed onboardother vessels operated by thesame company and coveredby ITF agreements. Meetingswere arranged between thefirm and the Turkish union toresolve the matter. Individualcontracts of employment inline with the ITF agreementwere completed for all crewonboard Klampenbourg.Mr Molloy also secured anagreement for the payment ofsome US$52,193 in owedwages for seafarers onboardthe Panama-flagged bulkcarrier Alessandro Volta.During an inspection of theJapanese-operated ship hediscovered double bookkeepingonboard, with twoseparate wage accounts andsignificant regular deductionsbeing made from the pay ofthe Burmese crew to pay acrewing agent for their jobs.Special airfares for marine personnelWe are able to offer discounted air travel for all staff employed in the marine industry from crew,shorebased staff to spouse’s travelling to and from vessels.Using our extensive marine fare programme we are able to provide flexible and fully refundable tickets.We are totally dedicated to providing an efficient and personal service.Please contact us today for a quoteViking Marine TravelTel: +44(0) 1304 240881 Fax: +44(0) 1304 240882www.vikingrecruitment.com Email: travel@vikingrecruitment.com

8 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ DECEMBER 2007newsMPs warn ofGalileo ‘folly’EUROPE’s proposed Galileosatellite navigation system hascome under fresh attack — withMPs warning that the scheme is a‘folly’ and experts arguing that it isat risk of failing to achieve its keyobjectives because of political andcorporate bickering.A report from the House ofCommons transport committeepublished last month urged thegovernment to ‘bring theEuropean Commission to itssenses’ — warning that the totalcosts of the project could rise to£10bn, without any true assessmentof its benefits.Meanwhile, opening theNAV07 conference in London,Professor David Last — presidentof the Royal Institute ofNavigation — questioned the viabilityof the EU ‘vision’ of an independentsatnav system, with thestart date now six years overdue.Marine TrainingCADET CARRIERPICTURED right are some ofthe 321 Sea Cadets whotravelled from Portsmouth toLondon on the Royal FleetAuxiliary landing ship LargsBay to take part in the capital’sannual Trafalgar Day parade.The cadets — who camefrom all corners of the country— became the biggest group ofsea cadets to be at seasimultaneously in their history,and used the space onboard toprepare for their part in theTrafalgar Square parade.Largs Bay is designed tocarry an embarked militaryforce of 356 fully equippedtroops — or up to 700 in war‘overload’ conditions. In thefirst visit of an RFA LDSA toLondon, the ship conducted amammoth six-hour pilotage upthe river to Greenwich todisembark the cadets andreturn to Plymouth on thefollowing day.www.aset.co.uk• Dynamic Positioning training for Induction/Basic and Simulator/Advanced coursesaccredited by Nautical Institute using Kongsberg & Alstom equipment.• Stability and Ballast Control training for semi-submersibles (utilising ASET’s unique highfidelity Marine Simulator). Training meets UKOOA & IMO Guidelines. We are the onlycommercial training centre in the world to have achieved both Class ‘A’ and Class ‘B’Accreditation from the IADC for our Stability training.• Marine Operations of Self-Elevating Platforms (Jack-Ups).For bookings, course content or general enquiries on the service we can provide, please contact:Aberdeen Skills and Enterprise Training LimitedT +44 (0)1224 896196 |E asetbookings@abcol.ac.ukFor further information and a tour of our facilities, visit our website: www.aset.co.ukOil & GasTrainingMaintenance &Process EngineeringEX MOBIL OFFICERIS NEW SOSREPA FORMER Mobil Shipping deckofficer, left, has been appointed asthe UK’s new maritimeemergencies and salvage ‘tsar’.Hugh Shaw — who has morethan 30 years’ experience in themaritime sector — takes up thepost of Secretary of State’sRepresentative (SOSREP) onMarineTrainingElectrical & ExTrainingHealth & SafetyTrainingTransportationTrainingBusinessComputing1 January 2008, replacing RobinMiddleton, who is retiring aftereight years in the post.Mr Shaw has been deputy tothe SOSREP since 2004 and saidhe was ‘honoured’ to bepromoted. Shipping minister JimFitzpatrick commented: ‘I ampleased that someone whoalready has such a wealth ofknowledge of the role of SOSREPhas been appointed and we lookforward to the benefit of Hugh’sexperience and advice.’Anger at Law Lords curb onasbestos compensationNAUTILUS UK has expressedextreme concern at a landmarkLaw Lords ruling that could preventthousands of seafarers fromclaiming compensation for theeffects of exposure to asbestos.In a long-awaited judgement,the Lords upheld the case of insurancecompanies that people withpleural plaques — a scarring oflung tissue caused by exposure toasbestos — are not entitled todamages because the condition isnot a disease.The ruling could affect severalthousand seafarers — particularlyengineroom staff — exposed toasbestos which was widely usedonboard ships built well into thesecond half of the 20th century.Nautilus UK deputy generalsecretary Peter McEwen commented:‘This is an appalling decisionthat bears no relationship tothe suffering of former seafarers,and other workers, with thiscondition. Diagnosis of pleuralplaques is a serious issue, andcauses immense stress and anxiety.’Delivering the unanimousjudgement by the five Law Lords,Lord Hoffman stated that ‘proof ofdamage is an essential element ina claim in negligence and in myopinion the symptom-less plaquesare not compensatable damage’.Charles Boyle, head of NautilusUK’s legal services, pointed outthat compensation for pleuralplaques had been well establishedfor some 20 years before this ruling.‘The judgement will haveenormous repercussions andmeans that thousands of peoplewho have been exposed toasbestos will not be able to recovercompensation if the only result ofthat exposure is the developmentof pleural plaques,’ he added.It has been estimated thatinsurers will save some £1.5bn asa result of the ruling. Mr Boylepointed out that the Lords notedthat it may be possible for pleuralplaques sufferers to bring claimsagainst employers for breach ofcontract, as a result of being put ina life-threatening situation.‘However, compensation forsuch a claim is likely to be negligible,’he cautioned.Mr Boyle said members shouldalso note that the judgement onlyapplies to pleural plaques wherethere are no symptoms. ‘If thereare other symptoms, then considerationcan be given as to whethera claim should be made,’ he added.People & BusinessManagementNAUTILUS UK has welcomed amove by major international shippingemployers to introduce anumber of new initiatives to boostseafarer recruitment and training.But the Union is also urgingthe employers to look to traditionalareas of seafarer supplyrather than seeking to open upnew sources of potentially lowcostlabour.Companies belonging tothe International MaritimeEmployers’ Committee — whoemploy some 70,000 seafarersaround the world — approved themeasures in an effort to tackle thegrowing global skills shortage.Meeting in London, IMEC’sgeneral assembly also endorsedthe two-year InternationalBargaining Forum agreementthat will provide an 8% pay rise forseafarers serving on some 3,500flag of convenience ships.IMEC said it was pressingahead with ‘ambitious plans’ totackle recruitment and trainingissues, including:✪ sending IMEC delegations topotential new labour supply countriesto investigate the needs oftraining centres and to considerhow standards could be upgradedNEW ICS GUIDE TOBRIDGE PRACTICENAUTILUS UK has welcomed thenew edition of the ICS BridgeProcedures Guide, published bythe International Chamber ofShipping (ICS) last month.The guide is intended to reflectbest navigational practice in allsectors and trades. For the latestedition, it has been ‘thoroughly✪ launching rating-to-officerconversion courses in severalcountries, including thePhilippines and Russia✪ setting up dedicated IMECtraining courses for cadets in thePhilippines✪ appointing a training manager,based in Manila, to oversee projectprogress and standards✪ providing English languagetraining in eastern EuropeIMEC chairman Ian Sherwoodcommented: ‘We must make surethat the number of trainees andthe quality of their training is to astandard that today’s shippingindustry requires.‘During the forthcoming localnegotiations in the main laboursupply countries it will be a priorityfor our negotiators to makesure that adequate funds are providedto support the training initiativeswe propose.’Nautilus UK general secretaryBrian Orrell said he was pleased tosee IMEC — as a major employerorganisation in the internationalshipping community — takingpositive steps to address the seafarersupply shortage.‘However, it is ironic that it isdirecting its efforts to new labourupdated’, with input from ICSmembers. As with previouseditions, the guide covers IMOregulations and providesprocedural checklists for mastersand navigating officers — bothfor everyday use and foremergencies.The new edition takes accountof the increased use of modernelectronic charting systems andthe introduction of AIS. Guidanceon pilotage has also beenupdated.IMEC MOVESON TRAININGEmployers seek to combat seafarer shortagessupply areas, rather than towardstraditional sources in the countriesin which many of its membersare based,’ he added.‘Research shows very clearlythat the number of masters andsenior officers from OECD countriesis set to decline sharply overthe next 10 to 15 years, and that fora number of reasons they will notbe replaced by those from the newlabour supplying countries,’ MrOrrell pointed out.‘There needs to be a completere-think by IMEC to ensure that ithas a balanced approach torecruitment and training sources,for the future supply of skilled andexperienced seafarers,’ hestressed.‘The senior officers of tomorrowhave yet to be made, and thereis no better place to make themthan in the traditional maritimecountries.’Mr Orrell said Nautilus UK hasa good relationship with IMEC,formalised through a frameworkagreement, and the Union seeksto build on that to develop ‘meaningfulnegotiations on a morestructured approach to trainingthat will facilitate the employmentof British officers.’

DECEMBER 2007 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪9THAMESPORT ADDS NEWCALLS AS CONTAINEROPERATORS TRANSFERKENT’s Thamesport has secured animportant new deal under which threeleading container lines are to switch anotherstring of their Asia-Europe service to theexpanding facility, pictured left.Members of the New World Alliance —APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine, and MitsuiOSK Lines — are transferring westbound UKcalls in the South China Express (SCX) toThamesport.Thamesport says it is the only deep watercontainer terminal in the UK currently ableto accommodate a significant increase incontainer volumes.Other ships to be divertedthere in recent months include those fromMaersk Line, the Grand Alliance, and K Line.Effective from February, the SCX transferforms part of a significant upgrade of theservice to cope with booming trade.Currently operated by seven 5,300TEUvessels, capacity will grow with the phaseddeployment of eight 8,100 to 8,500TEUships starting next month. The SCX calls willjoin the New World Alliance’s Asia Express(AEX) service, which transferred toThamesport in November 2004.Chris Lewis, CEO of Thamesport ownersfor Hutchison Ports (UK), commented: ‘Thedecision by the New World Alliance torelocate this service is a massive vote ofconfidence in Thamesport.He said the port could offer ‘impressiveturnaround times’ and no congestion,providing a quicker and more efficientservice to UK importers and exporters.newsDfT FALLS SHORT ON SHIPPING‘Green’ transport plans fail to reflect coastal fleet’s potential to cut pollution, says Nautilus UKNAUTILUS UK has condemned a newgovernment policy paper that seeks to setout plans for a ‘greener’ transport system.Transport minister Ruth Kellyunveiled the package last month, claimingthat it would help the UK to deliver atransport system that simultaneouslysupports the economy and reduces thesector’s carbon footprint.The policy measures would ‘dispel themyth that as an economy we face the falsechoice of being “poor and green” or “richand dirty”,’ she added. ‘It gives us theopportunity to deliver, for the first time, a“pro-green/pro-growth” agenda for transportin the short and medium term.’But Nautilus UK described the proposalsas ‘a great disappointment’ —warning that they fail to recognise thepotentially huge role that shipping couldplay in a more environment-friendlytransport policy.The 90-page report — Towards aSustainable Transport System — is theDepartment for Transport’s response tothe recommendations made by theEddington Transport Study and the SternReview of the economics of climatechange.The proposals aim to help the governmentmeet its goal of cutting CO 2 emissionsby at least 60% by 2050 and set outthe Department for Transport’s policyand spending plans for the period to2013-14.The next stage will be the publicationof a Green Paper and formal consultationin the spring of 2008.Nautilus UK general secretary BrianOrrell said the Union will be pressinghard to ensure the government makesmore of a commitment towards increasingshipping’s role in the strategy.‘It is a great disappointment that afterall the studies and research showing thatshipping is the most environmentallyfriendlyway of moving large volumes offreight, the DfT’s framework documentfor a low-carbon transport system concentratesalmost entirely on road, rail andair,’ he added.Mr Orrell said the document madeonly fleeting references to the maritimesector — and even then often in a negativecontext, concentrating on the impact ofshipping emissions on local air qualityand greenhouse gas contributions.It also failed to assess the initiativesbeing taken by Europe to develop the‘motorways of the sea’ concept, he added.The paper acknowledges that 8% ofUK roads already suffer from severe congestion— a figure that, without action,could rise by a further 30% by 2025, costingthe national economy some £10bn ayear.Although it states that shipping is crucialto the UK economy, the policy documentcontains little by way of detailedproposals for shifting more freight toshortsea and coastal services. It reiteratesthe government’s ‘market-orientated’approach to ports policy — but doesaccept the need to provide effective railfreight access to ports.Lines slap asurchargeon UK portsNAUTILUS UK is urging the governmentto rethink its hands-offapproach to ports policy afterleading container lines slapped a‘congestion surcharge’ on boxesbeing shipped to the UK.The Far Eastern FreightConference announced a $145 perTEU extra payment to reflect theimpact of increased congestion atkey UK ports — citing ‘substantialextra costs’ arising from vesseloperations, transhipment of cargoand port equalisation.FEFC said its members hadcarried almost 15% more containersinto the UK during the firsteight months of 2007 than overthe same period in 2006 — causingcongestion ‘not only at themajor UK terminals, but also congestionof the inland transportand delivery systems’.The organisation said some ofits members had ‘sometimesfound it necessary to bypass UKports and feed cargo to the UK,and in some cases divert their vesselsto non-scheduled ports andequalise the costs from theseports. This has created even morecongestion for an infrastructurethat is already overloaded’. FEFCalso claimed that the congestion isalso resulting in problems inreturning ‘much needed emptycontainers to Asia’.Nautilus UK general secretaryBrian Orrell said the Union hadrepeatedly warned of such developmentsarising as a result of thegovernment’s failure to develop astrategic ports policy.‘We told the House ofCommons transport committeethat there is obvious market failurehere, and that the governmentneeds to take a more proactiveapproach to developing the UKports system,’ he explained.‘The committee’s inquiry intoports policy endorsed our position,and many of its recommendationssupported the case for anational strategy to improve portinfrastructure and develop theirpotential to deliver a fully integratedfreight policy,’ he added.‘It is disturbing to see thatFEFC members have been bypassingUK ports with their ships anddiverting cargoes to feeder services.The government really mustdo more to address these problemsand to ensure that UK portscan provide efficient services.’The FEFC surcharge will applyto all westbound trade containersdischarged on or after 1December, and will be reviewedafter 60 days. FEFC said itsmembers are also ‘deeply concerned’at the possibility of similarcongestion problems in thenorth Continent and theMediterranean, which is expectedto worsen over the next two yearsas the continued seaborne tradeboom adds ‘ever-increasingvolumes of containers to thealready overloaded infrastructurethroughout Europe’.TESCO TAKES WINE ON WATERSUPERMARKET giant Tescohas begun shipping wine bybarge on the Manchester ShipCanal — marking a majorrevitalisation of freight tradeon the waterway.And the company, extollingthe environmental benefits ofshifting cargo by water, hasalso announced that plansare already underway to usesimilar waterborne freightroutes throughout Britain.Tesco claims that usingbarges to carry wine from thePort of Liverpool to a bottlingplant in Manchester takes 50trucks off the roads eachweek — cutting carbonemissions by 80%.The service utilises twobarges run by ManchesterbasedSeaborn ContainerLine, which has invested£1.8m in the scheme. Thebarges are capable ofcarrying up to 160 20ftcontainers.The bulk containerisedwine — from Australia,California, Chile andArgentina — arrives atLiverpool’s Royal SeaforthTerminal, where thecontainers are re-loaded on tothe barges to travel 40 milesup-canal to Irlam. There, thecontainers are loaded ontotrucks and taken to a bottlingplant less than half a mileaway. By moving wine in thisway, Tesco says it saves thetransport of more than 20.5mkg from ‘New World’ winecountries to the UK each year.Distribution director LaurieMcIlwee said: ‘Otherbusinesses have merelydiscussed switching totransporting their cargo bywaterway — but we’re actuallydoing it.’The scheme has won thesupport of Sea and Water, thepressure group that lobbiesfor maximising the use ofBritain’s waterways totransport freight.‘Tesco are to becommended for their vision,leadership and commitmentto reducing theenvironmental impact ofmodern consumerexpectations,’ said directorFrancis Power.DP World setto doubleDP WORLD — the Dubai-basedports operator that boughtP&O?last year — has revealedplans to double its worldwidecapacity over the next 10 years.The company — which lastmonth made an initial publicoffering of shares ahead of a stockmarket debut — said it is planninga series of projects to cutcongestion at key container terminalsaround the world, includingDubai, that could make it theworld’s biggest port operator.STCW 95 FIRST AID& SURVIVAL TRAININGCourse Venues: Southampton & HullMCA Proficiency in MedicalFirst Aid Aboard ShipMCA Proficiency in MedicalCare Aboard ShipMCA Prof in Medical Care (Refresher)MCA Personal Survival TechniquesMCA Elementary First AidHSE First Aid at WorkMCA/RYA Ocean Theory CourseGMDSS Restricted Operator’s CertificateDefibrillator CourseContact: Yvonne TaylorKTY YachtsHaven Ambulance ServiceUnit 11, Universal Shipyard,Sarisbury Green, Southampton SO31 7ZNTel/Fax: +44 (0) 1489 570302Mobile: 07785 335189yvonneandkeith@ktyyachts.comwww.ktyyachts.comTO ADVERTISE YOURPRODUCTS & SERVICESIN THE TELEGRAPHCONTACT THE DISPLAY TEAM:RedactiveMedia Group17 Britton StreetLondon EC1M 5TPtel: 020 7880 7668fax: 020 7880 7553email: claire.barber@redactive.co.ukR. 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10 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ DECEMBER 2007TRANSFER LAWNEW legislation to regulate shipto-shipoil transfers within the12nm UK territorial waters limitare set to go out for publicconsultation early in the newyear, shipping minister JimFitzpatrick told MPs last month.He said the regulations — whichare presently in draft form — arelikely to be brought into force latein 2008.MILESTONE IN GLOBALOCEAN CLIMATERESEARCH PROJECTMETEOROLOGISTS have hailed thedeployment of the 3,000th Argo float —part of a major global research project toexamine the impact of the ocean’s uponclimate.Scientists are pictured left preparingand launching an Argo float from theSouth African research/supply vesselAgulhas.Launched in 2000, the Argoprogramme aims to improveunderstanding of the way in whichoceans affect the climate — with thespecialist floats providing around100,000 observations each year,throughout all the ice-free deep oceanareas of the world.The UK part of the programme ismanaged by the Met Office, inpartnership with the NationalOceanography Centre in Southampton,the British Oceanographic Data Centreand the UK Hydrographic Office, and hasdeployed around 230 floats — with onefloat surviving for over five years andreporting 185 profiles.Met Office marine observationsmanager Jon Turton commented:‘Improving our understanding of the roleof the oceans in the Earth’s climatesystem offers the key to better long-rangeweather forecasts and improved climateprediction. It is vital that Argo ismaintained over the coming decades, forthe benefit of us all.’newsSTEP FORWARD FORCOMMUNICATIONSRFA Wave Ruler with her crashboat standing by the fishing vessel Donna Marie afterthe crew scuttled the boat in an attempt to destroy the drugs onboard‘Drugs-busting’RFA back in UKafter 407 daysTHE Royal Fleet Auxiliary vesselWave Ruler has made a triumphantreturn to the UK aftertaking part in a record-breakingseries of drug smuggling busts.In a deployment thatincluded 407 days at sea, covering103,369 nautical miles, thefast fleet tanker not only helpedto seize more than 11 tonnes ofcocaine but also took part inrelief work following Caribbeanhurricanes.The ship’s crew were praisedfor their teamwork and professionalismwhen they returnedto Plymouth at the end ofOctober. RFA Commodore BobThornton commented: ‘I amimmensely proud of the workWave Ruler and her crew havedone since their deploymentand I am extremely pleased towelcome her safely back to theUK.‘The versatility demonstratedby RFA Wave Ruler isnot only a reflection on the ship,but also on the Royal FleetAuxiliary as an organisation,’ headded.The four major drug bustscarried out by Wave Ruler inconjunction with Royal Navyhelicopters and a US CoastGuard law enforcement detachmentwere described as the mostsuccessful ever undertaken, andprevented drugs from gettingthrough to the US, UK andEurope.As well as taking part in thedrug seizures, Wave Ruler also‘chased’ seven hurricanes andhelped out on disaster reliefoperations with HMS Portlandin Belize after Hurricane Dean.The ship put three teams ashoreand over a four-day period andthey repaired a total of 15houses, at five different villages.Captain George Jarvis, whois retiring after leaving the WaveRuler, said: ‘As this will be mylast full appointment with theRFA service before my retirement,I could not wish to haveserved on a more capable shipwith such an excellent crew.‘Work that offers so muchchallenge and adventure is rare,’he added. ‘During our travels wehave always received a warmfriendly welcome from local dignitariesduring port visits, andhave been shown respectthroughout the Caribbean forour professionalism and ourpride in the RFA service forwhom we work. No other careercould have given me greateroccupational job satisfaction.’New broadband service ‘set to boost crews’ contact with home’SHIPBOARD communicationstook a step change forward lastmonth with the launch by satcomscompany Inmarsat of its FleetBroadband service.Designed to provide faster andcheaper data and voice connectionswith the shore, the new serviceis also promised to open thedoor to a new range of crew callingoptions to boost seafarer welfare.Inmarsat also claims theenhanced data handling capabilitiesoffered by Fleet Broadbandshould help to ease the workloadsfaced by shipmasters and officers.Officially launched on 19November, the service initiallycovers the Atlantic and IndianOcean regions. Global coverage isset to be offered next April, when athird satellite comes into operation.Fleet Broadband comes in twoforms — FB250 or FB500 —offering data speeds rangingbetween 284 and 432kbps, andstreaming IP data rates of up to256kbps.The package is designed forease of use by crew members —with a Fleet Broadband ‘launchpad’ providing a standard userinterface across all terminals andclick-on icons to access differentservices. Inmarsat says supportservices should also be simpler,thanks to the use of consistentcommon error messages.The company also claims thatcosts are around half that ofMPDS — with $13 buying around200 emails. And a new text messagefunction, which will enableseafarers to send up to 160-characterSMS messages, will cost just65 to 70 cents a time.‘We hope ship managers will beable to offer seafarers a muchFkeet Broadband coverage areas — dark blue and green are up and running thanks to the 1-4 satellites F1 and F2. The lightblue, Pacific, region will be covered by the F3 satellite, which is due to be launched next springwider range of crew callingoptions for a very reasonableprice, Fleet Broadband commercialmanager Lisa Wagner told theTelegraph. ‘Eventually, we hope toget a situation where there arepre-paid cards for internet browsingin the same way that we havecrew calling cards.’With communication costscoming in at under 1% of total shipoperating costs, she argues thatthe new service will enable ownersand managers to improve themorale of their seafarers in a veryeffective way.Similarly, she adds, theimproved data flows offered byFleet Broadband have the potentialto deliver big operational savingsthrough better access to suchservices as weather and routeinginformation, real-time electronicchart updates, or condition-basedmaintenance. Video-conferencingcapabilities could increase thescope for telemedicine or teleengineeringwork.‘There is also an opportunity totake off some of the workload facingshipmasters and officers, bydevolving work to shore-basedoffices,’ she points out. ‘Head officewill be able to synchronise computerswith the ship, and perhapsdeal with administration andother matters.’Fleet Broadband will also beeasy to fit — with the terminalsbeing much smaller and barelyhalf the weight of the old InmarsatA equipment, they can be installedin less than a day by one engineer.By operating in the L-band frequency,Fleet Broadband will notsuffer reception problems posedby poor weather conditions. Theservice also offers landline-qualityvoice communications.Although Inmarsat describesthe system as tried and tested —being based on 3G technologyused ashore for some years — it isalso conducting a major threemonthmaritime field evaluationonboard a variety of different vessels.‘We are very excited aboutFleet Broadband,’ Ms Wagnersaid, ‘and we are very aware of theimportance of crew welfare andthe potential this package offers inthat area.’PLA deepens Thames routeTHE Port of London Authority will this monthlaunch a major dredging project to improveaccess to key ports and terminals in theThames Estuary.In what is described as its biggest dredgingproject for 40 years, the PLA is set to clear some1.5m tonnes of sand to deepen the PrincesChannel — creating a more direct southernroute to terminals.The work is expected to take between six toeight weeks, and the PLA says the channel willbe used by an additional 2,000 ships a year —collectively saving more than a month at sea,£185,000-worth of fuel, and 2,200 tonnes ofcarbon dioxide emissions.PLA chief executive Richard Everitt commented:‘This improved channel will make itpossible for the majority of ships that come intoLondon to reach their destinations morequickly. By making this investment we will givevessels access to a shorter, straighter and simplerchannel, which will help to underpinLondon’s long-term competitive position.’The PLA says it is planning to launch a bigcampaign to persuade masters and operatorsof the benefits of using the new route once it isopen to navigation.The project will be the first job for DredgingInternational UK’s new trailer suction hopperdredger, Brabo.

DECEMBER 2007 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪11CRIMINAL PROBE AFTERCONTAINERSHIP HITSSAN FRANCISCO BRIDGEUS FEDERAL investigators last monthlaunched a criminal investigation into thecause of an accident in which a Germanflaggedcontainership collided with a towersupporting San Francisco’s Bay Bridge,spilling some 58,000 gallons of fuel oil.The 5,447TEU Cosco Busan was holed innewsCREW SEIZE SHIP BACKFROM SOMALI PIRATESSEAFARERS on a merchant shiphijacked by pirates off the coast ofSomalia last month managed tore-take control of their vessel withsupport from the US Navy.Seven crew members on theNorth Korean cargoship DaiHong Dan were injured — threeseriously — as they struggled withseven armed pirates to regain control.Initial reports suggested thatfive pirates were captured and twowere killed.The 6,390gt vessel sent out arequest for assistance after beingboarded by the pirates some108km off the coast of Somalia.The US Navy — which respondedto the distress call — stated: ‘Thecrew said the pirates had been incontrol of the bridge, but the crewhad retained control of the steeringand engineering spaces.’The US Navy destroyer USSJames E Williams — which wassome 50nm from the Korean merchantship — sent a helicopter toinvestigate. Three corpsmen fromthe warship, which was operatingas part of the maritime coalition,along with a boarding team, providedmedical assistance ‘andother support as needed’ to thecrew of the Korean vessel.After the US Navy contactedthe pirates via radio, orderingthem to give up their weapons, theKorean crew confronted thehijackers and regained control ofthe ship. Three seriously injuredcrew members were transferred tothe James E Williams for treatment.Ships off Somalia and in theGulf of Aden have been urged totake extra precautions following aspate of more than 30 incidents inCome to Hull for all yourSTCW95 short coursesplusShip Security Officer, PSCRB,Efficient Deck Hand,Crowd Management,Crisis Management and Human BehaviourDates now available for 2008Tel: 01482 820567Fax: 01482 823202Email: bookings@hota.orgWebsite: www.hota.orgthe incident, which occurred in thick fog,and held in port while investigations into thecauses began.US Coast Guard officials said there were‘unresolved questions’ over communicationbetween the ship’s pilot and the Chinesecaptain and crew.National Transportation Safety Boardofficials said the pilot had expressedconcerns about the fog, which resulted in a90-minute delay in the vessel’s departurefrom Oakland.The NTSB investigators said bar pilotCaptain John Cota had spoken of distortedthe area during 2007. At one stagelast month five ships were underthe control of hijackers in Somaliwaters — including the Japanesechemical tanker Golden Nori.The Panamanian-flagged vessel,carrying a benzene cargo, wasseized some 8nm offshore on 28October with a crew of 12Burmese seafarers, nine Filipinosand two South Koreans. Thehijackers were reported to havesent a list of demands to theJapanese government last month.Other recent incidents haveincluded:✪ a tanker officer and seamanthreatened with knives by pirateswho boarded their ship off Lagos,Nigeria. The robbers stole ship’sstores, crew’s personal belongingsand cash before escaping after thealarm was raised✪ ten robbers armed with gunsfled empty-handed after thealarm was raised when theyboarded a reefer some 15nm offfairway buoy, Bonny Town,Nigeria✪ crew members onboard a containershipat Santos outer roadsanchorage, Brazil, were shot at bypictures on the radar display anddiscrepancies between the paper andelectronic charts.Media reports revealed that the pilot hadbeen investigated in connection with fourincidents of ship handling in the past 14years, and was reprimanded last year forrunning a ship aground.Politicians also criticised the Coast Guardfor the time taken to respond to the accident,and have called for inquiries into California’smaritime accident procedures. The USCGhas defended its handling of the incident as‘appropriate’.US Navy destroyer goes to the aid of hijacked Korean cargoshipA boarding team from the guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams board the cargoship Dai Hong DanPICTURE: US NAVYrobbers who boarded their shipand stole cargo✪ six robbers armed with knivesescaped with ship’s stores afterboarding a chemical tanker atanchor in Hoogli river, Sagarroads anchorage, India✪ a general cargoship managed toevade an attempted attack by aspeedboat in the Malacca Straitsby taking evasive manoeuvres andother defensive measures✪ pirates who boarded a containershipoff Dar es Salaam,Tanzania, stole ship’s stores andpropertyAUSTRALIAN UNION IN CALL FORSECURITY CLAMP ON FOC SHIPSAUSTRALIAN seafarers havecalled for a ban on unregulatedforeign ships carrying dangerouscargoes into the country’skey ports.The Maritime Union ofAustralia said that flag of convenienceships should not beallowed to transport such cargoesas ammonium nitrate,explosives and LNG because ofthe threat to national security.‘While Australian seafarersare subjected to full ASIO andFederal Police checks, foreignseafarers receive only cursoryonline security checks byAustralian authorities,’ saidMUA national secretary PaddyCrumlin.The MUA said there arethousands of security-sensitiveship movements around thecountry’s coast each year. TheAustralian government hadactively encouraged the use ofFoC shipping — even thoughinternational terrorism expertshad identified FoC vessels as akey target for global terrorism.To support its campaign, theUnion is distributing 100,000fliers at beaches and in coastalelectorates around Australia.Members wanted forresearch into shipsecurity alert gearNAUTILUS UK members havebeen invited to take part in aninternational research projectaimed at combating piracy, armedrobbery and terrorism.The study will examine the useof ship security alert systems to seehow effective they are, and proposeways of improving them.The requirement for all merchantships to be equipped withship security alert systems wasmotivated by the 9/11 terroristattacks. However, seafarers wereinitially reluctant to use the alerts,as there were concerns about howcoastal states would respond,explained maritime securityexpert Thomas Timlen.It seems that the alert systemsare now regularly used, but areapplied more commonly to incidentsof piracy and armed robberythan to terrorism. There is a needto explore the extent of this usageand to investigate how flag statesare managing the alerts.A SIX-month trial of a new securitysystem to scan containersbound for the United States hasgot under way at the port ofSouthampton.All container lorries enteringSouthampton ContainerTerminals (SCT) are beingscreened for nuclear and radioactivematerials as part of the feasibilitystudy, while those carryingcontainers bound for the US willalso be x-rayed.The Southampton trial —which is being conducted with thecooperation of UK Customsauthorities — is one of three suchtests that the US has initiated‘This project will be particularlyinteresting in respect of identifyingthe potential to linkexisting regional and nationalresponse mechanisms underan international arrangement,’observed Mr Timlen. ‘If that ispossible, international maritimesecurity will be significantlyenhanced.’To lead the study, he hasbeen appointed visiting researchfellow at the Singapore-basedS. Rajaratnam School ofInternational Studies, NanyangTechnological University. And hetold the Telegraph he is keen toinvolve Nautilus UK members inthe research: ‘Feedback from allquarters will be most useful’.The research paper from thestudy is expected to be completedby January 2008.✪ To participate in the research,contact Thomas Timlen by emailat isttimlen@ntu.edu.sg or call+65 6790 6964.Southampton joins in UScontainer scanning trialaround the globe. The others arein Honduras and Pakistan.The trials are a key part of controversialUS plans to require100% security screening of USboundcontainers by 2012. Anevaluation report on the trials willbe submitted to the US Congressin April 2008.✪ Eighteen Brussels-based tradeassociations are backing theEuropean Commission’s oppositionto the US?plans. The organisationssay they back ‘practicalmeasures’ to enhance security —but warn that 100% scanning willhave a ‘disastrous’ impact onglobal supply chains.

12 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ DECEMBER 2007NEW LIFEJACKETFOR SEAFARERSPICTURED right is a newlifejacket for seafarers which hasbeen developed by the Japaneseshipping company Mitsui OSKLines in an effort to improvesafety at sea.Produced in cooperation withthe manufacturer Koa Kako, thelifejacket incorporates acompact radar reflector thataims to ensure the fasterdetection of seafarers who gooverboard and are left adrift onthe open sea.The lifejacket also features amicroprism reflective materialthat is said to offer six times thereflective performance set byinternational standards.Developed in the US, thematerial also improves safetyand visibility when seafarers areworking on deck.RO-RO DRAINAGERULES ‘MISSINGTHE MAIN ISSUE’NEW rules to cover the drainageof ro-ro vehicle decks have beendrawn up by the InternationalMaritime Organisation inresponse to last year’s al-SalamBoccaccio 98 disaster, in whichmore than 1,400 people died.Investigations into the loss ofthe ferry in the Red Sea found thatwater used to fight a fire hadaccumulated on the car deck as aresult of blocked scuppers. Thebuild-up caused the ship to losestability and sink in adverseconditions.The IMO’s maritime safetycommittee has draftedamendments to the SOLASconvention that will requiremeasures to be taken on all ro-rovessels to provide sufficientdrainage and prevent drains frombecoming blocked.The IMO has also issuedguidelines covering the drainageof fire-fighting water from closedvehicle and ro-ro spaces.Nautilus UK said the measurewould not address fundamentalproblems affecting the safety ofro-ros in developing nations. ‘Thisis a diversion from the main issue— safety of these vessels,’ saidsenior national secretary AllanGraveson.health and safetyP&I ALARM ATCREW CRISIS‘Human error’ blamed for rising insurance billsMARINE insurers are blaming a‘surge in human error accidents’for substantial increases in thecosts of shipowners’ P&I premiumsnext year.Leading P&I clubs haveannounced proposals for doublefigurerises in premiums for the2008 renewals, citing problems infinding and retaining quality crewas a key factor in an ‘unprecedentedlevel’ of claims to the 13members of the InternationalGroup.In a presentation to the IndiaShipping Summit 2007 inMumbai last month, North ofEngland P&I club director SavrajMehta said a significant proportionof the claims were the result ofsimple errors by overworked andunder-trained officers, crews andshore staff.‘The unprecedented length ofthe current freight-market boom,the rapid growth of the world fleetand insufficient investment in therecruitment and retaining of highquality, professional seafarersmeans there are simply notenough good people out thererunning the ships themselves orproviding the necessary supportand experience from shore,’ hesaid.Mr Mehta said the record P&Iclaims chalked up over the pastyear are closely linked to a lack ofJ&N STACEYexperience on many ships today.‘Relatively minor incidents aredeveloping into unnecessarilymajor claims because basic proceduresare not being followed orsimple commonsense is not beingapplied,’ he added. ‘Seafarer educationis now so focused on runningships in accordance withprocedures that when an incidentoccurs for which there are no procedures,crews do not always havethe training, initiative or experienceto think independently.’Mr Mehta said that North ofEngland’s recent claims experiencealso suggested the shortageof seafarers is having a detrimentalknock-on effect on theavailability, experience and competenceof pilots, vessel superintendentsand other shore staffvital to ship operations.His comments were echoed bythe UK P&I Club, as it announceda 10% general increase in premiums,coupled with a 12% surchargeto cover high pool claims —stressing that the cost of claims isoutpacing the growth of the worldfleet.It said claims to theInternational Group P&I cartel inthe 2006-7 policy year are oncourse to be the highest for 15years — with payouts set to totalmore than US$550m.And it warned that pool claimsEx Tax Inspector at CardiffMarine – 20 years’ experiencewith seafarers’ tax.● Personal attention● Free advice● Electronic filing of Tax Returns● Foreign Earnings deductions● Claims and planning service● Non-residence● Self Assessment – Returns, Amendments, Appeals, Payments on Account£140.00 PER TAX RETURN, FLAT RATE.GET YOUR TAX BACK NOW!!!Don’t let HMRC hang on to your £££’sLet us handle your 2006/7 claim ASAP after 06/04/07!Call us for a chat!D PHONE: 0117 330 0161ß FAX: 0117 330 0161 WRITE: 15 DELVIN ROAD, BRISTOL, BS10 5EJ⌨ EMAIL: info@taxaidforseafarers.co.ukWEBSITE: www.taxaidforseafarers.co.ukFRIENDLY – FAST – ACCURATEfor the first half of the 2007-8 policyyear (up to 20 August this year)were even higher than in the firsthalf of 2006.Claims director ChristopherBrown said there is an ‘irregularbut unmistakable upward costtrend’ driven by such factors asgrowth in the world fleet, largerships, skill shortages, extremeweather, higher wreck removaland salvage costs, and strongfreight markets creating commercialpressures for owners andcharterers.The Club said its analysis ofincidents over the past 15 years‘increasingly identifies humanerror as the cause of large claims’— at a time when structural failureshave declined from 45 in1990 to just six last year.‘There were a disproportionatenumber of groundings in the2006 year following adverseweather, inappropriate crewresponse or mechanical troubles,’Mr Brown explained. ‘Unusually,collisions were not the dominantform of loss and there was nomajor tanker spill. Salvage costswere particularly high.‘Claims appear to have risenfaster in real terms than the worldfleet has increased,’ he added. ‘Asmore ships are launched, the P&Iindustry will need to monitor thisaspect very carefully indeed.’UKHO UPDATINGSERVICE TRIALS‘A BIG SUCCESS’THE UK Hydrographic Officesays its new service to give seafarersonline access to updated digitalcharts is receiving ‘rave reviews’from seafarers involved in trials.UKHO has conducted extensivetesting of the AdmiraltyUpdating Service among marinersand chart agents — and says usersare praising its speed and simplicity.‘The service has been developedto exactly meet the needs oftoday’s mariners, and the feedbackwe are receiving shows it is meetingthose requirements,’ saidproduct manager Jason Scholey.The service — which deliversupdates via email or internet — isdue to be launched in January2008.CRUISESHIP GROUNDING ‘CAUSED BYINACCURACIES IN OFFICIAL CHARTS’A CRUISESHIP operator has claimed that thesinking of one of its ships earlier this year was theresult of inaccurate nautical charts.Two passengers died when the 22,412gt SeaDiamond — pictured above — ran aground andsank off the Greek island of Santorini in April.Greek maritime authorities blamed theaccident on ‘human error’ — but the vessel’soperator, Louis Hellenic Cruises, says it is nowconvinced that incorrect mapping of the areacaused the loss.Chief of operations Giorgos Koumpenas said anindependent hydrographic survey conducted forthe company showed that a reef marked on theofficial chart as running for 57m actually stretchedfor 131m from the shore.The company said the official chart alsoSHIPPING minister JimFitzpatrick has assuredNautilus UK that action is beingtaken to address shortcomingsin the state of surveys of UKwaters.The Union wrote to the ministerafter a Marine AccidentInvestigation Branch report ona grounding off the OrkneyIslands revealed that some seaareas had not been properly surveyedfor depth for more than160 years.General secretary BrianOrrell raised concern that shippingsafety was at risk as a resultof increasingly larger shipsusing sea areas not charted tomodern standards.The Union also expressedconcern that government fundingfor the civil hydrographyprogramme had not beenincreased for some 25 years.In reply, the minister said theDepartment for Transport andthe Maritime & CoastguardAgency had already taken stepsto act on one of the MAIB’s keyrecommendations — a review ofthe future work schedule for thehydrography programme.‘In this, we are consideringwhether we have the appropriateassessments in place for theprogramme as well as a reviewof the levels of funding,’ headded.Mr Fitzpatrick said thatwhile funding has been frozenfor some years, a number of initiativeshad been taken toensure that more hydrographicshowed sea depths at the grounding site to bebetween 18m and 22m — whilst its survey showedthe depth to be just 5m.The Hellenic Navy’s Hydrographic Service,which is responsible for the maps, rejected theclaim. ‘There may be some changes to the seabedor small margins of error but these maps areaccepted by all international bodies,’ an officialtold reporters. ‘It was the captain’s responsibility tobe careful.’Louis Cruises and the master of the ship havebeen fined a maximum M1.17m (£850,000) forcausing environmental pollution. The companyhas appealed against the fine.The master and five other crew members havealso been charged with negligence leading to thesinking.PICTURE: REUTERSMinisterial pledgeon UK survey workdata, of a higher quality, can begathered for the same costs.For instance, he explained,the use of multi-beam echosounders offers cost savings ofup to 25% over single-beamtechnology, while long-termcontracts for hydrographic surveyservices provided furthereconomies.The deployment of the MCAtug Anglian Sovereign to gatherhydrographic data has generatedadditional savings, headded, and collaboration withother agencies is yielding furtherefficiency gains.Mr Fitzpatrick also offered aplace for Nautilus UK at thenext annual consultation meetingto discuss the prioritisationof sea bed areas for survey.

DECEMBER 2007 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪13THAMES TEST FORSEA EMERGENCYSERVICE TEAMSA SIMULATED engineroomexplosion onboard a ferry —pictured right — was staged onthe Thames recently to test theresponse of emergency servicesto a serious incident.The scenario involved a mockhealth and safetyengineroom explosion onboard aCobelfret ferry, downstream ofthe QE2 bridge — with teamstasked with rescuing casualties,tackling the fire, ensuring thesafety of other vessels, andstemming the oil leak.Organisations involved in theexercise included the Port ofLondon Authority, the MaritimeVolunteer Service, Kent FireBrigade, HM Coastguard, theRNLI, SE Coast AmbulanceService and Kent Police.PLA chief harbour master,David Snelson, said: ‘Safety’sour top priority and we workhard to ensure incidents don’thappen in the first place.However, it’s important to beprepared for the worst, andthat’s what this exercise wasabout.‘Today’s practice helped usidentify ways of improving ourgame, so that we’re properlyprepared should a real incidenthappen.’FRESH CALL TO ENDLIFEBOAT CARNAGETHEFATIGUE BLAMEDDANISH accident investigatorshave blamed fatigue for thegrounding of a general cargoshipoff the country’s coast earlier thisyear. A report into the groundingof the 3,183gt Skarpoe said themate on watch had been asleepfor about two hours before theaccident, and had been sufferingfrom stress and fatigue caused byexcessive paperwork.MAIB asks forStena reviewafter incidentIndustry seminar warned of ‘tragic’ toll from onload hook failuresCALLS for action to cut the continuingtoll of seafarer deaths andinjuries caused by lifeboat accidentscame from all sides of theindustry at a special seminar onthe problem.Organised by the Gard P&Iclub, the meeting heard that hundredsof crew members have beenkilled or injured as a result of thefailure of onload release hooks.Alf Martin Sandberg, seniortechnical advisor at Gard, said theClub had seen one death and sixserious injuries this year arisingfrom onload hook failure duringlifeboat drills.The accident rate is unacceptable,he added, and the situationhas become so serious that lifeboatdrills are generating fear amongseafarers.‘In addition to the tragic crewaccidents with these hooks, P&Iclubs are also facing the enormouspotential exposure of a worst casescenario involving an onload hookfailure on a cruiseship lifeboat,which carry as many as 150 people,in a real-life emergency,’ hewarned.Mr Sandberg said the issue is acomplicated one to handle — withmore than 70 different hookdesigns on the market and noclear statistics on accidents makingit hard to arrive at an industryconsensus.Representatives from shippingcompanies, lifeboat and hookmanufacturers, classification societies,flag states, P&I clubs andfrom the International MaritimeOrganisation took part in themeeting — which was presentedwith three options for respondingto the problem:✪ accept the situation, recognisingthat there will be a certainnumber of accidents every year,but improve the maintenance ofthe hooks and training in their use✪ introduce a total ban on onloadreleases and revert to offload hooksolutions✪ go ‘back to basics’ to devise a‘failsafe’ onload release hook,while phasing out the most dangerous‘first generation’ equipmentThe seminar also heard thatcargoships could adopt the use offreefall lifeboats, avoiding theneed for davit-release hooks.Mr Sandberg said he believedthe meeting had moved the debateforward. ‘We were delighted thatthere was a genuine feelingamongst attendees that this wasan issue that merited seriousdebate, and many of the participantsasked that another gatheringshould be held to continue thedialogue,’ he added.‘It was also felt to be the beginningof a new era, with hook manufacturersmeeting each other,opening their doors and invitingcompetitors to inspect and commenton their hook designs.’One seafarer died and four were injured when a davit failed during a lifeboat drillonboard the Bahamas-flagged cruiseship Astoria in April this yearMARITIME AccidentInvestigation Branch has urgedStena Line to conduct a fullreview of company proceduresfollowing an incident earlierthis year in which a lifeboat wasunexpectedly released during adrill.No one was injured in theincident, which occurredonboard the 55,050gt ferryStena Britannica during a routinelifeboat familiarisationdrill in the Hook of Holland inAugust.The results of a preliminaryexamination published by theMAIB last month showedthat the incident occurred afteran electrical motor burnt outwhile two lifeboats were beingrecovered — leaving onelifeboat suspended some 2.4mabove the water.Crew members decided toswap over the operationalmotor from the other lifeboatdavit to complete the recovery.But when they removed thedamaged motor from the firstlifeboat winch, the lifeboatunexpectedly released and fellto the water at a controlledspeed. No damage was sustainedand the working motorwas then successfully transferredand used to recover thelifeboat.Investigators discovered thatcrew members had not realisedthe removal of the motor wouldcause the lifeboat to release.When the damaged motor wasremoved, the pinion gearwheelshaft also withdrew from thehousing — disconnecting thegearing and releasing the loadto lower on the integral centrifugalbrake.‘Although the risks associatedwith the removal of the piniongearwheel shaft were notclearly described in the lifeboatdavit system manual, there werereferences to precautions to betaken before working on thedavit mechanism,’ the MAIBstated. ‘No attempt was made toconsult the manual before thedamaged motor was removed.’In response to the incident,Stena has taken a series of measuresintended to prevent arepeat, including the provisionof an alternative method for theemergency retrieval of lifeboatsand issuing formal instructionsfor securing lifeboats beforeworking on winches and brakes.But the Chief Inspector ofMarine Accidents has written tothe operator ‘strongly advising’a review of company processesand procedures for the conductof unplanned rectification workby ship’s staff on life-savingapparatus — including adequaterisk assessments formaintenance and repair work —and for a review of the conductand planning of lifeboat drills‘to ensure compliance with bothstatutory requirements andcompany procedures’.Research on engineroomworking environmentA SWEDISH research team haslaunched an investigation into theworking environment in ships’control and engine rooms.Everything from lighting, noiseand vibrations to ergonomics,stress and sleep is to be studied.The study is concentrating onseven key ship types — includingferries, tankers and supply ships— and the researchers’ workincludes 14-day periods onboardto conduct measurements andinterviews with crew.The research team says therehas been little work so far to examinethe conditions in controlspaces and enginerooms, and theyhope the study will identify shortcomingsand provide the basis forfuture research‘When a vessel is planned thecargo space is given priority. Afterthat you are looking at the bridgedesign. The engineroom getsthe space that is left over’, saysMonica Andersson, scientistand merchant marine officerat Chalmers University ofTechnology in Gothenburg.‘There’s a big need among themerchant marine personnel toraise this issue,’ she added. ‘Peopleout on the vessels that have heardabout our project contact me andwant to be interviewed.’The research programme willrun until October 2008.CLOSED DOORS‘A SAFETY RISK’SHIP safety officers have beenurged to conduct special checks toensure that all steeringcompartment doors are keptclosed. The call comes in atechnical bulletin issued by the UKP&I Club, which warns that failureto comply with the requirementscould severely hamper fire-fightingoperations.The Club says its inspectorsfrequently find that fire doors andwatertight doors leading fromenginerooms to steering gearcompartments, pictured left, areoften hooked, wedged or securedwith wire in the open position —even though many are clearlymarked ‘keep closed’.S.M. Bass & Co. (Manchester) Ltd1 Derby St, Cheetham Hill,Manchester M8 8QETel/Fax: 0161 834 9598E-mail: uniforms@smbass.coWeb: www.smbass.co.uMERCHANT NAVY UNIFORMSTROPICAL WEAR and ALL BRAIDS on immediate stCompany logo ties a specialityTaking orders now for cadet, college and seagoing wearOrders delivered Worldwide. All credit cards welcome.TELEPHONE ORDERS 0161 834 9598

14 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ DECEMBER 2007UNION ALARM ATKOREAN DEALSTX Shipbuilding of South Koreahas become one of Europe’sleading shipbuilders following itspurchase of a majority stake inNorway’s Aker Yards.The US$800m deal includesthe control of Aker Yards France,known as Chantiers del’Atlantique until the Norwegianinternational newsgroup bought it in January 2006.STX — the world’s fifth-rankingshipbuilding group — is keen toenter the cruise ferry constructionmarket.The French CFDT union isconcerned that STX will increaseits 39.2% shareholding into a‘complete takeover’ of the SaintNazaire yard’s know-how andtechnology and will not followthrough the previous Norwegianowner’s development strategyand positive employment policy.NEW LNG CARRIERFOR MOL FLEETPICTURED left is the newbuild19,100 cu m LNG carrier SunArrows which joined the growingfleet of the Japanese operatorMitsui OSK Lines last month.Built by KawasakiShipbuilding, the Bahamasflaggedvessel is taking up along-term charter transportinggas from Sakhalin, Malaysia andother producing areas.The ship includes specialfeatures for operating in the iceboundseas around Sakhalin,with a hull structure that enablesthe vessel to travelindependently through open icepacksas thick as 70 cm.MOL now has a fleet of 59LNG carriers — already thelargest LNG fleet in the world —that is due to increase to 80ships by 2010.briefly...Pensions boost: the Spanish parliament is examining a bill toimprove merchant navy seafarers’ pensions arrangements sothat the amount of time spent at sea away from the place ofresidence is reflected in the right to earlier retirement. Thegovernment hopes that the improved arrangements will helpattract more people to train as officers and ratings to overcomethe growing demand for skilled seafarers.Black death: five seafarers died and more than a dozen weremissing last month after four cargoships and a tanker sank ina severe storm in the Black Sea. Some 2,000 tonnes of oil wasspilled when the tanker Volganeft-139 broke in two in theKerch Strait — prompting calls from Euro-MPs for action toimprove maritime safety in the region.Cadet coup: US operator SeaRiver Maritime has signed anagreement to train US cadets. Under the private-public deal,the company — which operates tankers on behalf ofExxonMobil — will provide seatime for cadets from six statemaritime academies.Spanish service: the Dutch ro-ro specialist Transfennica hasopened a new link between Zeebrugge and Bilbao with thesisterships Friedrich Russ and Elizabeth Russ, offering threeweekly return trips. Frequency could increase if the line issuccessful.Philippines probe: the Philippines government has orderedan investigation into an incident last month in which nineFilipino seafarers seized control of a fishing vessel in theIndian Ocean, complaining of abuse by the Taiwanese master.Splendid start: construction of the 135,000gt MSC Splendidacruiseship has begun at the Aker Yards France yard at SaintNazaire. The Italian operator’s latest vessel is earmarked fordelivery during the first half of 2009.✪ by SUE CAUTHENAS MORE ‘magic pipe’ oil dumping casespassed through the US courts last month, aleading union official highlighted the shortcomingsin environmental support facilitiesfor ships and seafarers.Captain George Quick, vice president of theMasters Mates and Pilots union, said some oilywater separators are poorly designed, hard tooperate and slow.He also claimed that there are insufficientshoreside reception facilities to handle theslops and argued that the government shouldprovide treatment centres to protect the environment.In the latest dumping case, the chief engineerof a US-operated car carrier was foundguilty after a jury trial of conspiring to makethe illegal discharges, failing to keep an accurateoil record log, creating and using a false oilrecord book and lying to the Coast Guard aboutthe illegal activities.Mark Humphries, chief engineer of thePacific Gulf Marine vessel Tanabata, is one offour chief engineers convicted of dumpingcontaminated water from vessels in four-shipautomotive carrier fleet. He faces a maximumof five years in jail and $250,000 for eachcharge. Sentencing is set for 10 January 2008.The Justice Department lawsuit against thecompany and the responsible officers began in2003, and in June 2006 Pacific Gulf agreed topay a $1m fine and $500,000 for communityservice.PGM chief executive Todd Johnson told theTelegraph that the errant crew members ‘wereacting contrary to our procedures and policies’and claimed the company was unaware of theviolations until an internal audit.However, in its plea agreement, PGMadmitted it failed to allocate sufficientresources and support to the ships and did notprovide the supervision necessary to detect itsemployees’ criminal violations.PICTURED left is the Frenchflaggedchemical/productstanker Pointe du Castel — whichmaritime unions fear could beswitched to the country’s RIFsecond register.Unions representingseafarers serving with theoperator La Navale Françaisehave expressed concern for theirmembers’ jobs following movesto reflag some of the company’sships.Norway’s Eitzen bought bothLa Navale Française andMarseilles-based Fouquet-Sacopin 2006 and reorganised achemical tanker operationaround the latter.There is further concern thatEitzen has now announced thesale of Fouquet-Sacop’s 13tankers to Belgium’sSea-Invest.PICTURE: ERIC HOURIMASTERS HIT OUT OVERUS OILY WASTE POLICYUnion official questions standards of environmental supportFerry drugs claim✪ In another recent case, a Greek engineerofficer has returned home for the first time inalmost two years after he was cleared of ‘magicpipe’ waste dumping charges by a US court.A judge in California ruled that the governmenthad failed to make its case againstDimitris Georgakoudis, who was second engineeronboard the 159,000dwt tanker CaptainX Kyriakou.The judge said evidence from six ‘whistleblowing’Filipino crew members was not credibleand acquitted Mr Georgakoudis oncharges of maintaining a false record book,obstruction of justice by lying to the US CoastGuard, and destruction of evidence.The ship’s chief engineer and Athenian SeaCarriers, the owners of the Marshall Islandsflaggedtanker, were cleared of similar chargeslast year. Lawyers representing the officerssuggested the verdict should make the USauthorities more careful in using ‘whistleblowing’evidence.EXXON VALDEZFINE APPEALSAFETY officials in Canadahave called for action to combatthe use of cannabis by ferry crewmembers.The Canadian TransportationSafety Board has voicedconcern about evidence suggestingthat several crew membersonboard a BC Ferriesro-pax were regularly smokingthe drug — both on and off thevessel.The evidence emerged duringan investigation into thesinking of the 8,800gt vesselQueen of the North in March2006, with the loss of two passengers’lives.The board stressed that therewas no evidence that the crewmembers on the bridge at thetime of the accident wereimpaired by drug use.But it called for BC Ferries toinvestigate whether cannabis isused by the crews of other ferriesin its fleet. ‘Ferry crewswhose performance is impairedby cannabis are a clear risk tothe travelling public,’ said safetyboard chairwoman WendyTadros.The company says it has aclear ‘zero-tolerance’ policy ondrugs and it wants Canada tointroduce legislation to requiremandatory random drug andalcohol testing on staff in safetysensitiveposts.EXXON Mobil has won the rightto appeal against the US$2.5bnfine it was forced to pay followingthe 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker disasterin Alaska.The US supreme court agreedlast month that the oil major couldchallenge the record punitivedamages that were awarded to victimsof the 11m gallon spill.The company has already managedto halve the original $5bnpenalty, but claims it has spent$3.5bn in clean-up costs.

DECEMBER 2007 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪15NITC GETS FIRSTOF 17 VLCCSPICTURED right is Hadi(‘Guide’) — the first in a series of17 new double-hull tankersbeing built for NITC, formerlyknown as the National IranianTanker Company beforeprivatisation in 2000.Built by Hyundai HeavyIndustries, the 317,000dwtinternational newsNZ UNION BACKS PLANFOR COASTAL BOOSTNEW ZEALAND seafarers havewelcomed their government’sannouncement of an ambitiouspolicy plan to boost coastal shippingservices around the country.Sea Change — a strategy paperpublished last month — aims toincrease the proportion of interregionalfreight carried by coastalshipping from 15% at present to atleast 30% by 2040.Unveiling the plans, transportminister Annette King said themeasures will seek to ‘revitaliseand transform the domestic seafreight sector’ by creating a levelplayingfield for shipping, withcash and promotional support.‘For too long, coastal shippinghas been the poor cousin of thetransport sector, instead of beinginterconnected with rail and road,effectively linking all transportmodes,’ she said.New Zealand’s government isconcerned at forecasts that freightvolumes will double in 10 years. Itaims to become the world’s firstcarbon-neutral country, and itwants a radical shift in transportstrategy to support this.Currently about 80% of NewZealand’s freight goes by road,13% by rail and the rest on coastalships.‘Coastal shipping allows bothcost savings and environmentalbenefits,’ Ms King said. ‘If we movemore domestic freight by sea, wecan reduce congestion on theroads and reduce environmentalimpacts.’She described the strategy as‘not just aspirational’ — but also apractical plan for action, withsolid support for shipping. Keyfeatures of the package include:VLCC has been put under theCyprus flag and will be followedby a further 12 VLCCs and foursuezmaxes due for delivery by2009.All the vessels share acommon design and incorporatehigher technical specificationsthan the yard standard. OneNITC stipulation was a normallevel, rather than sunken, poopdeck to give more space andbetter ventilation in theengineroom.Policy package aims to revitalise country’s shipping servicesSUE HOLMESMARINE TAX CONSULTANT LTDFor an annual fee of £170.00 (plus VAT) you can restin the knowledge that your 100% deduction claimwill be calculated by an expert in Marine Taxationwith over 20 years’ experience.Monthly Standing Order Payments availableTAX RETURNS LOGGED ELECTRONICALLYFOR PERSONAL, FRIENDLY ADVICE CONTACT:SUE HOLMES38 CARDIFF ROAD, DINAS POWYS,VALE OF GLAMORGAN CF64 4JSTEL: 02920/512029 Fax: 02920/515384E-mail: sueholmesmarinetax@lineone.netWeb: www.marinetax.comClose shave: the 77,441gt cruiseship Sun Princess is pictured abovepassing under the Sydney harbour bridge with barely two metres tospare. The Bermuda-flagged Princess Cruises’ vessel became thelargest passengership to pass under the famous landmark while visitingSydney on a 30-night cruise from the US.PICTURE: REUTERS✪ the launch of a maritime liaisonunit within the transport ministryto create a visible focal point forthe coastal shipping sector✪ action to address perceived barriersto coastal shipping interestsaccessing government funds✪ measures to ensure that governmentagencies and the maritimesector work together toincrease the supply of skilledworkers✪ improved information on services,their performance andrequired improvements‘I believe the Sea Change strategywill signal a bold new futurefor coastal shipping in NewZealand,’ Ms King added.Helen McAra, general secretaryof the NZ Merchant ServiceGuild, welcomed the proposals.‘We don’t expect there will beimprovements overnight,’ sheadded, ‘but from the Guild’s pointof view the draft strategy is definitelya progressive step, longawaited over about two decades ofneglect during which the NZ fleetdeclined dramatically.’Unions and owners have complainedthat the NZ fleet has beenundermined by foreign shippingcompanies operating foreignflaggedand foreign-crewed shipsin the cabotage trades followingthe abolition of cabotage protectionin 1994.‘Though the strategy will notdeliver cabotage, a concept whichwas supported by the Guild andemployers alike in governmentsector group forum meetings, itwill provide support for traininginitiatives designed to address thevery pressing problem of our ageingmembership and decliningcadetships in the industry,’ MsMcAra added.‘The maritime unions will stillhave to channel much energy intoresisting the forces of globalisationand their increasing influenceon labour economics.’The Guild has congratulatedthe NZ Shipping Federation for itssuccess in persuading the governmentto adopt the strategy. RodGroup, president of the NZShipping Federation, describedthe plans as ‘the biggest boost tothe NZ coastal shipping industrythat I can ever recall.’French seafarers savespecial pension rights✪ by JEFF APTERFRENCH seafarers will continueto benefit from long-standing specialsocial security and retirementrights, the country’s governmenthas pledged.Speaking at the annual conferenceof retired seafarers, Frenchtransport minister Dominiquesaid officers and ratings registeredin the country’s Enim social systemwill continue to benefit fromarrangements that reflect theworking patterns of the industry— even though the government isincreasing the qualifying periodsfor retirement in other industrieswith special provisions.Mr Bussereau said he recognisedthe arduous nature of workonboard ship and confirmed thatseafarers may continue to retire atthe age of 55, or even 50, accordingto the number of years they havemade national insurance payments.Government plans to lengthenthe qualification period for a fullpension sparked strike action inOctober and November.CREW STRANDEDIN CHERBOURGUNION officials in the Frenchport of Cherbourg are providingsupport to 23 east European andRussian seafarers who have beenstranded with no pay since July.The Socialist-run town counciland the local CGT seafarers’union have provided the crew ofthe Russian-owned tuna factorybriefly...vessel Marginella with food andother help. The 22 year-oldrustbucket is being held untilpayment of K450,000(£300,000) in towing fees.The vessel was towed intoCherbourg following anengineroom fire in the North Sea.ITF officials said the ship wasalready under a seizure order fornon-payment of salaries. It wasalso revealed that the ownershave received K7m (£4.7m) instate and EU subsidies.Fine upheld: a French court of appeal has upheld a A450,000(£300,000) pollution-related fine on a Malta flagged vessel.The owner and master of the Fast Independence werepenalised by the special maritime court at Brest for an offencein May 2005 when the vessel was caught trailing an 8km longoil slick off the Brittany coast. The judges did not apply theMontego Bay Convention as Malta did not provide aguarantee it would pursue the case.Dredging threat: European shipowners have warned that asmany as 150 dredgers could flag out from EU ship registers ifthey lose their entitlement to tax concessions. The EuropeanCommunity Shipowners’ Association has criticised theEuropean Commission’s move to reassess whether dredgersand cable layers are covered by its state aid guidelines, and hascalled for more flexibility in their application.Penalty plea: French prosecutors are calling for a record A1m(£660,000) fine to be imposed on the master and owner of avessel accused of pollution in France’s Mediterraneanecological zone. The Turkish-owned tanker was spotted inApril trailing a 10km-long slick off Corsica. Judgement wasexpected at the end of November.US spillage: US Coast Guard officials were called toinvestigate the cause of a minor oil spillage from the UKflaggedcontainership Ville D’Aquarius in the port of LosAngeles last month. A safety zone was set up around the3,961TEU vessel after an estimated spillage of some 200gallons of oil.LD lines: the French operator LD Lines is contemplating plansto operate new services between St Nazaire, France to Vigo,Spain, and a route between Toulon and Rome’s port ofCivitavecchia. The company has also mooted a freight servicebetween Le Havre and Rosslare.HD halted: Saint Malo-based HD Ferries says it is stopping itsservices to Jersey and Guernsey until March. The companysays it will use the break to ‘vigorously pursue a level playingfieldthat will allow us to compete on fair and equal termswhen we return’.Road route: an Italian operator has launched a new shortseashipping service between the ports of Salerno and Messina tocarry lorries during the construction of a new road betweenSalerno, near Naples and Reggio di Calabria.SOLASOLV ® Roller ScreensFOR NAVIGATION BRIDGE WINDOWS• Improves navigation visibility andsafety – by reducing up to 93% of thesun’s glare• Helps reduce crew fatigue andcreates a more comfortable workingenvironment – by rejecting up to 87%of the sun’s heat• Type approved: Lloyds, ABS, DNV.Complies with marine regulations– IMO 5.1.1.2.6, ISO 8468:1995,M NOTICE 760, MSSN NO 1419 1998• SOLASAFE ® - 5 year warranty inc.parts and labourSOLASOLV ® - The Seegoing Solutionfor SAFER Navigation ®For more information contactPaul at Solar Solve Marine:Tel: +44 (0) 191 454 8595Fax: +44 (0) 191 454 8692info@solasolv.comwww.solasolv.comVIEW BEFORE USEVIEW DURING USESee the differenceSOLASOLV ®can make!

16 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ DECEMBER 2007Your chance to have a say: onlineLAST month’s poll asked if you agreed with a P&I club’s call forthe shipping industry to take shipboard psychological problemsmore seriously? As the Telegraph went to press, the poll showed anoverwhelming 94% in agreement with the call, and just 6% whodisagreed with it.This month, we want your views on shipping exhaust emissions— see page 44. Do you think the shipping industry should switchfrom heavy fuel oil to distillate fuels?Vote now, on www.nautilusuk.orgHRH upbraided...I WAS incensed at the recent photographof that buffoon HRH Edward sporting C/E/Master’s braid (November Telegraph, page 4).We sweat blood and tears earning them,years of watchkeeping, sea service and examsIt’s bad enough putting up with some of theuseless deck ornaments parading about likestuffed hens.That particular page has gonestraight to the log burner.J.R. CLARKEmem no 117331Master of all tradesI READ the reply to my letter on degreestatus (‘Jack of all trades training...’November Telegraph) with interest.The points system at UCAS raises evenmore fundamental issues about the worthof Certificates of Competency. Thank youfor reminding me. I have found, as yousay, that, within the framework of value forqualifications, CoC are rated less than adiploma in underwater basket weaving.Despite having no wish to go into highereducation, I find this a little unsettling. Myhard-won certifications are worthless andrevalidation cannot secure them.It is not surprising that recruitment islow towards young people going to sea asa career.Perhaps representation from Nautiluscould be made to UCAS, regarding thequalifications we have, to be recognised.And as for that old chestnut ‘Jack of alltrades, master of none’, I think ‘Master of alltrades’ to be more appropriate.CHARLES NELSONmem no 108202What’s on your mind?Tell your fellow officers in Nautilus UK — and the wider world of shipping — through a letter to the Telegraph.Keep to a limit of 300 words if you can — though longer contributions will be considered. ✪ You may use apen name or just your membership number if you don’t want to be identified — say so in an accompanyingnote — but you must let the Telegraph have your name, address and membership number. ✪ Send yourletter to the editor, Telegraph, Nautilus UK, 750-760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BB, or usehead office fax 020 8530 1015, or email telegraph@nautilusuk.orgEGYPTIAN MEMORIALS FOR MNMY WIFE and I have justreturned from a pilgrimage toEgypt, mainly in order to visitthe grave of my uncle, killedin the battle of El Alamein, 23October 1942 to 4 November1942. We also visited thecemeteries of Chatby andHadra in Alexandria.All these cemeteriescome under the care ofthe Commonwealth WarGraves Commission, and aretended with loving care byEgyptian staff who keep themimmaculate.Many merchant seamenkilled supplying the troops areburied in these cemeteries,some with no names, and Ienclose photos for the relativesof the persons killed in Egypt toshow how well the graves aretended. My wife and I placed across of remembrance on thegrave of an unknown Britishmerchant seaman buried atthe El Alamein cemetery.On Saturday 27 November2007 an official service ofremembrance was held at theEl Alamein commonwealth warcemetery to commemoratethe 65th anniversary of thisbattle and to remember thevictims of this conflict. It washosted by Sir Derek Plumbly,HM Ambassador to Egypt, andattended by representatives ofall the Commonwealthnations involved.MARINETAX SERVICES(CARDIFF) LTD complete servicefor mariners run by certificatedex-officer qualified accountantsalways available computerised100% claims andforecast projection will writing serviceavailable26 High Street, Barry CF62 7EB,South Glamorgan, UKTel. Barry (01446) 739953MARINETAX@YAHOO.COMEstablished 1974Four veterans from the UKand two from Australia, all intheir late 80s and early 90s,attended and laid wreaths.Media coverage from all thenations involved was presentexcept for the British, as usual— most upsetting; have theyforgotten already?PAUL Hasney (‘ISM has failed theindustry’, November letters) hitthe nail on the head. I could notagree more.My own career has followeda similar path as his. I have longfelt that safety courses have beeninadequate over the last 10 yearsor so.I did my first offshore safetycourse at RGIT in Aberdeen. A dayin that environmental tank wasa big eye opener. But I can stillrecall it like yesterday…When I started in the industrythere were two distinct safetyapproaches. Merchant Navy, andoffshore. You either worked on aship — tanker, bulker, box — oron a rig/platform. There was littleFor people who have relativesburied on faraway battlefields,these tours are arranged throughthe Royal British Legion andRemembrance Travel.Capt. TED TOOPmem no 161803OSV-specific safetycourse is neededconsideration given to those of usthat work on one, but deal withthe other. At my last ‘refreshercourse’ in 2003, I was the onlyOSV person in a classroom of20… and that’s where mostof the course was done, in theclassroom.Various schools across theworld are now tailoring theircourses towards ‘boaties’ but it isstill lacking. Is it not about timethat there were specific coursesfor those of us working in thesupport vessel sector, that meetboth Merchant Navy and OPITO /BOSIET standards? … and pleasemake them realistic!DAVE CHRISTOPHERmem no 168848Academics shouldtry the real thingM. B. MCHUGH (‘Academic is wrong...’ — Octoberletters) sounds pretty upset. I read his/her letter priorto reading the article he/she refers to, and initially Iwas expecting to read Dr Sampson’s article and seea totally off the wall, unrealistic, appraisal of why wedo, or do not, go to or stay at sea.On the contrary, and unfortunately the abovemember contradicts him/herself, ‘the only thing thatwould make seafaring more attractive would be areturn to the days when one’s company provided areal wage, company pensions, medical care, etc’. Isthis not the point that Dr Sampson is attempting tomake?I agree that the current form the industry hastaken is not commensurate with the lifestyle manyof us went to sea for in the first place. However, theindustry has changed to suit the demands of thepeople who use it. The people who use it, adaptto meet the demands of the people who use them,ultimately the consumer. Us! So have we been thedemise of our own work/way of life?I did my time deepsea. The attraction vanished,and I moved to the offshore sector. I am lucky, Ienjoy the benefits of short trips, company pension,medical, and get to work in some pretty amazingplaces; that swings both ways, good, and worseMN officer training is better by degreesAS A graduate who is now acadet, I’d like to throw my twopen’orth into the CoC/degreedebate (Telegraphs passim).The writer who quotes theOpen University as saying wehaven’t sufficient expertisein one particular field to beconsidered higher educationmaterial has missed an obviouspoint — we are expert mariners.The coin flips both ways: findme an expert naval architectwho could successfully plan andexecute a passage across theAtlantic.We may study in manydifferent areas — I did too formy degree. Every academicdiscipline is the sum of manyother constituent disciplines.Most of these could be (indeed,are) subjects in their own rightbut are used only to the extentthat they further the subject youare actually interested in.If I can study statistics,linguistics and economics(among other things) and end upwith a BA (hons) in politics, whycan’t I study ship construction,spherical trigonometry andmeteorology for a degree inmerchant vessel operations?One last point: I’m painfullyaware of some of the otherdegrees available out there. I’llpoint no fingers, but my friendsat university and myself usedthan bad. I do not get paid the best salary in theworld, and this has been a stumbling block inrecruitment, because, for the most part, the benefitsof being employed by my particular company arenot broadcast from the masthead. But after 25years with them, I do hear from new recruits that theoverall package is better than most, even if salary isnot. This is being rectified, slowly, and I am sure withtime, other improvements will follow.All said and done though, shore-side academicscan only get a picture of what it’s like if they are outthere. Surveys, questionnaires and interviews willnever be a substitute for the real thing. Perhapssome of the people who write about us and studyus, should become one of us. Spend a winter off theFalklands, not just a week or two, but two or threemonths! Spend four weeks in the North Sea on anOSV, go home for four and then do a second trip offour or six weeks in West Africa! Go do it, and pleasedon’t pick the latest and greatest vessels. Pick onethat is 20 years old, where nobody else speaksEnglish as a first language, and out of cellphonerange. Limited email, TV, and phone calls. There areplenty out there.DAVE CHRISTOPHERmem no 168848to call them ‘beer degrees’. Ifthey count, certainly what we doshould.D/C T. LUNNmem no 192809NEW Centre now open in ANTIGUAALL THROUGH THE SUMMEROPENMARITIME TRAINING(PLYMOUTH)STCW ’95NVQ Marine Vessel Support Level 2 (Deck & Engineroom)NVQ Marine Vessel Operations Level 3 (OOW)NVQ Marine Vessel Operations Level 4 (Chief Mate)MCA Oral Exam PreparationShip/Port Security TrainingPSSR & Basic Safety TrainingMedical First Aid / Medical Care Aboard ShipGMDSS (ROC, LRC, GOC)Firefighting – Basic & Advanced • NARAS (O) and (M)ARPA and Ship Simulator • Efficient DeckhandMARITIME TRAINING (PLYMOUTH) LTDMarine Skills Centre • Cumberland Road • Devonport • Plymouth PL1 4HXTel No: 01752 606633 • Fax No: 01752 567436Email: mtp@plymouthmaritimetraining.co.uk

DECEMBER 2007 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ 17Shipmates reunitedWISH you’d kept in touch with that old colleague?Why not try Shipmates Reunited? Nautilus UK’selectronic friend-finding noticeboard is still going strongafter seven years, and it gets regular hits from seafarersall round the world. Maybe someone’s looking for you.To find out, go to www.nautilusuk.org and click on the linkfrom our homepage. And if you want to put a posting onShipmates Reunited, simply send your message and yourcontact details to webmaster@nautilusuk.orgLondon has a ball —in aid of seafarersPICTURED right is theatre group AllHands on Deck entertaining guests at theLondon Shipping Ball — which raisedsome £30,000 for seafarers last month.The charity event was organised bythe British & International Sailors’ Society(BISS) and held at the five-star MayFair hotel. Many prominent shippingcompanies were represented, and theywere urged to ‘dig deep’ for BISS.In addition to donations fromcorporate sponsors and guests, fundswere raised through a raffle and auction.An impressive array of auction lotsincluded a Caribbean cruise, a SalvadorDali signed etching, a luxury villa holidayin Cyprus and a yacht charter for 11people.The proceeds of the ball will gotowards helping the society’s networkof port chaplains, stationed in over 30countries across 100 ports.lettersThe view from MuirheadJust fishingoff Somalia?Complete Uniform solutionsfor Merchant Navy, Cruise, Ferry andSuper Yacht industries throughout the world.Personal callers welcome (Monday to Friday 0900 -1700)Stock supported service for Deck,Engine and Hotel Officers and Crew.Full range of Cadets College and Seagoing rig.Visit our web site or request a brochureon sales@miller-rayner.co.ukPhotograph features the best selling Pilot Jacket.Miller Rayner Ltd16 City Commerce CentreMarsh LaneSouthampton SO14 3EWTel 023 8033 3771Fax 023 8022 4781Email sales@miller-rayner.co.ukwww.miller-rayner.co.ukAS THE embarked senior fisheries protection officer in the BritishIndian Ocean territory, I feel compelled to comment on a ‘piracy issue’on page 9 of the September Telegraph, under the heading ‘Straitsattacks raises fears’.You published a photograph of a vessel supposedly acting as a‘mother ship’ for pirates. Although the photograph is of poor quality, thevessel clearly exhibits the lines of a modern purse seine fishing vessel.Amidships is the tall vertical observation tower, aft of which can clearlybe seen the booms and power blocks used to handle the large fishingnet which is ‘flaked’ out on the aft deck in the photograph.These vessels frequent the Indian Ocean from the west coast ofAfrica to Malaysia. Typically 60-120m overall length, they pursue largeschools of migrating, surface feeding tunas. On locating a school of tuna(either by visual observation or electronic fish finders) these vesselstypically chase the fish at anything between 12 and 20 knots, oftenmaking erratic changes in both course and speed as they try and jockeyGetting in the nautical grooveWITH respect to the sea song Top10 (November Telegraph), theone song that I think epitomisesmy last 30 years at sea is analbum track by Chris Rea. It iscalled Curse of the Traveller andcomes from the 1987 albumDancing with Strangers — alsorather apt. Lyrics of the last versego: ‘And you cry for the harbourlights, But you’ll never be free, ofthe craving for refuge, And the callof the sea, and so on…’I still often play it at full blastin my car as I drive to work inPortsmouth.F. J. GARDINERmem no 157902I ENJOYED the article aboutmaritime music in the NovemberTelegraph. I had a think aboutfavourite sea songs, and my ‘top10’ would be: Lord Franklin;Rounding the Horn: Rio Grande:New York Girls; My Johnny wasa Shoemaker: A Sailor’s Life;Fiddlers Green; Lowlands ofHolland; Sally Free and Easy;and Leaving of Liverpool (not inany order, however I do sing/playNew York Girls a lot).JACKIE WYLDEAdministrator, Nautilus UKI AM writing to correct a grossinaccuracy on Page 27 of theNovember 2007 issue of yournewspaper.Under the heading ‘Top 10 PopSea Songs’, it is erroneously statedthat the Falklands war protest songwas penned by Robert Wyatt.Whilst it is correct that RobertWyatt released the song (I stillhave the original single) it was infact written by Elvis Costello.As for other sea songs notmentioned, how about:-✪ Ferry ‘Cross The Mersey— Gerry & The Pacemakers✪ Sailing — Rod Stewart✪ Ship To Shore — Chris deBurgh (not that I’m suggestingthat for any Top 10!)into a position from which to deploy the net around the fish.Typically, such vessels have a large powered skiff which slides offthe stern ramp and which powers away from the ‘mother vessel’ pullingthe net out as it does so. With the skiff deployed, the ‘mother vessel’then steams ahead before turning sharply to port in order to meet upwith its skiff and complete the ‘purse’ around the tuna. One or twosmall, high speed chase craft are often deployed to create noise and‘wakes’ between the ends of the net, thus corralling the tuna into thenet. If the fish dive deep the net would not be deployed and the vesselwould continue with what would appear to be an erratic searchingpattern.Although it is feasible that such a vessel could be engaged in piracy,the description of the vessel’s manoeuvres suggests it was engaged inlegitimate fishing activities. I feel this information may be of interest toyour members.ANDY WILLIAMS BSC, MSC, BIOT SFPO✪ Sloop John B — Beach Boys✪ Sea Cruise — Herman’sHermits (among others)✪ Come on down to my boatbaby — Every Mother’s Son (moreof a fishing song but what the hell)✪ Seaport September — LatinQuarter✪ In The Navy — Village People(pictured) — could be Royal orMerchant I guess✪ Louie Louie — The Kingsmen(okay, the lyrics are prettyunintelligible but it’s about a seavoyage)✪ Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay— Otis ReddingAnd how could you forget✪ Yellow Submarine!T.E. SPRINGETTHead of Labour AffairsChamber of Shipping

18 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ DECEMBER 2007NAUTILUS HELPSTO HONOUR MNWAR VICTIMSNAUTILUS UK officials andmembers gathered to honour theMerchant Navy casualties of warat all the major Remembrance Dayceremonies in London last month.General secretary Brian Orrellreaders’ lettersis pictured right laying a wreath atthe Merchant Navy war memorial atTower Hill,Council member Captain RogerStuart, who serves with MidenSystems (Nigeria), laid a wreath atthe Cenotaph in memory of the MNseafarers who lost their lives in bothworld wars.At Westminster Abbey, CaptainKeith Hart, Immediate Past Masterof the Honourable Company ofMaster Mariners, represented theMerchant Navy and fishing fleetsin the procession. Present in thecongregation were Nautilus UKsenior national secretary AllanGraveson and Union membersMalcolm Graves, Kevin Lewis,Christine MacLean and CaptainCharles Woodward.Maritime & Coastguard Agencychief executive Peter Cardy laida wreath on behalf of the MCA inmemory of those members of theMerchant Navy and fishing fleetswho lost their lives during both WorldWars.PICTURE: ANDREW WIARDWhen will my pay reflectthe shortage of skills?I WOULD like to offer my support to M.B. McHugh, no fun left onboard the ships to even compensate inwriting in the October issue of the Telegraph on the a small way.‘attractions of seafaring’ as defined by Dr HelenThis is not a bad company to work for, but itSampson in the August issue.seems to me that the ‘office’ never remember whatI have been listening to talk about the ‘officer life is like on a ship, or they look back throughshortage’ for many years now, and am stillrose-tinted safety glasses. People are even afraid towondering if this shortage will ever have a marked have a social beer, or a glass of wine with a meal,effect on the money in my pocket. The officer nowadays, and the general standard of life after theshortage is certainly impacting on the ‘eastern bloc’ working day is very poor. It’s a book or a DVD on anstaff though.old fashioned TV, in poor accommodation.I work for a major British tanker company, with The only way I can see to possibly get more younga mixed fleet now, Indian manning in one half, people to come and then stay at sea is to make myand a British/Polish mix in the other. Salaries for job worth having. After over 35 years at sea, andPolish officers (based on second officer salary) have over 20 in command, believe me it is not worthincreased by 79% since January 2003, while the craving for, and I don’t have the standard of living IBritish increase has been 22%. As master, I have aspired to all those years ago.seen mine rise by 20%.Added to all the other things, the threat of walkingMoney may not be the definitive answer to keep down the gangway in handcuffs is ever present, andus Westerners at sea, but it sure will go a long way in the salaries in no way reflect our responsibilities.helping.Most of today’s cadets will end up ashore fairlyTo say I am disillusioned by life at sea now would quickly, save for the few who will want to stay for thatbe a gross understatement. I am swamped by paper, Master’s stamp in the book. Trust me, it ain’t worthpetty rules, inspections etc, etc, etc, (you all know hanging around for.the score) to beat the band, and there is absolutely mem no 142835Information wantedIF anyone has information concerning asbestosexposure to marine engineer fitters on BritishSteam India Navigation vessels between 1957and 1969 they are kindly requested to contact:Peter Montgomery, Humphreys & Co Solicitors,14 King Street, Bristol BS1 4EF.tel: +44 (0)1179 292 662 fax: +44 (0)1179292 722 email: montgomery@humphreys.co.ukWhere was MNin the muster?I HAVE just finished watching the Albert HallService of Remembrance on BBC1.During the closing stages, I do not rememberseeing the Merchant Navy as being represented inthe ‘muster’.Everyone else was there, including the Scouts,but not as I recall anyone from the ‘Merch’.Please tell me that this was not so.If I am correct, it seems just another case of‘providers in wartime, pests in peacetime’ anda grave oversight, especially when over 30,000lost their lives in keeping the UK fed and suppliedduring world war two.RUSSELL COOMBSmem no 162392PICTURED left at the Tower Hill MN war memorialon Remembrance Sunday last month is HarryAnglo, whose brother Albert was first radio officeronboard the cargoship Cornish City and lost his lifewhen the vessel — which was carrying a cargo ofcoal — was torpedoed by a German U-boat whilesailing in a convoy from Durban to Aden in July1943. PICTURE: ANDREW WIARDSchool of Engineering and Mathematical SciencesPromoting Careerand Educational Developmentin the Maritime IndustriesA Unique Masters Programmefor ProfessionalsMaster’s Degree in MaritimeOperations and ManagementCity University’s School of Engineering has aninnovative masters programme, which has beendesigned to offer exciting career opportunities formaritime professionals. A unique blend of technical, managementand financial subjects, focused on themaritime industries Supported by the Honourable Company ofMaster Mariners and a Steering Committee of themaritime industries Suitable for mature candidates and MasterMariners, Class 1 Engineers, 1st and 2ndOfficers, newly qualified graduates and graduatesworking in associated occupations Based in London, able to use prestigious, visitinglecturers to supplement material and enrichcourse materials Part-time, flexible modular structure to suitstudents in full-time employment Short intensive study periods enables modules tobe arranged around professional commitments Of global appeal - students from around theworld are encouraged to participate andbenefit from the City of London maritimebusiness environment Provides the maritime industries with staff havingspecialised technical, management and financialskills and competencies Strong foundation for further career developmentin all branches of the maritime industries.For further details please contact: MOaMProgramme Administrator, School of Engineering,City University, Northampton Square, LondonEC1V 0HB, UK Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7040 0118www.city.ac.uk/sems/postgraduate/moam/index-htmlEmail: pgeng@city.ac.ukPlease quote ref: NAUDEC07.The University for business and the professions

DECEMBER 2007 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ 19Alarm at Agencysafety at seaUnion seeksassurancesover Maritime& CoastguardAgency plansto restructureoperations...‘SHIPPING earns £322 per secondfor the UK economy… andthe shipping sector is the thirdlargest in the UK, with exportearnings of £9.4bn a year.’Writing in the introduction tothis year’s Maritime & CoastguardAgency annual report,chief executive Peter Cardyemphasised the growing contributionof the UK’s maritime sector— one that puts it ahead ofother sectors such as aviation.But the value of the shippingindustry is such that it deservesbetter treatment from the government,says Nautilus UK generalsecretary Brian Orrell. Statespending on shipping lags behindother transport sectors, despiteits increasingly significant contributionto the national coffers.And that’s one reason why theUnion is so disturbed by theshake-up in MCA servicesannounced by Mr Cardy lastmonth.‘We are concerned that the UKis drifting towards flag of conveniencestatus by making fundamentalchanges in the nature ofits statutory safety work,’ saidgeneral secretary Brian Orrell.The package of changes at theMCA includes a 75-post reductionin staffing levels at itsSouthampton head office,restructuring of key operationsand the transfer of many ‘backofficefunctions’ to Swansea.In a letter to Lloyd’s List, MrCardy sought to provide assurancesthat the shake-up will leavethe MCA in a better shape to confront‘the challenges we face inthe shipping world of the 21stcentury and beyond’.He argues that the changes areabout efficiency and putting ‘customer-facingfunctions’ underone roof.An inspector calls: Nautilus UK is worried that the latest restructuring at the Maritime & Coastguard Agency will see a move away from maritime professionals and anincreased reliance upon the work of classification societiesBut Nautilus UK fears that thepackage amounts to cutbacks —and, in turn, that these have beendriven by financial pressures.According to the MCAaccounts, the 2006-7 financialyear saw the Agency’s net operatingcosts total just over £121m —up from just over £117m in theprevious year.By comparison, the CivilAviation Authority chalked upnet operating costs of £185m in2006.Although the MCA’s operatingincome increased from £11.6m in2005-6 to £11.9m last year, itwent from a recognised gain of£652,000 in 2005-6 to a recognisedloss of £2.6m last year,largely reflecting an adjustmentin financing arrangements.Income from ship registration,survey fees and seafarer certificationtotalled more than £7mlast year — but the MCA facedincreased expenditure on dealingwith pollution, carrying outemergency helicopter flights andmaking navigational warningbroadcasts.Despite its financial constraints,the Agency was relativelysuccessful in hitting its operatingtargets — achieving nine out of its12 service standards. One of thosemissed — by just 2% — was theaim of ensuring that 95% of mandatoryexpanded inspections arecarried out.The MCA’s surveyors last yearconducted some 4,800 surveys ofUK registered merchant shipsand fishing vessels, and around1,600 port state control inspectionsof foreign ships visiting UKports.Mr Orrell says the growth inUK tonnage — a quadruplingover the past five years, accordingto the government — and theboom in world seaborne trade,coupled with increased securitychecks, flag state and ISM Coderequirements, have created growingpressures on MCA surveyors.Although overall MCA staffingincreased by 11 last year, thenumber of frontline ‘service deliverers’and direct support staffdeclined from 1,044 to 1,032.‘We believe this is wrong,’ MrOrrell said. ‘The trends withinthe industry mean that the surveystaff should be increasing, and weshould not be witnessing a moveaway from the use of maritimeprofessionals in favour of managers.‘We should not forget that theMCA was exposed to a programmeof 20% year-on-yearstaffing cuts in the 1990s,’ hepointed out.The past six months have alsowitnessed industrial action bysurveyors and coastguards protestingat the below-inflation payrise for 2006. MCA surveyorshave also been pressing for theirsalaries to be aligned with thoseof Marine Accident InvestigationBranch officials — warning thataction is needed to recruit andretain skilled and experiencedprofessionals.Nautilus UK is concerned thatthe changes may result in morepressure to switch statutory surveywork to classification societies.‘If that’s the case, then theUK would be going down thepath of flag of convenience countriesthat devolve such safetycriticalduties to outside agencies,’Mr Orrell stressed.In response to such concerns,the Union has written to the shippingminister to stress the need forthe MCA to retain its independentstatus and for the government togive it the staffing and resourcesthat it needs to meet increasingdemand for its services.Nautilus UK has also repeatedlyraised concerns that theMCA is under growing politicaland commercial pressure toattract tonnage to the UK flag. ‘Itis clearly a critical time for thefuture of the Agency,’ Mr Orrellconcluded, ‘and we are pressingthe shipping minister to ensurethat the UK has the independentand properly funded maritimesafety watchdog it deserves.‘There are immense challengesfacing the shipping industrynow, and in the years ahead,and it is essential that the governmentprovides an Agency that hasthe professional expertiserequired to develop and enforcecritical national and internationalregulations, including theforthcoming introduction of theMaritime Labour Convention,’ headded.It is essentialthat thegovernmentprovidesan Agencythat has theprofessionalexpertiserequiredto developand enforcecriticalnational andinternationalregulationsBrian OrrellGeneral secretaryNautilus UK

20 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ DECEMBER 2007Loss adjustmentmaritime safetyNEW research has come upwith revised theories aboutthe 1994 Estonia ferrydisaster — Europe’s worstpost-war shipping loss...KEY findings of the investigation into the Estonia ferry disaster arebeing questioned by new research being carried out by experts inScotland, Sweden and the Netherlands.When the Estonian-flagged ro-ro sank in the Baltic en route fromTallinn to Stockholm on 28 September 1994, 852 of the 989 peopleonboard lost their lives. It remains Europe’s worst shipping disastersince world war two.Controversy over the causes of the incident continues to this day,and the findings of the original investigation — carried out by the JointAccident Investigation Commission of Estonia, Finland and Sweden(JAIC) — have come in for severe criticism.According to the Swedish research organisation SSPA, a broadspectrum of parties have alleged an ‘apparent lack of objectivity of thecommission in examining and openly discussing alternative opinionson many aspects of the loss’.The JAIC’s account of the disaster concluded that the Estonia’sstern visor separated from the bow due to heavy wave loads. The rampwas pulled fully open, allowing large amounts of water to enter thecar deck, and the ship very rapidly listed heavily to starboard, thenturned to port and slowed down. The four main engines stopped andthe ship drifted, the starboard list increased and water began enteringthe accommodation decks.However, the JAIC report has been questioned on a number ofcounts and in March 2006 the Swedish government awarded a grant toan SSPA-led consortium to launch a new three-year investigation. TheMany 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 ofthe country on foreign going voyages.Many have found to their cost, when investigated by the Revenue that it isnot 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 futureclaim 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 settlementOUR FEES ARE AS FOLLOWS:Annual Return £142.98 + £25.02 VAT .........................................................................................................£168.00No commission charged on refunds gained.NAUTILUS UK members sailing under a foreign flag agreement on gross remuneration can obtain a 10% reduction onthe above enrolment fee by quoting their NAUTILUS UK membership number and a 5% reduction on re-enrolment.Write, orphone nowfor moredetails:other consortium members are Safety at Sea Ltd, in association withthe Ship Stability Research Centre (SSRC) at Glasgow and Strathclydeuniversities, the Netherlands’ Maritime Research Institute, and theGöteborg-based Chalmers University of Technology.The consortium’s final conclusions will be reported in March 2008,but the research has already generated fresh insights. Earlier this year,an SSPA newsletter claimed that the foundering started about 10 minutesearlier than described by JAIC and the initial water inflow to thecar deck was determined by model tests to be about three to four timeshigher than indicated.Elgin House, 83 Thorne Road, Doncaster DN1 2ES.Tel: (01302) 364673 - Fax No: (01302) 738526 - E-mail: info@seatax.ltd.ukwww.seatax.ltd.ukABOVE: the ro-ro ferry Estonia before the 1994 loss in the Baltic; INSET: a scene from the simulated revised loss scenario, showing the vessel upside down MAIN PICTURE: REUTERSThe researchers also suggested that a stable condition, at about 45degrees heel angle, could be reached if the bow is completely open andwater stays on the car deck.Now, a new consortium research paper posits the possibility thatthe Estonia may have completely overturned rather than sinking bythe stern. Authors Andrzej Jasionowski, of Safety at Sea, and SSRCdirector Professor Drascos Vassalos acknowledge that the capsizing ofthe Estonia is ‘one of the more puzzling elements’ of the loss.Their paper explains that interpretation of the survivors’ statementsleads to the perception that the capsizing process (heeling beyond 40degrees) took a ‘considerable time’. For such prolonged capsizing tomaterialise, the paper says it can be inferred that ‘the process of fillingthe superstructure spaces by water must have delayed the capsizingprocess, and hence it took rather longer time than intuitivelyexpected’.Consortium researchers therefore put considerable effort into verifying,by means of model tank tests, how fast these spaces could flood.According to the results from these simulations, the research paperreports, the capsize took no more than two to three minutes with allthe windows assumed broken. Compensating for some simplificationsin the model, it is suggested that according to prediction it took somethree to four minutes.This, the paper says, ‘would imply that mv Estonia has de-factofloated upside down’, and the authors believe survivors’ accounts canbe interpreted as possibly backing this up.Thirty survivors claim that the Estonia sank by the stern. However,nine survivors said they saw the ferry sinking by the bow. The researcherssuggest that ‘there is no contradiction in these statements and thatall of them saw the vessel in an upside down condition’.Other preliminary conclusions include the scenario that the Estoniaheeled because of an inflow of some 2,500 cu m of water on the cardeck and the casing on the car deck became submerged to some 5mwater head pressure — as a result of which some doors collapsed andallowed the spaces below the car deck to flood.Mr Jasionowski told the Telegraph that the new research does notnecessarily prove that the JAIC investigation’s conclusions are suspect.‘We have never tried to commit to any firm conclusions yet,’ heexplained. ‘We simply let our findings at every stage be known, so wecan receive feedback.’Mr Jasionowski also said he did not wish to speculate about the JAICreport’s apparent or actual lack of objectivity. ‘I think the importantpoint is that the JAIC study was not sufficiently thorough in explainingthe key loss mechanisms — where and how water flooded the ship— which in turn triggers many questions of the initiating causes andpossibly other initiating events prior to the loss,’ he added. ‘Hence themany speculations, conspiracy theories, etc.’Mr Jasionowski thought the consortium should be in a position toadvance firm conclusions on the latest Estonia research by February,and he commented: ‘The key beneficiaries of the study, when accomplished,will be all of us — the professional community, families ofthose affected, society at large. The knowledge on the loss will haveprogressed beyond what was known two years ago.’

DECEMBER 2007 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ 21Engineer officers Phil Dick and Dave Smithmembers at workTRINITY House showed off itsmulti-function vessel Galateaduring a royal naming ceremonyin the Pool of LondonCaptain John MallettLight workTHERE WAS a right royal welcomefor the new Trinity Houselight tender Galatea during a visitto the Pool of London in October.Moored alongside the secondworld war veteran HMS Belfast,the Polish-built vessel was namedby HM The Queen in a ceremonypresided over by The Duke ofEdinburgh, who is the Master ofTrinity House.Accompanied by DeputyMaster Jeremy de Halpert, theQueen and Prince Philip metcrew members — including thetwo masters of the vessel, CaptainsSimon Robinson and John Mallett— as well as members of the buildteam and staff from TrinityHouse.Galatea — the second TrinityHouse vessel to bear the name —was also blessed by the Bishop ofLondon, the Rt Revd RichardChartres. Rear Admiral deHalpert described the event as ‘avery exciting and historic day forTrinity House’.Galatea is a multi-functiontender (MFT), designed and builtto support the work of TrinityHouse and the general lighthouseauthorities in providing navigationalaids around the UK.Built to replace the THVMermaid, Galatea’s key functionsinclude maintenance work, buoydeployment, wreck finding andlocation marking, and hydrographicsurveying.Trinity House offers the vesselfor contract commercial work,supporting such projects asresearch work, sea trials of specialistequipment, and guard shipduties.First officer Bill Sadler demonstratesGalatea’s surveying equipmentGalatea’s masters, Captains John Mallett and Simon Robinson, meet HM The Queenand The Duke of Edinburgh at the vessel’s naming ceremonySince arrival in the home portof Harwich in July, Galatea hasbeen involved in a wide range ofactivities — including surveywork off the NE coast and supportingwork to modernise theCasquets Lighthouse.Galatea was also used in a surveyof the wreck of the GermanU-boat UB38, which lies at adepth of 23m south of the VarneBank. There are fears that thewreck is posing an increased riskto shipping as a result of growthin deep draft tanker transits ofthe SW-bound lane of the DoverStrait TSS. As a result of the survey,Trinity House has decidedthat the wreck needs to be relocatedinto deeper water — anoperation that is set to take placenext spring.Capt Mallett said Galatea —which is equipped with a doubleredundancy dynamic positioningsystem — is extremely manoeuvrable.‘DP is a big step forwardfor us,’ he added.The 3,659gt vessel is also fittedwith a sophisticated integratedbridge managementsystem and features an anti-heelingsystem that is said to be capableof reducing roll by up to60%.First officer Bill Sadler saidthe Galatea’s multibeam and sidescan surveying equipment andassociated processing systemsenable the vessel to providedetailed and extensive data.Navigation manager RogerBarker says the systems alsoresult in survey work being muchfaster.Galatea is powered by threeWartsila 8L20 and two Wartsila4L20 main engines, developing atotal of 5.6mW. The ship has twoazimuth propellers, two bowthrusters, a service speed of 13knots, a bollard pull of 33 tonnes,and an endurance of 35 days.Chief engineer Phil Dick saidthat continuous and remotemonitoring of the ship’s machineryhas replaced the traditionalsystem of planned maintenance.Built as part of a £38m investmentin new tonnage by the threegeneral lighthouse authorities,Galatea features a large aft openclear working deck and a helicopterlanding area forward.Rear Admiral de Halpert saysGalatea’s multi-functional natureMN RATING?go full aheadfor careerdevelopmentSlater Fund can provideup to £10,000 to helpyou on the wayThe JW Slater Fund,administered byNautilus UK, offersawards of up to £10,000to help ratings studyfor a first certificate ofcompetency.Over the past decadealone, Slater Fundawards have been givento nearly 500 individualsand the value ofsupport available hasquadrupled over thepast 10 years.Named in honour offormer MNAOA generalsecretary John Slater,opens the door to deployment inall sorts of areas — with thepotential to offer significant supportto the civil hydrography programme.And, he told the Telegraph,the lighthouse authorities willneed to reassess their fleet operationsin the light of the full entryinto service of Galatea and theother new vessels.‘We want to take stock nextyear,’ he explained. ‘The questionis, are six ships around the BritishIsles enough, too many or justright?’Whatever the outcome,Admiral de Halpert is confidentthere will be a continuing strongdemand for the sort of servicesthat Galatea and the other GLAvessels provide. ‘The maritimeworld does not change thatquickly, and factors such asdeeper and faster vessels makeour job no less important,’ headded. ‘The Thames estuary andthe east coast have the fastestchanging seabed in the world,and moving the signposts to keepup with that will keep this shipemployed for the next 20 years.’the awards are made toselected UK-residentratings aged 20 or over.The money can be usedtowards the costs of anynecessary full- orpart-time education,and to provide somefinancial support duringcollege phases for thoseoff pay.Nautilus UK is nowinviting applications forthe 2008 awards.If you want to make thenext move, don’t leavethings to chance — fill inthe form on the right…The multi-function tender Galatea moored beside HMS Belfast in the Pool of LondonCOMPLETE THIS FORMAND SEND IT TO:The Marine Society& Sea Cadets202 Lambeth RoadLondon SE1 7JWTo arrive no later than31 December 2007I am over 20 years ofage and a ratingnormally resident inthe United KingdomPlease send medetails of theJohn Slater AwardEmail toCaptain Ian Smith at:ismith@ms-sc.orgName:____________________________________Address:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Email:________________________________________________________________________500

22 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ DECEMBER 2007DECEMBER 2007 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ 23Scotland leads training revivalmaritime skillsWe arelooking forthe nextgenerationof MerchantNavy officerswho willcontinueworking inan industrywhich is thelynchpin ofthe globaleconomyColin McMurrayGeneralmanagerClyde MarineTrainingOfficer trainee David Linton is afourth generation seagoing engineerPICTURE: ASHLEY COOMBESA QUARTER of a million pound campaign to treble thenumber of trainee officers in Scotland over the next threeyears was launched last month.Spearheaded by Scottish Enterprise, the marketingcampaign — which includes a new website, radio adverts,viral marketing and schools packs — aims to increase theannual intake of Scottish officer cadets from 300 in 2006to around 900 by 2010.Scotland already produces more than half of the UKMerchant Navy’s officer intake — but the initiative hasbeen put together in response to growing concern aboutthe potential for a substantial long-term decline in the seafaringskills base and the damage this could cause to thecountry’s maritime sector.Organisations backing the campaign point to Departmentfor Transport statistics forecasting, on current trends,a 50% fall in the number of officers by 2021 unless actionis taken.Ian McMahon, head of shipbuilding and marine forScottish Enterprise, said Scotland has a great deal to gain,economically and socially, from a strong maritime industry.‘Scotland has a long tradition of association with thesea as a career opportunity,’ he added. ‘Scottish Enterprisebelieves that the country’s ship management sector hasthe ability to continue to grow both by attracting additionalthird party ship management business for existingcompanies and by attracting new inward investment.‘The Maritime Careers campaign was designed to consolidateexisting industry recruitment activity by focusingon raising awareness of the long-term job opportunitieswithin the industry in Scotland.’Colin McMurray, general manager of Glasgow-basedClyde Marine Training — which is playing a key part in thecampaign — said it aims to secure a new generation of MNofficers for an industry ‘which is the lynchpin of the globaleconomy’.Organisers of the initiative also stress the need for moreScottish seafarers to ensure that Glasgow and the west ofScotland retains, and expands, its role as a leading worldcentre for ship management.Supported and funded by Scottish Enterprise, with theinvolvement of Careers Scotland and Highlands & IslandsEnterprise, the campaign has a £240,000 budget for thenext three years and at its core is a marketing campaignLast month’slaunch ofa majorcampaignto treblethe numberof Scottishcadets isjust part ofa series ofefforts torevitaliseMN trainingin Scotland— Maritime Careers; See Where The Sea Can Take You.The campaign is targeted at school leavers, parents,careers advisers and teachers. Other audiences includerecent school and university leavers ‘looking for a careerwith a difference’ and children in the early stages of secondaryschool.Integral to the campaign is the launch of a new website— www.maritimecareers.co.uk — which has been devised inresponse to concern amongst Scottish ship managementcompanies about the effectiveness of existing recruitmentefforts north of the border.The site offers information on all aspects of the industry— including short videos with three officer cadets talkingabout their experiences. It sets out entry requirements,training paths, training providers and long-term careeropportunities, and also includes an animated viral e-mailerintended to attract other people to the website.The campaign has also been devised in an effort to combata ‘communication divide’ between the career realityand perceptions about seafaring.The material aims to address some of the key reasonswhy young people may be reluctant to go to sea. Researchcarried out for Scottish Enterprise identified such perceivedbarriers as a general lack of awareness, ‘unfoundedconcerns’ over pay, and the potential difficulties posed byabsences from home, family and friends.As a result, the marketing material stresses that, followingtraining, officers as young as 19 could be on startingsalaries of between £22,000 and £24,000 — often taxfree— with prospects of rapid promotion.Research has revealed that the biggest concentrationsof new Scottish cadets are from Glasgow, the WesternIsles and the Highlands. ‘However,’ the organisers pointout, ‘cadets come from all areas of Scotland and indeedthe lower representation of those from elsewhere in thecountry is perhaps a good indication of the potential thatmight exist if we can raise awareness of the opportunitiesto pursue maritime careers.’Those behind the initiative have set a target date of2010 to review the campaign, which will include meetingswith key partners such as Careers Scotland advisers andScottish education and training providers. This reviewwill ‘assess all aspects of the campaign, including top-linerecruitment figures, and see what can be built upon orimproved’.NAUTILUS WELCOMES SCOTTISH INITIATIVESNAUTILUS UK has given a warm welcome to the Scottishinitiatives to boost maritime training.General secretary Brian Orrell described the ScottishEnterprise campaign as ‘a proactive and progressive’ movethat deserves to succeed.‘We will do everything that we can, in every area thatwe are involved in, to assist it in achieving its objective,’ headded.Against the backdrop of the growing global shortageof skilled and experienced officers, Mr Orrell said thecampaign was well timed — and deserving of support fromthe industry.The involvement of key ship management companiesin the campaign was a positive sign, he pointed out,because it would emphasise to young people the long-termemployment opportunities at sea and ashore.‘It is encouraging to see the input from Clyde MarineRFA cadet Caroline Paterson at the controls of a ship simulator atGlasgow College of Nautical StudiesPICTURE: ASHLEY COOMBESand we firmly endorse their description of shipping asthe lynchpin of the global economy,’ he added. ‘It will becompanies such as Clyde, who are particularly professionalin this area, to secure the necessary commitment fromshipowners to meet the campaign targets,’ Mr Orrellstressed.Research conducted for Nautilus UK and the Chamberof Shipping had demonstrated the considerable demandfor UK junior officers, as well as underlining the scale ofincreased training required to meet that demand. ‘All thatremains is for companies to meet their responsibilities toensure that the targets are met,’ Mr Orrell added.‘We certainly hope that this initiative serves toencourage a positive response from the Department forTransport and the shipping minister on the joint proposalsfor maritime training and employment that were submittedby the industry last year,’ he said.ABOVE: Back row left to right: Caroline Hepburn (student support officer), Duncan Kidson(section leader engineering), Peter Dryburgh (director), Abdul Khalique (senior nautical lecturer)Front row left to right: Keith Henderson (engineer cadet), Steven Hunter (deck cadet),James Nicolson (deck cadet), Keir Nowak (deck cadet), Bobby Shearer (deck cadet),Howard Johnson (deck cadet)INSET: the intake of new deck and engineering cadets at NAFC Marine CentreCALMAC SHIPS HELPING TORAISE CAREER AWARENESSCALEDONIAN MacBrayne helped to boost theScottish drive to promote maritime training bystaging two Merchant Navy awareness days on itsships Isle of Lewis and Caledonian Isles.The events were held in liaison with CareersScotland, and the Scottish Enterprise ShipManagement Group, whose members includeCalMac, Clyde Marine, Glasgow College ofNautical Studies, Teekay Shipping, V Ships andAnglo Eastern.The first awareness day, held onboard thevessel Isle of Lewis on the Ullapool-Stornowayroute was attended by 16 careers and guidanceteachers from the Western Isles and the Highlandregion of Scotland, along with representativesfrom GCNS, Lews Castle College, Stornoway,Clyde Marine, and the Maersk Group.The teachers heard presentations on thevarious career paths that the MN offers to schoolleavers, and also discussed entry standards andsubject choices.They also visited the ship’s bridge, engineroomand passenger spaces to gain an understandingof the work carried out by officers and crew.‘The ship’s onboard service manager, whosedepartment is responsible for customer services,was also given equal prominence even thoughthe qualifications structure for that department isnot so well established other than the shipboardsafety training required,’ explained CalMacmarine training manager Captain Norman Jones.‘A bonus for this event was the StornowayCoastguard helicopter that arrived overheadduring the crossing from Stornoway to Ullapoolto exercise with the vessel — so thanks go to theSEVEN cadets have made history by becomingthe first ever group of Merchant Navyofficer trainees to gain their OOW qualificationsafter studying at the Shetland Schoolof Nautical Studies.The seven were trained from start to finishfor the OOW (Unlimited) and HND inNautical Science or Mechanical Engineeringat the Shetland school, which is part ofthe NAFC Marine Centre in Scalloway.They were the first ‘graduates’ of a trainingprogramme that started in September2004 in response to concerns about thepotential loss of Shetland’s historicallystrong seafaring skills base.Head of School Jan Rigden said: ‘Weare delighted with the results and verypleased that our programmes have helpedthese young Shetlanders to develop theircareers.‘The deck and engineering programmeswere initially proposed in 2002 as a way ofmaintaining maritime expertise in Shetlandin the face of falling numbers of candidates,particularly from the fishing industry,’he explained. ‘We wanted to ensureCoastguard for attending the event in a way thatwas rather less conventional, but nonethelessspectacular and effective, as it created a greatdeal of interest among the attending delegates,’he added.Capt Jones said he was particularly grateful tothe support given by the ship’s master, CaptainJohn McArthur, chief engineer Hamish Harrower,and onboard service manager John Gunn, aswell as other officers and crew and shore staffinvolved in the event.Ken Galloway, Careers Scotland manager inStornoway, said he thought the awareness dayhad been very successful and had given thecareers and guidance teachers a good insightinto the industry and a lot of food for thought.The second event was staged on the vesselCaledonian Isles, on CalMac’s Ardrossan-Brodickroute on 6 November, attended by careers andguidance teachers from the south and centralbelt of Scotland and representatives from theshipping industry.Captain Kenny MacDonald, chief officerStephen Ross, chief engineer Kenny MacKenzieand onboard services manager D.J. MacDonaldall played a significant part in explaining thedifferent types of work carried out as sea, andpresentations gave equal prominence to all threedepartments on the vessel.The event was also attended by delegatesfrom other parts of the industry, including:the MCA; marine pilots and harbour masters;Teekay Shipping; GCNS; Clyde Marine; cadetsDavid Linton and Lynne Newbigging; and LloydsRegister.Milestone for Shetland withsuccess of seven traineesthat the facilities required to train and educatefuture fishermen and Merchant Navyofficers were retained in Shetland.’Duncan Kidson, engineering sectionleader at SSNS, added: ‘The cadet programmehas continued to expand yearon year as the quality of our training hasbecome apparent to potential sponsors andshipping companies throughout the UK.We are well known and appreciated for oursmall classes, caring attitude and our abilityto delivery quality training.’At present more than 60 cadets areenrolled in the deck and engineering programmes,with a full intake of 24 new cadetsstarting their training this September.Cadets are sponsored by a variety oftraining and shipping companies, includingfour who are sponsored annually byShetland Islands Council ferry services.The first cadets to secure their OOWqualifications after completing their studiesand passing MCA oral examinationshave secured work with North Star Shipping,James Fisher, and Safe Ships TrainingGroup (sponsored by SIC Ferries).They are in such demand that engineerofficers Russell Anderson and AlistairAdamson were unable to appear in the photographas they were already off to sea totake up their new positions.Asked about the value of the programme,deck cadet Keir Nowak replied: ‘The coursehas been really enjoyable and the threeyears have passed by really quickly withgood support from the lecturers throughout.I’m planning to work up to master’slevel and would like to come back to theNAFC Marine Centre for future tickets.’Engineering cadet Keith Hendersonadded: ‘The qualification achievedthrough the programme is well recognisedfor attaining future work and means I cansail on any ship as an engineer. The coursehas certainly been valuable and means nowthat the world is my oyster.’All the successful candidates in thisfirst group were from Shetland; and whilstrecent intakes include a percentage of candidatesfrom throughout the Highlandsand Islands, Shetlanders make up morethan 50% of each group.

24 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ DECEMBER 2007DECEMBER 2007 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ 25Seeking to prevent Babel on the bridgesafety at sea Researchers developing improvedinternational standards are looking atthe ways in which seafarers speak toshipmates and shore personnelPICTURE: DANNY CORNELISSEN SARAH ROBINSON reports on the work oflanguage experts to combat communicationproblems between multinational crews...WE ALL know that poor communicationcan cause accidents andleads to low morale at sea — withcrew members often unable tosocialise together because theydo not share a common language.This issue is not new, but with theinexorable rise of multinationalcrews, it has become clear thatcommunication problems needto be studied in more depth.In today’s shipping industry,‘not sharing a common language’generally means that crewmatesdo not speak good enoughEnglish. The study of shipboardcommunication has thereforebecome focussed on ‘MaritimeEnglish’: a fast-growing academicfield allied to applied linguistics.The aim of studies in thisfield is to improve understandingof communication at sea,and therefore create more usefuland relevant teaching materials.The work also increases thepotential for safety manuals andlegal information for seafarersto be made clearer and moreeffective.In October this year, MaritimeEnglish researchers from aroundthe world met to share their latestfindings at the InternationalMaritime English Conference(IMEC) at the STC nautical collegein Rotterdam. The presentationscovered a wide range of work— some highly theoretical, somemore practical, but all aimed atimproving communication at sea.A flavour of the research is givenhere, but for more information,the academic papers from theconference are available onlineat www.imla-imec.com.Research into shipboardcommunicationIn order to improve shipboardcommunication, we need tounderstand how this communicationactually works. Atthe IMEC conference, PeterBjörkroth of Sydväst maritimecollege in Finland explained howhe has been investigating theissue of ‘mitigation’ within thebridge team. Mitigation is a linguistictechnique where speakerstry and soften their way of speakingso they appear less harsh orhostile. This is done, for example,by using words like ‘could’ or‘should’, or by making a sentenceinto a question. Björkroth hadnoticed some examples wherethe use of mitigation rather thanplain speaking had caused confusionand led to accidents inthe airline industry, and he wonderedif mitigation was also commonamong seafarers.His study involved invitingsome serving officers to takepart in a simulator exercise so hecould monitor their language. Hefound, perhaps unsurprisingly,that the master tended to speakmore directly and the subordinateofficers used more mitigation.This pattern could be a causefor concern, as similar researchin the airline industry showedthat captains tended to pay lessattention to mitigated speech— sometimes ignoring importantinformation because it was notsaid in an assertive enough way.In the time-honoured mannerfor academic papers, Björkrothconcludes that further researchis needed.Another interesting studywas ‘Service Letters’, by SandraTominac and Josip Luzer of theUniversity of Rijeka in Croatia.The researchers explain thatservice letters are updates oninstruction manuals for ships’engines, sent regularly to marineengineers. The study assembled alarge number of these letters andused powerful computer softwareto analyse the language structuresfound in them. The aim of this‘corpus analysis’ was to find outhow language is used in real-lifemarine engineering documentsso that future Maritime Englishstudents can be taught the mostuseful and relevant words andphrases. It struck the Telegraphteam that this kind of analysiscould also usefully be carried outon other important maritimedocuments such as M-notices.Efforts to develop internationalstandardsIn his presentation to the conference,Professor Boris Pritchardof the University of Rijeka tookthe idea of corpus analysis a stepfurther, reporting on a project toestablish a minimum technicalvocabulary for Maritime English.This is a major study which couldprovide the foundation for internationalMaritime English standardsin future.Professor Pritchard’s workaims to address questions suchas the following:✪ What kind of words make up amaritime vocabulary?✪ How many Maritime Englishwords does a deck or engineroomdepartment rating or officerneed: (a) for support level, (b) foroperational level, (c) for managementlevel (STCW)?✪ How many ME words wouldbe appropriate for obtaining athree-year BSc degree in nauticalstudies and marine engineering?✪ How do we recognize a MEword?To create the minimum technicalvocabulary list, the professoris drawing on the expertiseof colleagues. He is also bringingtogether a wide body of maritimetexts to analyse for vocabularyuse. The findings of the researchwill be reported to the next IMECconference.In the meantime, work isalso underway on ‘Yardsticks forMaritime English AssessmentPurposes’. In this project, theresearchers are aiming to producea proper description of theEnglish language standards weshould expect from ship’s officers.Clive Cole, of the World MaritimeUniversity in Sweden, and PeterTrenkner, of Wismar Universityin Germany, are the authors ofthe draft ‘yardsticks’.There are different levels ofEnglish proficiency suggested fordifferent ranks. Masters and chiefengineers would be expected tosafety at seameet the yardstick for ‘Very GoodUser’ as a minimum. This meansthat the officer copes well withdemanding and complex languagesituations — for examplecommunicating fluently on radiowhile complying with radio regulations.The officer would be ableto give ‘clear and sufficient ordersin all situations’ and even instructothers in the use of the Englishlanguage onboard.The yardsticks are still in anearly stage of development, andCole and Trenkner have invitedinput from colleagues to take theproject further, but it is hopedthat some standards along theselines will eventually be adoptedby the IMO.Efforts to improve teaching andtesting techniquesJust as with any academic subject,Maritime English courses canvary greatly in quality. It is crucialfor tutors to make the course asrelevant and useful as possible tothe students’ work at sea, but thisdoesn’t always happen.Yanqiu Wang of DalianMaritime University and YifeiFu of Liaoning University pointout that: ‘In maritime universitiesand training institutions inChina, the focus of English languageteaching is always on themastery of maritime vocabularyand reading, while listening andspeaking constitutes a relativelyinsignificant part in the curriculum’.To find out the best wayto improve these courses, theresearchers carried out a surveyof Chinese and Australian seafarers— asking them what languagebarriers they had encountered atwork and inviting suggestions forchanging the Maritime Englishcurriculum in China.The survey revealed that pronunciationwas considered thebiggest obstacle to effective communication.Both the Chineseand the Australian participantsreported cases of struggling tounderstand each other’s pronunciationof English over the radio.To remedy this, some of the participantssuggested exposingtrainees extensively to ‘originalEnglish’ by watching films, forexample.Building on the results of thesurvey, the researchers arguethat adequate classroom hoursshould be allotted to the teachingof pronunciation. And thisteaching should reflect the globalvariation in English use. ‘Notonly should learners be taughtstandard British pronunciationand American pronunciation ofEnglish, but they should also beexposed to the major varieties ofEnglish pronunciations in theworld such as Australian English,Indian English, South AfricanEnglish, etc. They should alsoget familiar with pidgins spokenwith strong typical local accents.’On the testing side, a group ofCanadian researchers has challengedthe widespread use ofmultiple-choice tests for STCWcertificates of competency.Having surveyed the way thesetests are used in different countriesand carried out experimentsof their own, they were concernedthat factors other thansubject knowledge were leadingto artificial test scores. Thesefactors included question structure,language and intuition. Theresearchers stress that this is justan exploratory study, but theybelieve their findings warrantfurther investigation.Development of Maritime Englishcourses and teaching materialsThe IMEC conference wasn’tall about theoretical research. Asubstantial number of the presentationsreported on the handsonwork taking place at maritimecolleges around the world.Veronica Zykova of MurmanskState Technical Universityin Russia shared ideas on‘Teaching deck officer cadetshow to get radio medical advice’,while Chaojian Shi and YingmingWang from Shanghai MaritimeUniversity explained how theywere using shiphandling simulatorsfor Maritime English practice.A group from the TokyoUniversity of Marine Science andTechnology also described howthey are using simulators andother work-based environmentsto help students learn English.To help those who wantto create their own MaritimeEnglish courses, Inger Battistaand Anne Pazaver of the WorldMaritime University ran a workshopon creating teaching materialsfrom the IMO website.Advice was also forthcomingfrom Paula Manolache of theRomanian Maritime TrainingCentre. And there was a descriptionof how a Maritime Englishcoursebook is being developedat the Arab Academy for Scienceand Technology & MaritimeTransport in Egypt.In addition, Yongxing Jin andJieying Xie of Shanghai MaritimeUniversity described the compilationand promotion of an English-Chinese maritime dictionary,while Dušan Fabe of the Universityof Ljubljana told of a project tocreate an English-Slovene maritimedictionary in class.The use of computers in languagelearning was a strongtheme in many of the presentations,so it was not surprisingto see a detailed discussionof the MarEng project fromAlison Noble of the Universityof Antwerp. It is this high-profileproject which has recentlyproduced the Maritime EnglishLearning Tool — the online/CDRom ‘textbook’ reviewed in theOctober Telegraph.Prestige disasterdemonstrates theneed for clarity incommunicationbetween ship andshore authoritiesONE of the keynote speeches at the IMEC conferencewas given by two students: Berend Vree and IvoBezuijen of the STC maritime college in Rotterdam.Their presentation included an analysis of the 2002Prestige tanker disaster, pictured right, to assess therole played by poor communication.The 26-year-old Bahamian-flagged vessel, carrying77,000 tonnes of fuel oil, sank 120 miles off theSpanish coast in November 2002, causing extensivepollution. Vree and Bezuijen looked at severalfragments of conversation between the Prestigeand the Cape Finisterre shore station to see howcommunication problems contributed to the confusion and delay in dealing with the incident.In an exchange seven hours before the first distress call, the conversation is conducted in a calm,clear manner, using Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP). However, after the first Maydaycall, the communication procedures begin to break down and the SMCP are largely forgotten.Some hours later, it can be seen that both parties are experiencing problems communicating, withthe messages unclear to the Prestige and too long.Finisterre Traffic: Prestige, this is Finisterre Rescue Centre, good morning. We have information thatthere are four peoples of your crewmembers, ready to return to your vessel, and the people are thesecond engineer, the electrician, the pumpman and one oiler. Are this four people enough to assist chiefengineer to start the main engine? Over.Pr: OK, OK, I am waiting to coming on board this some people. After how many hours coming?FT: No, sir, please listen my message, listen my message. There are four people, this people is ready,is ready to embark in your vessel, to come back to your vessel. The question is if the chief engineer hasenough with this four people to start the main engine, please ask chief engineer if consider he can startmain engine with the assistance of the second engineer, the electrician, the pumpman and one oiler.Over.Pr: OK, OK I am waiting to coming, I am waiting to comingFT: Yes, please ask chief engineer.Pr: Yes, momentVree and Bezuijen argue that it would have made a great difference in this case if the seafarers andthe shore operators had been more confident in using SMCP. To tackle this problem, they say, routineis the answer. If you were woken up in the night and asked to count to 10 in your native language, youwould be able to do this with no problem. ‘We feel the same should go for SMCP. By spending moreclassroom hours practising and graduating by oral examination, the level of SMCP of students will risesignificantly. Furthermore, seafarers should get an annual or biannual refreshment test; this could evenbe done on the ship itself with the use of a CD Rom. Just as fire drills create the routine needed during areal fire, so will these tests create the routine needed during a distress situation.’✪The full text of this presentation, which includes a linguistic analysis of the al Salam Boccaccio 98incident, can be found at www.imla-imec.com

26 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ DECEMBER 2007maritime historyTWO leading specialists have teamed upto produce a magnificent new book thattells the history of navigation at sea. MIKEGERBER has been leafing through it...Showing the wayTHE STORY of navigation that unfolds in TheHistory of Seafaring — the beautiful new book byDonald S. Johnson and Juha Nurminen that wereview on page 33 — is inherently fascinating.It begins in the eastern Mediterranean, wherethe Egyptians and Phoenicians, and after them theGreeks and Romans, ruled the waves. This, the booktells us, ‘was the earliest high point of European seafaringand it lasted for nearly two millennia from1500BC to AD400. The Phoenicians had alreadyheaded far to the west from the eastern end of theMediterranean Sea, reaching the Straits of Gibraltar.They are known to have sailed as far as the BritishIsles in search of tin’.In the ensuing pages, navigation is consideredboth as a skill and a science: ‘The Phoenicians,Pacific seafarers and the Vikings had highlyadvanced navigational skills…passed on by oral tradition…Today,these traditions have for the mostpart been lost. As a science, navigation developed inEurope and the Muslim world of the Near East withits roots in Greek astronomy, geography, cartography,an understanding of the shape of the Earth andmovement of the Sun, planets and stars in the sky.The ancient Greeks were the first to conjectureabout these matters, and their theories formed thebasis for future European navigation.’Despite the book’s emphasis on European navigation,it gives full acknowledgement to the contributionmade by Arab and other non-Western navigators.The Phoenicians — although they ‘sailed theMediterranean long before the Greeks’ and ‘built thelargest and best merchant ships and warships of theirtime’ — were not European. They were based in theLevant, which today includes Syria and Lebanon.Then in the early Middle Ages, after the collapseof the Roman Empire, ‘it was increasingly Arab,rather than European navigators, who led the revolutionin seafaring. The Arabs embraced the scienceof the ancient Greeks and applied their expertise inastronomy and geography in navigation. By the 9 thcentury they developed the planispheric astrolabeinto a fine instrument for astronomical computations’.The astrolabe was later adopted, in simplifiedThe Pacific, by Abraham Ortelius, 1587Wind-rose, by Johannes Janssonius, circa 1650 PICTURE: JUHA NURMENEN COLLECTION The Norwegian polar ship Fram PICTURE: JOHN NURMENEN FOUNDATIONform, by mariners in Western Europe. Arab seafarersalso developed the magnetic compass on voyagesto China.Europe begins to assume dominance during theRenaissance. In the Mediterranean, ‘the emergingcity states of Italy took over the trade in goods comingfrom the east. … Spanish and Portuguese royalcourts took an interest in seafaring and the riches ofthe Far East, challenging Italy’s city states and themaritime hegemony of the Arabs’.It was under the Spanish that the astronomerAbraham ben Zacuto produced Tables ofPICTURE: JUHA NURMENEN COLLECTIONDeclination of the Sun, the first scientifically reliablemeans of calculating latitude from the Sun.Originally published in Hebrew — as pictured in thebook — ben Zacuto’s tables were used by Columbuson his 1492 voyage to the Americas, and by thePortuguese Vasco da Gama on his voyage to Indiavia the Cape of Good Hope.Later, ‘the knowledge, skills and theoreticalexpertise of the Iberian navigators spread north toFrance, England and the Netherlands’.For a while, the Dutch could boast the most powerfulfleet, backed by the latest astronomical andgeographical achievements such as Flemish-bornscientist Gerard Mercator’s revolutionary cartographicdevelopments.Then during the 18th and 19th centuries, ‘theBritish achieved naval supremacy and their fleetsand merchant ships dominated nearly all seas’. Aswith the Dutch before them, Britain hegemonywent hand in hand with further innovations in navigationalscience — notably John Harrison’s chronometerthat finally made it possible to determinelongitude. His contemporary, Captain James Cook,the book argues, was in navigational terms ‘withoutdoubt the most import figure of the modern age andinitiated the era of scientific exploration. His chartswere so accurate and reliable that they were stillused for comparison in the hydrographic explorationof the Pacific Ocean in the 19th century’.Yet, as the narrative makes clear, Cook, in chartingthe Pacific, was heavily reliant on the Tahitiannavigator, Tupaia. Cook was also a great admirer ofthe intuitive seamanship of the Arctic seafarers helater encountered. The following passage puts thehistory of seafaring into perspective: ‘The navigatingskills and techniques of indigenous peoples ofOceania and the Arctic seas evolved differently fromthat of European navigators because their relationshipswith the sea and their motivation to take to theDonald S. Johnson, co-author ofThe History of Seafaringsea were so different. The basis of European livelihoodwas mostly the land and agriculture, whereasthe indigenous peoples lived from the sea. Theywere born with a sense of the sea; for them it was notan adversary to conquer but a friend that providedtheir sustenance.’The History of Seafaring is packed with suchinsights, and our only real criticism of this highlyerudite, engaging and visually striking addition tomaritime bibliography is that it gives scanty coverageto navigational developments after the greatsailing ships of the 19th century.So the Telegraph asked Donald Johnson why thiswas. He explained: ‘Mr Nurminen and I spent a greatdeal of time determining this book’s parameters. Acritical one was the physical size of the book, matchingit with that of previous publications by theNurminen Foundation. We limited our history ofnavigation to that of Western civilisation, not as anethnocentric bias, but in order to present this informationin greater depth than if we included the navigationaland seafaring advances of Eastern cultures.We set a specific word count for each chapter, individualnavigators, and major advances in navigation.‘Otherwise we might have ended up with a fivevolume publication. We did, however, include achapter on Polynesian navigation, and one on Arabnavigation, since that information — the use of starsfor way-finding — was tangent to our other discussions.At the onset, we had decided to end the storyof navigation with the completion of exploration ofthe Earth’s surface. But then we realized that, followinggeographical exploration, there were otherrealms of exploration — scientific goals — we shouldaddress. This brought us to the transition of seafaringfrom the age of sail to that of modern shippingunder mechanical power. And there, we ended ourbook, albeit with those last two pages on the age ofelectronic navigation.’

DECEMBER 2007 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ 27Securing sea skillsnautilus uk at workINTEGRATED OFFICER CALLOwners need long-term strategy — Nautilus UKsenior national secretary Allan GravesonSHIPPING operators urgently need longtermmanning and training strategies tocounter the worldwide shortage of skilledseafarers, the Union has warned at a highlevelinternational conference.They must also provide high qualityonboard facilities and conditions if theywant retain the loyalty of skilled personneland attract young people and womeninto the industry, senior national secretaryAllan Graveson told the second maritimehuman resources and crew developmentconference, staged in London in lateOctober.The advent of this and last year’s conferences— organised by ACI Europe —reflects growing industry concern aboutanticipated future difficulties in recruitingmasters, officers and crew.Mr Graveson told delegates that shippingwas at a point analogous to that stagein Britain’s industrial revolution whenindustry owners, after years of deskilling,woke up to the need for skilled workers.‘We’re seeing vast technological changein the ships of today compared with 10, 15years ago, when we started to take thesepeople off the ships. And we do see, as wesaw in the industrial revolution, that whennew technology comes along it effectivelydeskills, and we can move downmarket.Then the technology improves and thereforewe need higher skilled people. AndI would suggest to you that we’re in thatpart of the cycle now.’With engineroom and bridge equipmentchanging very rapidly, and theintroduction of new types of vessel suchas LNG carriers, Mr Graveson said it wascritical that individuals were trained tocope. Equally, it was important that technologywas brought into ships, rather thanresisted. ‘That’s not just among ship managers,but some seafarers as well. Thatis an education and training process,’ hepointed out.This, he recommended, was the paththe industry must take to attain long-termprofitability and sustainability — ‘but thatwill only be possible with both quality andquantity of the personnel’.To ensure the future supply of skilledships’ personnel, Mr Graveson said shippingcompanies required a manpowerstrategy — ‘but how many companieshave actually got a manpower strategy?I’ve asked two and have come across completeblankness — “What is a manpowerstrategy? We have a manning strategywhich can take us from year to year” — butwhere is the long-term manning strategy?It does not exist in substantial sectors ofthis industry’.Over the last two decades, when freightrates were depressed, training suffered, hesaid. ‘But of course when we get an upturnin trade, we always get a problem with thesupply side of labour. We now have a situationwhere there are far too few peopleout there in many sectors of the industry,and particularly those with the necessaryskills.‘We have what the economists wouldcall market failure. Yes, we call for governmentintervention to address marketfailure, to alleviate training costs. Butequally, the industry often does not wantgovernment interference, so it’s almostschizophrenic in its approach. So perhapsthat’s something to think about.’Other conference speakers — amongthem Captain Burkhard Müller, the vicepresident of Fleet Services, and TinoHensel, AIDA Cruises fleet personneldirector — had highlighted the additionaltraining their companies undertook, butMr Graveson suggested: ‘Why not put thatinto STCW so that all companies have toundergo this training?’Given the vast technological changesin ships, Mr Graveson questioned the adequacyof the current STCW regime andcalledfor ‘STCW with some added value’.He acknowledged that the industry, viathe International Maritime Organisation,was considering specialised training forAB deck or engine qualifications, butpointed out that hotel and catering training‘can be less than a week before peopleare placed onboard where they can have aposition of responsibility for the evacuationof passengers’.On factors contributing to the retentionof quality shipboard personnel, MrGraveson contended that while pay andleave conditions were paramount, theywere not the only core considerations.‘Important, yes, but not necessarily themost important to the professional officer.There are other issues such as accommodationand food onboard. We’ve seenincreasingly that accommodation hasbeen squeezed with the interpretationand request for exemption from ILO 92and ILO 133. Yes, we build a ship to makemoney, and rightly so, and then we popthe accommodation on afterwards. But ifwe can design the accommodation at thebuild stage, it need not be a substantialextra cost to make it comfortable.’The Nautilus senior national secretaryalso called for more training berths, andstressed the importance of the social environment— ‘particularly for young peoplecoming away to sea for the first time; alsofor women’.Workload and fatigue were alsokey concerns, with the ever-increasingdemand to cut numbers onboard,warned Mr Graveson. ‘Tired people makemistakes. We are looking at the humangenome but until we can find people thatdon’t get tired, I don’t think we can saythat seafarers are unique in that they havean ability to work 91 or 98 hours per weekand not make mistakes,’ he stressed. ‘It isin the interest of the industry to ensurethat these are minimised. It’s not systemsthat we need, it’s people that dischargetheir duties professionally after they’vereceived the appropriate professional andtechnical training.’Reflecting after his speech, MrGraveson told the Telegraph: ‘Looking atthis conference, over the two days, there’sissues arising that certainly would not havearisen 20 years ago, in particular issues ofquality and quantity. However, it mustbe remembered that delegates attendingthis conference represent the better shipownersthat do take on board the importanceof corporate governance and socialresponsibility in their operations.’FOR the industry to attract new recruits to shipping careers, Maersk MarineServices UK crewing director Tom Graves told ACI conference delegates thatoperators should adopt the widespread use of ‘integrated officers’ trained tocover both deck and engineroom operations.Integrated officers are already used extensively in The Netherlands andDenmark — not least within Maersk’s operations — but Mr Graves put thepractice forward as a means by which the industry globally could begin totackle its immediate staffing problems. He also recommended coupling theintegrated officer concept with ‘aircraft style’ ship manning, with one crewhanding over to another crew at the end of a voyage .He explained further to the Telegraph: ‘The industry is struggling to cometo terms with its immediate manpower problems, but rather than apply thesolutions of the past, should we not be looking a further 15 or 20 years ahead tothe education and role of the future ship’s officer and planning that educationand training now? We could well see the introduction of the integrated officerwho will be multi-skilled and have the training and competence to cover bothdeck and engineroom operations.’Although the integrated officer concept is not new, Mr Graves said ‘it is not inwidespread use and not [being used] to its full potential which will require theintroduction of aircraft style manning. This will simply come about because weneed to reduce the demand side of the supply equation, attract new recruitsand also retain them by offering increased benefits’.He further commented: ‘The industry cannot recruit or train enoughengineers today and there is a shortage of engineers worldwide. What makesus think we will be able to recruit or even retain engineers in the future?Therefore we have to look at other options and recognise that the ship’s officermust change from an operator/maintainer to a highly skilled professionaloperator requiring a different range of skill sets. But we need to do this now.’CRIMINALISATION CONDEMNEDIN a speech on the criminalisationof seafarers, Reverend Canon KenPeters of the Mission to Seafarersargued at the ACI conference thatthe public’s negative image ofshipping ‘provides a disincentive toa career at sea’.He cited high-profileenvironmental shipping incidentssuch the 1967 Torrey Canyon oiltanker spillage that killed mostmarine life between Britain’s southcoast and the shores of Normandy.Nothing was more damaging tothe public image of shipping thanpollution and no one in the industrymore reviled that the seafarersperceived to have ‘caused’ thepollution.Seafarers, he said, were‘scapegoats’, treated as ‘potentialterrorists rather than actualvictims’. They faced punitivemeasures and denial of shoreleave that violated human rights.This, Rev Peters said, ‘restrictsrecruitment’.He called for the protection ofinternational law, and urged theindustry to focus on ‘quality ratherthan quantity’ crewing.PICTURE: THE PICTURE PARTNERSHIP

28 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ DECEMBER 2007DECEMBER 2007 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ 29Compass pioneerspointed the waymaritime historyTREVOR BOULT traces the often difficultdevelopment of the ship’s compass...‘TWO VIRGINS Make Dull Company’ — apparently.To lusty young male deck cadets, intent on a careerat sea, this once-heard-never-forgotten ditty is justthe kind of reference required to give macho credibilityin the common room and invoke an air ofmystery to the uninitiated.Marine college lecturers, charged with the unenviabletask of imparting to students the heady subjectof ships’ magnetism, need all the teaching tricksthat can be mustered.As an introductory indicator of how to correctlyapply the combined directional magnetic effectsof both the earth and a steel ship, True-Variation-Magnetic-Deviation-Compass benefits from theassistance of the earlier aide memoir, the originsof which — like the discovery of magnetism itself— may be hotly contested.These initial signs that the understanding ofmagnetism looks like a fun topic are generally soondispelled by the slow revelations of complexitiesthat have challenged mankind over millennia.A monumental figure in the field of magnetismas it applies to ships is a celebrated Scottish scientistwhose brilliance in mathematics and physicsearned him the unique status of having served threeseparate terms as president of the Royal Society ofEdinburgh. Sir William Thomson, who died a centuryago, remains a familiar name on ships, in hislater rank as Lord Kelvin.Kelvin’s Spheres is the polite terminology forthe conspicuous paired orbs that necessarily endowcompass binnacles. Attributed with the perfectingof the mariners’ compass, his legacy quietly enduresin the instrument that Victor Hugo described as thesoul of a ship.The properties of particular rocks to attract ironwere known for many centuries prior to the mostbasic forms of compass being used by European seamen.The credit for the invention of the compasshas, over time, been given to most of the countrieswhere these rocks were found in antiquity.The Chinese were intrigued by these ‘lodestones’Lord Kelvin — ‘a monumental figure’ in magnetismwhich they referred to as loving stones — as theyliked to kiss. They found that by placing a fragmentof lodestone on a small piece of floated wood, italigned in a north-south direction. From such beginningsthey developed simple compasses which theyused to orientate structures, and even furniture, topositions designed to harmonise with nature.There are evidently good reasons to support claimsthat the Chinese were the first to use magnetic compassesto indicate direction. However, in ancient timesnews travelled slowly and it has also been acknowledgedthat such devices could have been developed inisolation, in different parts of the globe.Historians have contested the route that chartedthe spread of knowledge about magnetic compassesto the wider world. One popular theory was that,in the 4th century, Chinese ships voyaged to Indiaand the Persian Gulf. Venetians then ‘imported’ theconcept into Europe via Levant merchants. Anotheris that the compass is of Scandinavian origin andwas introduced into the Mediterranean in the 11thcentury by Norsemen.Whatever the truth, by some 800 years ago theuse of a magnetised needle to seek north at sea wasbecoming well known.The simple technique of floating a magnetisedneedle on water had been replaced by mounting iton a pivot. It was then free to swing in a horizontalplane. Eventually, the idea developed to incorporatea circular card which bore the regular divisions ofthe compass points. The whole was protected in awooden box so that a helmsman could be guided byit at all times.In the 14th century, a dry-card compass had beendeveloped, which laid the essential foundations forits perfecting on ships of iron some 500 years laterby Sir William Thomson. In the intervening periodmany personalities added to the store of knowledgeabout the earth’s magnetism. As a consequence,further sporadic development of the mariners’ compassalso spanned these centuries.Scientific curiosity as to why the magnetic needlepointed towards the north resulted in manytheories. Most surmised that a ‘force’ in the northwas solely responsible, but it fell to a medical doctor,William Gilbert, to determine the truth. Hisresearch consolidated the earlier theories of anElizabethan compass maker, Robert Norman, who,in 1576, discovered the declining of the magneticneedle from the horizontal, known to this day asdip. Gilbert was able to conclude that the earth itselfis a large magnet with two opposite forces and twomagnetic poles.The difference in direction between True Northand that shown by a magnetic compass is knownas variation. Historically, compass makers acrossEurope allowed for this variation in their localregions, in the way that needles were attached tothe cards. Considerable errors could arise when acompass was taken elsewhere. Many ill-informedand unskilled manufacturers often used iron nailsin the wooden compass box, soft wire needles andunsuitable pivots.In the mid-18th century a Fellow of the RoyalSociety, Dr Knight, publicised the shortcomingsin magnetic compasses. His investigations enableduseful modifications to be made. The Knight’sCompass became the standard for both the Navyand many merchant ships.Burgeoning trade boosted shipping, and voyagesof scientific exploration sharpened the critical facultiesof a new breed of navigator. The demand forgreater accuracy in instruments — the better to safelyexplore remote regions — spurred participants toobserve more closely anything that influenced movementof ships. Where previously sailing by points hadbeen the norm, now ‘degrees’ were required.An astronomer, William Wales, accompaniedCaptain Cook on his second voyage. His tabulatedobservations of a particular behaviour of the compassidentified the phenomenon influenced by the effectof iron on a ship. At the time he did not make thiscausal connection and it was not until the beginningof the 19th century that this effect of local attractionwas finally explained by Captain Flinders RN.During a surveying voyage in Australian waters,in which Flinders linked distinct differences in thedirection of the compass needle to the heading of theship, he rightly deduced that the iron in the ship wasnot only responsible but that its effect conformedto regular laws and was thus subject to being corrected.His compensating solution was the verticalcylinder of soft iron that carries his name and gracesbinnacles: the Flinders bar.The origins of magnetic compasses are subject to disputeIn 1820 the Arctic explorer Sir John Ross firstdubbed this particular effect of local attraction asdeviation. The term became universally adopted.Some nine years later, whilst on an expeditionto find a North West Passage, his accompanyingnephew, James Clark Ross, located the NorthMagnetic Pole.The gradual replacement of oak by iron in manyaspects of building ships was on the increase, andwith it the complexity of its effect on the compass.Investigations of resultant errors and the means ofcorrecting them were necessary if the compass wasto remain viable.The Astronomer Royal, Sir George Airy, usedtwo ships — one named Ironsides — to determinemagnetic forces, and used both permanent steelmagnets and soft iron to correct the composite oferrors. It was to the practical research by the mathematicianArchibald Smith that led to the formulastill in universal use today.In 1842 Captain Johnson RN was appointed bythe Admiralty as superintendent of the CompassDepartment. He ensured that every naval ship carriedout a compass ‘swing’ when ready for sea, andchampioned the need for systematic correction ofcompasses, attributing notable losses at sea to ‘thecareless disregard and ignorance with which thecompass was treated’. A magnetic observatory wasalso established at Woolwich.At a similar period, the Liverpool CompassCommittee was formed by scientists and prominentlocal shipowners to embrace the subject as itaffected the range of merchant ship types. Reportingto the Board of Trade, they made a compelling caseto ensure a thorough working knowledge of bothmagnetism and compass correction an obligationto all who sought to command or navigate a vesselof the British merchant fleet.Point-to-point: the compass is still a critically important itemonboard ships todayPICTURE: DANNY CORNELISSENmaritime historyMAGNETIC PERSONALITIES:LECTURER MARTIN KENNYMartin Kenny pictured with the ornamental binnacle on the Royal YachtBritannia — the former binnacle of the Victoria and Albert, and originallyfitted in the Royal George in 1817The committee also sanctioned a set of localtransit marks which, when aligned, gave the correctmagnetic heading. This aided the assessmentof compass errors, and by swinging the ship througha complete turn the deviation at every point couldbe ascertained.Despite such attentions to the external influencesthat affect the mariners’ compass, the efficiencyof compasses themselves had not latterlybeen subject to rigorous scrutiny. This was aboutto change: Sir William Thomson gave the subjecthis formidable attention. It culminated in the masterpiecefor which the maritime world is indebtedto him. The construction of modern compasses hasnot fundamentally changed since then. The lateruse of a liquid compass minimises the effects fromengine and other vibrations.Thomson had a life-long interest in the sea. In1870 he bought his own yacht and shouldered theproblems of that element. He quickly realised hisown error in regarding the subject of the mariners’compass as simple. Early studies convinced him ofthe need to criticise and remedy compasses thenin use. He designed a binnacle that would enableclose correction, and a suitable compass to go withit. After experiments on his yacht, and ashore, heeventually took out his first patent for what was tobecome the renowned Thomson dry-card compass.He set about realising its commercial worth. Over acentury later his dry-card compass could still occasionallybe found on operational vessels.MARTIN KENNY is a former senior lecturerin the Faculty of Nautical Studies at SouthTyneside College and taught compasswork to Masters candidates. He developeda distance learning package on compassadjusting on behalf of the college, whichalso provides short courses on the subject.His teaching brought him into contact withmany individuals who had telling opinionsand experiences concerning the currentrole of the magnetic compass.‘I have had discussions with mastersregarding the merits of retaining themagnetic compasses in this modern day.Some masters say they have no use for itand would like to see it removed from theirvessels; others are adamant that it mustremain as the last resource available tothem when all else fails. In this latterrespect I can retell an incident whichhappened to a colleague of mine asmaster of an anchor handler in the NorthSea. He was backing under a rig in shabbyweather at night, conning the vessel bymeans of a joystick with all the controls atthe touch of a little finger when a seasmashed a wheelhouse window. Thebridge was instantly blacked out and hewent from an all singing and dancingstate-of-the-art ship to a magneticcompass and a wind-up telephone inseconds — all that was left to control andmanoeuvre the ship. He was very gratefulfor his magnetic compass.‘Another student of mine recalled anevent proceeding downriver at night in fogwhen the gyro failed. This did not have ahappy ending because the transfer ofheading information by the helmsman tothe magnetic compass could not beeffected since the “means of illumination”of the magnetic compass did not work.The vessel struck the ground at the river’sedge before a torch could be brought tobear above the hooded binnacle, whichwas wrapped in three layers of plastic andcanvas.’Anecdotes from the classroomreassuringly demonstrate that learningthe subject continues to provide a richsource of embarrassment andamusement:‘I have seen students who wish to turnthe Flinders Bar upside down whencrossing the equator; a chief officerreported that on a semi-submersible rigthe tube of the Flinders bar was therepository for spare coffee cups; and thereare numerous tales of masters whoattempted to remove large deviationsfrom compasses, only to make them muchworse.’And Mr Kenny himself is not immune:‘Demonstrating a tentative swing to agroup of students, I was having a problemremoving a deviation. I was sure I wasapplying the magnet the correct wayaround but the deviation was gettinglarger instead of smaller. My studentswere losing confidence in me as acompass lecturer, which is quite easy to dowithout the wizard’s cape and hat whichthey often seem to think a compassadjusting requires. On testing it againstthe magnetic compass I found that themagnet was painted the wrong colours —the north end was painted blue and thesouth end red. How many years that onemagnet had remained in our box ofmagnets remains a mystery, but I wonderhow many compass lecturers beforemyself had to fall back on the wizard’scape and hat to explain the strange effectsof the increasing deviation.’Neither was home life a sanctuary:‘When my children were very young I tooktwo sintered magnets home for them toplay with. These magnets had come out ofa couple of scrapped microwave ovens andwere so powerful that once stuck togetherthe only way to get them apart by handwas to slide them one over the other. Myson was playing with them and havingmagnetised a sewing needle and seen itfloat on our garden pond and pointtowards north then attempted tomagnetise our terrier dog. The effect wasto get both magnets stuck on the side of itshead with the dog running round in circlesyelping. Having removed the magnetsfrom the dog my son wanted me to put thecreature in the pond, like a sewing needle,to see if it would also point north. He wasonly three at the time. My wife never foundout, else there would have been more thanKelvin’s “spheres” on the binnacle!’His design for both steering and bearing compassesis functionally elegant, featuring a tallwooden column to support the compass at a convenientheight. With a protective hood, bracketson the outside carry the compensating spheres andFlinders bar. Inside the column pre-drilled holeshold the transverse and longitudinal permanentmagnets. In the centre the heeling error magnethad its particular heyday in the era of sailing ships,which remained on the same tack for prolongedperiods whilst crossing the trade wind belts.Sir William Thomson also ambitiously set hissights on the Navy. For many years he dominatedthe agenda of the Compass Department and claimedthat his compass would remain steady during gunfireand when steaming at high speed. On first-classbattleships, compass needles had hitherto behavedlike things possessed, surrounded as they wereby turrets, huge guns and armour plating. Vestedinterests within the Admiralty, wishing to maintainoperational principles and support for their ownStandard Compass, sought to counter what theyperceived to be a threat from Thomson’s design andoperating concepts. On summer cruises in his yachthe made acquaintances of influential naval staff. Anundercurrent within the service gained momentumfor the adoption of Thomson’s compass.Eventually this compass did become the standardfor the Navy. However, adverse reports gave rise toquerying the claims of its ability to withstand vibrationand gunfire, in contrast to a new liquid compasswhich was on trial. This evidently delivered anexcellent performance under these extreme — yetroutine — circumstances. In an about-turn fromtheir earlier stance, the Board of Admiralty wasnow committed to Sir William Thomson. Memberspraised his compass and condemned the adoptionof the new Hydrographic Department LiquidCompass without further trial. Citing the fact thatthe majority of merchantmen used the Thomsoncompass was irrelevant, as their operational parameterswere completely different.In reality, the board’s decision was regarded asa retrograde step, but it was ascribed largely to theshortcomings of the Compass Department that theNavy missed out on the chance to introduce liquidcompasses with floated cards which were later tobe proven both cheaper and superior for their specialistpurposes. No blame can be attached to SirWilliam Thomson for going with the flow of eventswhere progress had, for so long, been held back byconservatism and prejudice.A later innovation, based on the submarine periscope,did away with the need for a separate steeringcompass. This is the telescopic reflector with itsthrough-deck repeater from the bearing compassabove the wheelhouse. It provides a view at the helmposition of the steering lubber line and adjacentsector of the compass card. Glass fibre binnaclesreplace the traditional wooden style. For combatnaval forces, the ongoing evolution of specialisedcraft calls for new compass designs. It was wartimeSome masters saythey have no use for itin this modern day...others are adamantthat it must stay asthe last resourceavailable to themwhen all else failsMartin KennyFormer senior lecturerSouth Tyneside Collegepressure that prompted development of an effectivetransmitting magnetic compass which is now commonplacethroughout today’s mercantile fleets.As often occurs, the magnetic compass was nearingits peak of perfection when it was sidelined byan instrument of entirely new principles and technology— the gyroscopic compass. The mariners’magnetic compass, developed over many centuries,still ranks still as a vital and intrinsically reliableinstrument aboard even the most modern andsophisticated ship.The use of compass correctors is complex andmust be carried out in a correct and orderly procedure,a specialist task performed by professionalcompass adjusters, utilising the spectacle and honouredtradition of the compass swing. The legacyof their skills resides in the magnetic ether whichenables each corrected compass to function accurately,and in the table of small residual errors thatis posted on the ship’s bridge.Buried with national honours in WestminsterAbbey on 23 December 1907, Lord Kelvin’s grave liesnext to that of Sir Isaac Newton. Every qualified andaspiring master mariner, adjuster, navigator andlecturer with a working knowledge of the mariners’compass has been a minor magnetic personalityinvited to toast the roll call of major players who havehistorically so enhanced directional safety at sea.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTThe author acknowledges the support given byMike Pennington and Martin Kenny.

30 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ DECEMBER 2007Veteran victorymaritime heritageIt was nothing but amiracle to find myselfon the upturnedlifeboatFrank Dale, MN VeteranA film featuring the wartimememories of Mariners’ Parkresidents has won an awardMERSEYSIDE schoolgirls havescooped first prize in a TV channelcompetition for their movingDVD film in which veteran residentsat the Nautilus UK welfarecomplex in Mariners’ Park,Wallasey, reminisce about theirworld war two experiences.The DVD — titled Our War— was conceived to mark the150th anniversary, this year, ofMariners’ Park, the residentialand care home complex run byNUMAST Welfare Funds.Thirteen year 9 girls fromWeatherhead High School,directed by school staff led byhead of history Nicky Boughey,were involved in making the film,for which the team won Historychannel’s award of a state-of-theartdigital camera and a fullyfundedhistorical trip.Their film — which is cred-THE DYNAMIC POSITIONING CENTRETraining & Consultancy••Induction, advanced and familiarisation coursesAll instructors/consultants have at least 5 yearsDP operational experience••••••Courses use Kongsberg and Converteam(formerly Alstom) DP hardware & softwareTraining facilities conveniently located in London,Singapore, Philippines and Brazil (Macae)Onboard training and provision of expertisefor DP operationsDP trials and provision of expertise forDP operationsDP trials and vessel auditsSurveys and consultancyThe Dynamic Positioning Centre is a leadingprovider of Training and Consultancy in the fieldof Dynamic Positioning.For further information about forthcomingDP training courses, please visitwww.thedpcentre.comwww.thedpcentre.comt +44 (0) 20 7407 3131e courses@thedpcentre.comThese pictures showschoolgirls from WeatherheadHigh School at Mariners’Park’s 150th anniversarycelebrations earlier this year.It was in the build-up tothis event that a team ofWeatherhead girls and staffinterviewed Mariners’ Parkresidents for their prizewinningDVD film.ited as a Weatherhead/NautilusUK production — features sixinterviews with residents. Theyinclude Frank Dale, who joinedthe Merchant Navy in 1914. Aliner he worked on transportingWW2 soldiers was bombed comingback from the Atlantic. Herecalls: ‘The lifeboats were full ofpeople. The captain said “Frank,it’s time you got off...Jump overthe side into the ocean and oneof the lifeboats will pick you up.”I said, ‘it’s no good me doing that’.He said ‘Why?’ I said, “I can’tswim”.’Frank lowered himself intothe water on a rope and somebodypulled him into the lifeboat:‘So I thought, “Thank goodnessI’ve survived.” Next thing I knewit was pitch black and I could feelthe waters wrapping over me so Ithought I must be at the bottom ofthe ocean…Next thing I know, it’sdaylight again and I’m standingon the upturned lifeboat straddledacross and everybody elseis in the water shouting for help.How I could get here is somethingI could never believe in tillthis day. The thing I could neverbelieve in was miracles, but fromthat day I do because it was nothingbut a miracle to find myself onthe upturned lifeboat.’Billy Biddulph, who gained hismaster’s certificate after the war,talks in the film about his father’sexperiences in WW2: ‘He wastorpedoed in the bay of Biscay. Myfather was the quartermaster, hewas on the bridge. He was told bythe captain, “You stay here” andmy dad stayed on the wheel as hewas told. Eventually he looked tothe ship’s side and everybody hadleft. So he looks over the side andthey’re shouting to him, “Come on.Jump”.’ Billy’s father was another,however, who couldn’t swim,but he jumped, was pulled into aboat and they landed in Portugalwhere they were treated badly,left in the gear they were wearing,not able to bath or shower. Billy,a Merseysider, says: ‘I rememberhim coming home. We lived inKnotty Ash and he came homeand had nothing, a pair of seabootsocks and a woollen hat; hestill had the same gear on.’Another interviewee, FrankWalker was serving on theAutomedon, a ship that was capturedin 1940 by the German navy.He was transported to a Germanconcentration camp where heremained until he was 21.Perhaps the most touchinginterview is with ImeldaJamieson. During the war sheserved in the Wrens — theWomen’s Royal Naval Service— which undertook such jobs ascooks, clerks, wireless telegraphistsand electricians.The film shows a note fromLeading Wren T. Bird thankingImelda for her ‘cooperationand devotion to duty during therecent strenuous times, whichhas largely contributed to anysuccess with which the Port ofSouthampton may be credited inthe final defeat of Germany’.Imelda recollects: ‘A weekafter the first invasion, a shippulled in — a hospital ship —and they were coming down thegangplank, all these young men.They looked old, battle-weary…And then stretchers were comingdown. It had a terrific effecton me because up till then, apartfrom the bomb raids, the sirensand doodlebugs, you got used toit, just suddenly to be faced withthat, it made you realise whatit was that had been going on.These young men, I couldn’t getover it, they looked aged in thatshort time. I suppose you see itnow when they come back fromplaces like Baghdad. After thatI felt a bit different about it, itwasn’t just fun and excitementand [you] fancied yourself ina uniform…you realised it wasreally sad, somebody’s sons andhusbands.’

DECEMBER 2007 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ 31Have you voted yet?nautilus at workThe big ballot has begun: Nautilus UK members arenow voting on the proposals to create a new unionwith Nautilus NL. Make sure you have your say...The New Union✓oteUse your vote in the New UnionNautilus ballot which runs from1 November 2007 to 31 January 2008VOTING began last month to find out ifmembers are in favour of Nautilus UKjoining with our Dutch partner NautilusNL to become one new maritime union.Nautilus NL is also balloting its members.All Nautilus UK members should havereceived from the independent scrutineer(Electoral Reform Ballot Services Ltd— ERBS) a ballot pack posted to theirhome, which includes the ballot paperwith details on how members can vote bypost, telephone, internet or text.The Union has arranged these flexiblevoting facilities because it is determinedthat every member should have the chanceto participate, even if they are away fromhome during the entire three months ofthe ballot, ending on 31 January 2008.The ballot pack also contains literaturethat explains why the Union’s leadershipand Council are strongly recommendingNAUTILUS NL has joined forces with thecountry’s shipowners to launch a bold newinitiative that aims to reverse a decline inDutch maritime training.Former transport minister TinekeNetelenbos joined the union and the owners’organisation KVNR to formally unveil thespecial task force at Europort in Rotterdamlast month.Taskforce Arbeidsmarkt Zeevarenden(‘labour market taskforce for seafarers’)aims to build on proposals for revitalisingthe Dutch tonnage tax scheme withassociated measures to increase trainingand employment of the country’s seafarers.Nautilus NL president Marcel van denBroek said there is concern about the wayin which the number of Dutch seafarers hasdeclined in recent years.‘The Netherlands had Europe’s firsttonnage tax scheme and it was verysuccessful for some years in promoting fleetgrowth,’ he told the Telegraph. ‘However, ourneighbours copied the system, and improved it in manycases and we have seen a reduction in the number of shipsin the past few years.’Whilst Dutch fleet growth has stalled since 2003 and nowtotals 740 ships, the UK fleet has grown by 67% in tonnageterms since 2003, Germany by 84% and Belgium by astaggering 600%.To combat this, Nautilus NL and KVNR have both setout their vision for the period to 2016 — and agreed thetask force, presided over by Ms Netelenbos — to examinemaritime employment issues such as the availability ofskilled seafarers and measures to promote increasedrecruitment.‘We are all working very hard to get a number of policypapers ready to be presented to the government in Marchnext year, said Mr van den Broek. ‘The idea is that if we allwork together — employees, employers, nautical institutionsand government — we can find ways to compete in a goodway with other European nations.’Dutch owners presently have some 180 ships on orderthat members vote ‘yes’ to forming thesingle new union, Nautilus, arguing that itwill better enable us to represent membersin the heavily globalised 21st century shippingindustry.In addition, this is felt to be the best wayof maintaining the Union as an independentfinancially secure specialist maritimeorganisation.Extensive feedback from the exhaustivemembership consultation exercises ofrecent months suggests that the formationof the new union is widely supported, andit hoped that there will be a high participationin the ballot.The ballot paper — see samples, right— contains details on how members canregister their vote, and also a two-partsecurity code provided by ERBS that isunique for each member.Any member that wishes to vote by telephone,text or internet will need to citeboth parts of the security code.If you are a member and cannot gethome during the ballot, you should asksomeone trustworthy back home to forwardthe ballot pack to you, or inform youof your security code details. Remember,without both parts of the code, you will notbe able to vote by phone, text or online.If Nautilus UK and Nautilus NL membersgive the go-ahead, Nautilus willlaunch in May 2009 as a single unionfor maritime professionals in Britain theUK and the Netherlands. It will have aunified organisational and democraticculture with one general secretary, and abi-national council and general meetings.There will be a UK-based head officeand an office in Rotterdam and the twonational branches will have autonomyover specifically domestic issues.DUTCH TASKFORCE FOR TRAININGNautilus NL president Marcel van den Broek with former transport minister Tineke Netelenbos andDutch shipowners’ leader Aart Kortelandand KVNR says it believes improvements in the fiscalsystem could see the Dutch flag hit the 1,200-ship markwithin a decade.Nautilus NL hopes increases in the size of the Dutch fleetcan be matched by an increase in the number of Dutchseafarers. The union says it is setting a realistic target of a25% growth over the period to 2016.‘We are asking for a level playing field,’ said Mr vanden Broek, ‘and we need to look at the chain by whichyoung people go from making a decision on their career tobecoming the senior personnel onboard.‘We don’t just want to get more people into the industry,but also to get more people to stay within it once they aretrained,’ he pointed out.One idea for increasing recruitment is to offer youngpeople ‘taster’ voyages to get an insight into life at sea.Mr van den Broek said Nautilus NL is optimistic about theinitiative. ‘It was a major breakthrough to get agreementwith the shipowners on working together and the Dutchgovernment now needs to facilitate certain things so that wecan really move ahead,’ he added.Samples of the ballot papers being sent to members’ homes. If you are away at sea during thevoting period, which runs until 31 January, you can still manage to have your say by telephone,text or through the internetPICTURES: ELECTORAL REFORM SERVICES

32 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ DECEMBER 20072 jarige CAO 2007 en2008 voor BroereShippingIN september 2007 is de CAO metBroere Shipping na een ledenvergaderingbij Nautilus NL goedgekeurd. De CAOwerd vertraagd omdat dooronderhandelingspartijen gezocht is naarde mogelijkheid om eenloyaliteitsbonussysteem in te voeren. Eennetherlands newsDUTCH trade unions are in no doubt about it: whenit comes to policy for working conditions it is allabout creating opportunities and work. Nautilus NL— one of the sixteen independent unions withinumbrella body FNV — cannot agree more with theFNV strategy to get more people employed in securejobs and provide workers with career opportunities,proper payment and favourable working conditions.FNV’s main initiatives are to get the labour marketadjusted to the impact of workforce ageing,globalisation and technological developments, anduse the opportunities to the full — getting more peopleinto work and creating working opportunitiesfor ‘vulnerable groups’ in order to help them participatein the labour market. It certainly is a majortask to be carried out for the benefit of some 1.2 millionunion members (for whom about 1,300 collectivelabour collective agreements have to beconcluded when the occasion arises), but it can bedone.SINDS 1 januari is er één bond voor allewerknemers aan boord van baggerschepen:FNV Waterbouw. Voorheenkwamen twee FNV-bonden, FNVBouw en Nautilus NL, elkaar aan boordtegen omdat de één de baggeraarsorganiseerde en de ander het nautischpersoneel. Een ongewenste situatie,vonden zowel werknemers als bonden.Een mooie oplossing bleek de oprichtingvan FNV Waterbouw. De nieuwebond trekt nieuwe leden aan. De redactiezocht er een paar op.‘Ik was geen lid van de bond omdatik niet wist bij welke organisatie ik noueigenlijk moest zijn’, zegt eerste stuurmanAlexander van Dissel (28) uitAlphen aan den Rijn. ‘Als je puur naarmijn beroep kijkt, lag Nautilus voor dehand maar omdat ik in de bagger werk,kregen we het cao-boekje van FNVBouw. Met de oprichting van FNVWaterbouw is die twijfel weg. Daaromheb ik me aangemeld als lid.’Van Dissel heeft het varen in zijnbloed. Zijn opa en twee ooms kozeneerder al het ruime sop en zijn vader isbinnenschipper. ‘Jongen, ga jij maarnaar zee’, zei die dan ook tegen zijn zoontoen die een besluit moest nemen overzijn beroepskeuze. Het werd een baggeropleidingmet een aanvulling totstuurman.systeem waarbij werknemers extrabeloond worden als zij de rederij trouwblijven. Internationale boekhoudregelsgooiden echter roet in het eten.Toen dat na de zomer duidelijk werd zijnde onderhandelingen hervat en dat leiddetot het navolgende resultaat:✪ een looptijd van 2 jaar metgageverhogingen van 2,75% en 3%telkens op 1 januari.✪ Op 1 januari 2008 en op 1 januari2009 een extra anciënniteitverhogingvoor de HWTK die aan het maximumVerantwoordelijkheidVan Dissel is inmiddels zes jaar indienst van baggerbedrijf Van Oord enwerkt aan boord van een sleephopperzuiger.Hij is voor zes weken thuis namet de HAM309 voor reparatiewerkzaamhedenin Gibraltar te zijngeweest. Na zijn verlof vliegt hij naarBrazilië waar de sleephopperzuigertegen die tijd aan het werk is. Als eerstestuurman heeft Van Dissel dedagelijkse leiding aan boord. Alleen dekapitein kan de beslissingen die hijneemt overrulen. Die verantwoordelijkheidbrengt met zich meedat hij van alle werkzaamheden op dehoogte moet zijn. Daarom neemt hijzelf ook deel aan baggerwerkzaamheden.Krappe bezettingOp de HAM309 werken 25 mensen,van wie de helft Filippijnen. ‘Dat is eenkrappe bezetting’, zegt Van Dissel. ‘Eenaantal jaren geleden was er een dip inde bagger en toen zijn er mensenontslagen. Nu er weer volop werk is, iser geen personeel te krijgen en moetenwe de zaak met steeds minder mensenrunnen. Die ontwikkeling verdientserieuze aandacht bij de komende caoonderhandelingen.’Brief aan de bondOok zijn collega Peter Wagenaar (29)uit Harmelen is gespitst op de nieuwecao. Hij zegt: ‘Onze verwachtingen zijnhooggespannen. We hebben het aanboord vaak over de cao en we hebben ereen brief over geschreven aan de bond.Ik weet dat collega’s van andereschepen dat ook hebben gedaan.’Wagenaar werkt als machinist bij vanOord, een bedrijf waar het heel goedmee gaat. ‘We krijgen steeds te horendat er weer méér winst is gemaakt. Envan de schaal zit.✪ Verhoging van de mentorpremie naarM100 bruto per maand.✪ Een werkgeversbijdrage voor dezorgverzekering van M100 bruto permaand.✪ Fiscale verrekening van devakbondscontributie via de werkgever.Ook aan de belangrijke wens van deleden om wat te doen aan de extrawerkdruk die veroorzaakt wordt door hetverloop van met name jonge officieren.Kostbare tijd gaat verloren aan hetWorkers in dredging and inland navigation havealready experienced the advantages of being membersof a union with a ‘maritime touch’. ‘I did not knowwhich union to join’, said navigating officer Alexandervan Dissel onboard Van Oord dredging vesselHAM309. ‘Nautilus NL was the obvious choice fromthe professional point of view, but since I work in thedredging sector my colleagues and I have been givena FNV Bouw collective labour agreement booklet.Now FNV Waterbouw has been established (in whichFNV Bouw and Nautilus NL cooperate) the choicehas become easy to make. I’ve joined this union.’He added that negotiations on the new collectivelabour agreement should focus on the shortage ofworkers. Van Dissel observed that the job on dredgershad to be done with fewer and fewer people. This is aresult of the decline in the dredging market in thepast, when people had to be made redundant, and thecurrent booming period in which it is hard to attractnew recruits.dat die resultaten ook te danken zijnaan de inzet van het personeel. Maaronze arbeidsvoorwaarden zijn er delaatste jaren alleen maar op achteruitgegaan. Daar moet nu iets aangebeuren.’Wagenaar komt, in tegenstelling totVan Dissel, helemaal niet uit eenvarende familie. Maar van jongs af aanwilde hij graag naar zee. ‘Ik voel medaar op de een of andere manier meeverbonden’, zegt hij. Na de zeevaartschool,voer hij eerst een paar jaarbij de koopvaardij en stapte daarna overnaar de bagger. In zijn koopvaardijperiodewas hij lid van Nautilus NL, dattoen nog de Federatie van Werknemersin de Zeevaart heette. ‘Toen ik in debagger terechtkwam, merkte ik dattwee bonden in elkaars vaarwaterzaten. Dat beviel me niet. Ik ben pasweer lid geworden toen FNVWaterbouw ontstond.’Heel positiefJacob Nederlof (52) uit Papendrechtwerkte meer dan zes jaar bij Jan de Nulin België. Hij is blij nu weer voor eenNederland bedrijf te werken, Boskalis.opleiden van nieuw personeel als die devolgende term niet terugkeren. De rederijzet nu in op de aanname van extra jongeofficieren, terwijl tegelijkertijd met jongeofficieren uit de Chempool van hetmoederbedrijf Essberger wordt getrachttot een meer gestructureerde oplossing tekomen zolang de krapte op deNederlandse markt voorduurt. Verder ishet verloftegoed geëvalueerd en hetbleek dat met name in de rang HWTK’shet verloftegoed soms erg hoog is. Extraaanstellingen in deze rang moeten hetSeafarer shortage must stopDutch unions work together on creating career opportunities at seaEr zit vaart in FNVWaterbouwNautilus NL and the Royal Association ofNetherlands Shipowners KVNR have already noticedthe decline in new recruits for the maritime industry.They have proved that employers and employeesorganisations can work together to launch a schemeto get more younger people attracted to nauticaltraining colleges and to a career at sea. At the tradefair Europort Maritime, Nautilus NL and KVNRannounced the establishment the Taskforce labourmarket for seafarers, in order to secure the future ofthe Netherlands as a strong maritime nation. Theprinciples of the Taskforce were set out at EuroportMaritime by Nautilus NL chairman Marcel van denBroek, KNVR chairman Aart Korteland and formertransport minister Tineke Netelenbos, who will chairthe Taskforce. They are determined to reach theTaskforce’s goal. Mr Van den Broek stressed: ‘If nothingchanges to convert the decline in growth of thefleet and of new recruits, Dutch seafarers will fadeaway.’Tekst Peter van der AaFOTO: BERT JANSSENEen collega daar heeft hem overgehaaldom weer lid te worden van debond. ‘Inderdaad: weer’, zegt hij. ‘Ik benal eerder lid geweest maar ik was niettevreden over wat de bond voor onswist te regelen. Mijn collega wees eropdat er weer cao-onderhandelingen aankomen en dat het belangrijk is dan eenzo sterk mogelijke organisatie tehebben. Op mijn beurt heb ik ookgeprobeerd anderen lid te maken maarhet is moeilijk hoor. Er is veelwantrouwen.’ Nederlof zegt het eengroot nadeel te vinden dat er twee bondenactief zijn op de baggerschepenwant die werken maar langs elkaarheen. Hij is dan ook verrast te vernemendat dat niet langer het geval is.‘Wat zegt u? Bestaat er nu één nieuweorganisatie? Dat wist ik niet maar het isgoed nieuws.’De gegevens van Peter Wagenaar indit verhaal zijn fictief. De werknemer inkwestie wilde niet met zijn eigen naamin het blad.✪ Zie voor meer informatie overFNV Waterbouw de website: www.fnvwaterbouw.nlmogelijk maken om het verloftegoed terug tedringen. Ook is er een extra reservering metde geldwaarde van 0,5 verlofdag, zijnde1/3e deel door de werknemers en 2/3e deeldoor de werkgever, voor de pot zorgverlof op1 januari 2008. Uiteindelijk toonden deleden zich tevreden met dit door Nautilus NLbehaalde resultaat. Wel hebben wij deopdracht gekregen de volgende CAO tijdig tebeginnen zodat een resultaat bij het beginvan de CAO meteen kan wordendoorgevoerd. Die boodschap hebben wijinmiddels aan de werkgever overgebracht.ARBEIDSVOOR-WAARDENBELEID2008-2010KANSENSCHEPPEN,KANSEN PAKKENONDER de titel ‘Kansen scheppen, kansenpakken’ presenteert de vakcentrale FNVhaar arbeidsvoorwaardenota 2008 -2010. Voor de meeste werknemers zijn dekansen en het perspectief op dearbeidsmarkt toegenomen door de sterkaangetrokken economie. De FNV gaat deuitdaging aan om voor zo veel mogelijkmensen die kansen ook daadwerkelijk terealiseren.Kansen scheppen en werk maken, daargaat het in het arbeidsvoorwaardenbeleidom. Meer mensen die deelnemen op dearbeidsmarkt, het dichterbij brengen vanmeer ontplooiingsmogelijkheden en hetbieden van zekerheden aan werknemers.Om dit te kunnen bereiken gaat de FNV dekomende jaren uit van drie belangrijkestrategische uitgangspunten. Het gaatom:✪het versterken van hetaanpassingsvermogen van en op dearbeidsmarkt, waardoor de gevolgen vande vergrijzing, globalisering entechnologische ontwikkelingen wordenopgevangen en de mogelijkheden ervanmaximaal worden benut.✪Het vergroten van de arbeidsparticipatieversterkt de economie.✪Het scheppen van kansen voorkwetsbare groepen is nodig om niemandaan de kant te laten staan.De FNV komt met een veelkleurig palletaan ideeën en voorstellen om debovenstaande noties via CAO-afsprakeninhoud te geven. Een aanpak overmeerdere jaren is daarbij onontbeerlijkom echt resultaten te boeken.Voor de FNV-bonden vormen deafspraken over het beloningsbeleid, delooninzet en de onderhandelingsruimte deruggengraat van de gezamenlijkecoördinatie van hetarbeidsvoorwaardenbeleid. Gelijk loonvoor gelijk werk is hierbij een speerpunt.Alle seinen staan op groen. De economiegroeit en de werkloosheid neemt in raptempo af. De FNV vindt het daaromverantwoord dat wordt ingezet op eenduidelijke inkomensverbetering voor dewerknemers. De beoogdeinkomensverbetering kan op diversemanieren worden ingevuld. Naast eenstructurele loonsverhoging kan wordengedacht aan resultaatafhankelijkebeloningen, eenmalige uitkeringen enwerkgeversbijdragen aan de verminderingvan de pensioenpremies voorwerknemers. Ten slotte laat de FNV ruimtevoor extra, structurele loonstijging zoalsvaste eindejaarsuitkering, als het gaat omsectoren met een grote loonachterstandof om bijzondere arbeidsmarktsituatiesdie een sterkere loonstijgingonvermijdelijk maken. De maximalelooneis voor 2008 is vastgesteld op 3,5procent. De totale onderhandelingsruimtebedraagt 4 procent.

DECEMBER 2007 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪33Visitors’ viewpointnautilus at workNAUTILUS NL MANIFESTEERTZICH OP EUROPORT MARITIMEDAT dé vakbond voor maritiemeprofessionals zich goed kanmanifesteren op een vakbeursvoor maritieme professionals iswel gebleken op de beginnovember gehouden beursEuroport Maritime in AhoyRotterdam. Daar was Nautilus NLduidelijk zichtbaar in de eigenstand die weliswaar watafgelegen lag, maar strategischgoed gelegen dichtbij de ingangaan parkeerplaatszijde en dusgoed in de loop van de duizendenbezoekers die via die ingang debeursvloer opkwamen. NautilusNL was in de persoon vanvoorzitter Marcel van den Broekook duidelijk aanwezig bij depresentatie van de zogenoemdeTaskforce ArbeidsmarktZeevarenden (TAZ). De vakbonden de Koninklijke Vereniging vanNederlandse Reders (KVNR)kozen Europort Maritime alsplaats om de Taskforce officieelhet levenslicht te laten zien.Dat gebeurde in het officiëlegedeelte van de AlgemeneVergadering van de KVNR, waarinKVNR-voorzitter Aart Kortelandzijn waardering voor de NautilusNL notitie Nu Alle Zeilen uitsprakdie een maand na de KVNRtoekomstvisie uitkwam. Beidepartijen hebben zich kunnenvinden in het doel de toekomstvan Nederland als krachtigemaritieme natie veilig te stellen.Dat moet gebeuren door deTaskforce onder voorzitterschapvan oud-transportminister TinekeNetelenbos. Daarin zittenKorteland en Van den Broeknamens de sociale partners en verderbestuursvoorzitter Erik Hietbrink van hetScheepvaart en Transport College, KVNRbestuurslidErwin Meijnders, tevens directeurpersoneel van Spliethoff, en stafmedewerkerKVNR Martin Dorsman die als TAZ secretaris isaangesteld.Netelenbos presenteerde samen met KVNRvoorzitterKorteland en Nautilus NL voorzitterVan den Broek het actieprogramma van de TAZ.Deze moet de spreekbuis zijn van werknemersen werkgevers in de zeevaart richting overheid,de media en de samenleving in het algemeen.De TAZ moet ook bestaande en nieuwe actiescoördineren en versterken. Daarvoor is eenconceptprogramma opgezet, dat in het voorjaarvan 2008 moet hebben geresulteerd in eenintegraal pakket aan uitgewerkte maatregelen.‘Ik wil benadrukken dat de ambities van KVNRen Nautilus NL hoog zijn’, aldus Netelenbos bijde presentatie van de TAZ. ‘Het belang is groot.Niet alleen voor de zeevaartsector zelf, maarook voor het gehele maritieme cluster. Uitcijfers blijkt namelijk dat zeevarenden die aande wal gaan werken, dat allemaal gaan doen inde maritieme cluster.’Dat is misschien een al te rooskleurig beeld,maar vast staat dat het TAZ plan van aanpak opdrie pijlers berust. Pijler één gaat ondermeerover het ondersteunen van promotioneleactiviteiten om jongeren naar zeevaartscholenen naar de Nederlandse vloot te trekken en overreders die meevaarmogelijkheden bieden,pijler twee richt zich op het versterken van dearbeidsrechtelijke positie van zeevarenden enop hun loonkostenpositie en pijler drie optoegesneden onderwijs aan (toekomstige)zeevarenden en het beperken van uitval tijdensde studietijd.Studenten bezoekDe Nautilus NL vertegenwoordigers konden datallemaal al melden aan de honderdenbezoekers aan hun stand, onder wie studentenvan Nederlandse zeevaartopleidingen. Zij enanderen waren vooral benieuwd naar hetgeenNautilus NL doet en wat de bond voor hen kanbetekenen. Binnenvaartschippers weten dat alsinds Nautilus de belangenbehartiging voorhen doet. De schippers die de Nautilus NLstand bezochten — en dat deden velenvooral op de speciale binnenvaartdag vanEuroport Maritime — zeiden de Nautilus NLbestuurders in de stand dat ze blij waren nulid te zijn van deze krachtdadige vakbond.Ook de activiteiten binnen FNV Waterbouwzijn niet onopgemerkt gebleven bij de‘Uitvoerend, Technisch en Administratieve’groep van de waterbouw sector, ofwel de UTA.Mensen uit die sector meldden in de standdat ze geïnteresseerd zijn in het lidmaatschap,met name van FNV Waterbouw. Devertegenwoordigers van FNV Waterbouwen van Nautilus NL kijken met een goedgevoel terug op de aanwezigheid op EuroportMaritime 2007 en op de prettigesamenwerking en de zeer gewaardeerde hulpvan de leden van de Raad van Advies van beidebonden.Albert Klerks and Johan Kooij (fourth and fifth from left) with Dutch colleagues at the Nautilus UK BGMNAUTILUS NL MEMBERS AlbertKlerks and Johan Kooij wereamong the Dutch visitors invitedto attend Nautilus UK’s BiennialGeneral Meeting this year. Theyspoke to Telegraph reporterSarah Robinson about the unionmovement, their views on Anglo-Dutch cooperation and theirexperience of the BGM.Albert and Johan are bothmembers of Nautilus NL’s advisorycouncil, but they have quitedifferent backgrounds within theshipping industry. Albert hasrecently retired as a head ofcatering for P&O Nedlloyd after40 years at sea, while Johan is amaster with heavy-lift operatorJumbo Shipping.‘I did try to retire four yearsago,’ he revealed, ‘but there was ashortage of masters, so I stayedon, and now I’m on a “semiretired”contract of four monthson, four months off. It’s OK,because I like the work.’The two men are long-standingNautilus NL members, andbelieve strongly in the unionmovement’s ideal of strength innumbers. ‘It’s important to worktogether to have more influence,’said Albert, who was a union volunteeronboard his ship beforejoining the Nautilus NL council.‘If you want to change something,’added Johan, ‘you can do itat company level, but for the biggerpicture you need the union —like for influencing internationalregulations at the IMO.’Johan’s own involvementwith his union stemmed from acertification issue, he explained.In the 1960s and 1970s, he feltthat there were unjust limitationsplaced on the certificationfor officers on smaller ships, andhe pressed the union to getthings changed. It took a while,but eventually the law wasupdated, and Johan said he washappy with the outcome. ‘It wasworth stirring things up,’ hesmiled.In recent years, Johan andAlbert have both gained firsthandexperience of the closerworking between the Dutch andPICTURE: GEMINI PHOTOGRAPHYthe British maritime unions. ‘Weare stronger when we worktogether,’ said Johan, ‘althoughthere are some difficulties ofcourse.’ It’s not always easy tocompare salaries, for example,because the Netherlands and UKtax regimes are different.And while personal relationsbetween Dutch and British seafarersare pretty cordial thesedays, there has been a fair bit ofribbing over the years. ‘Peopleused to call us pirates,’ said Albertwryly. Apparently this wasbecause of a long-held grudgeover a 17th century attack onChatham by Dutch naval heroAdmiral de Ruyter.These days, though, that’s allbehind us, and Albert and Johansaid they had very much enjoyedattending the Nautilus UK BGMwith their British colleagues. Notsurprisingly, they were particularlyinterested in the debate onthe future of Nautilus, but pensionsissues had also grabbedtheir attention. ‘And I waspleased to see Alfons de Guinierhere representing the shipowners,’said Johan. ‘I didn’t agreewith everything he said, but itwas good that he came.’In fact, Johan strongly tookissue with de Guinier’s argumentagainst protection for wageswithin the EU. ‘The idea that anyoneworking on a ship tradingbetween two EU countriesshouldn’t get a European level ofpay is outrageous,’ he said. ‘It’s likesaying it would be OK to build afactory on Dutch soil and employ— for example — Indian workersthere, on salaries below the Dutchminimum wage. Nobody wouldagree to that, and it should be thesame for ships.’This type of situation showsclearly why Nautilus UK andNautilus NL should be workingtogether, concluded Albert andJohan. Both unions are inEurope, and shipping is an internationalindustry. ‘Our messageto Telegraph readers,’ they said,‘is that we are two small unions,and we need to be bigger to givemore effective service to membersand to gain more influenceinternationally.’MARITIME STUDIESCURRICULUM LEADER(Ref:Ed/285/07)Permanent, Full timeOrkney College, a partner in the UHI Millennium Institute wishesto appoint a suitably experienced Curriculum Leader in MaritimeStudies, to develop the current programme of courses within theMaritime Studies Department at Orkney CollegeSalary will be in the range £33,573 – £34,983 per annumincluding distant islands allowance.Closing date for applications is 5pm on Wednesday 19 December2007.An application pack for this post can be obtained from TeresaIrvine, Orkney College, East Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1LX.Tel: (01856) 569256 Fax: (01856) 569004E-mail: teresa.irvine@uhi.ac.ukor from: http://www.orkney.uhi.ac.uk/staff/jobs/

34 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ DECEMBER 200750 YEARS AGOAMONG the many resolutionsadopted or remitted to theCouncil was one calling for airconditioning of accommodationto be made compulsory for alltankers trading to the PersianGulf. A sub-committee ofCouncil was established toconsider this in greater detail,and a report has now beencompleted, together with anapplication for a meeting withthe owners. The report examinesthe various issues arising fromthe fitting of air conditioningonboard ships, including costs,space, generating capacity andfitting to existing tonnage. Thereport points out that airconditioning will increase theefficiency and the alertness ofofficers and ratings and will bean asset to fleet operations —MN Journal, December 195725 YEARS AGOSHIPPING minister Iain Sproathas decided to withdrawDepartment of Traderepresentatives from theMerchant Navy Welfare Board.His shock decision wasannounced in a letter to theMNWB reaffirming thegovernment’s refusal to give theboard financial assistance tocarry out its obligations. In theletter, Mr Sproat says it remainshis firm view that MN welfareshould be financed from withinthe industry rather than generaltaxation. He said the withdrawalwas appropriate because of thelack of direct governmentinvolvement in maritime welfare.The minister’s decision comes ata time when the MNWB is facingthe prospect of further cutbacksin the scale of its operations. —The Telegraph, December 198210 YEARS AGONUMAST has urged shipownersand managers to establish atraining levy scheme to tacklethe growing global shortage ofskilled and experiencedseafarers. Speaking at a toplevelconference in Glasgow lastmonth, general secretary BrianOrrell told leading owners andmanagers that without radicalaction the worldwide maritimeskills shortage is certain to growat faster than predicted rates.Increased demand for shippingservices, combined with strictnew safety requirements, willincrease the deficit of trainedofficers, he told the Lloyd’s ShipManager conference. Mr Orrellsaid owners should enddestructive poaching practicesand establish a levy scheme toshare the costs of training —The Telegraph, December 1997ships of the pastChequered career ofa sturdy trampshipTelegraph prize crosswordThis month’s Telegraph cryptic crossword is a prize crossword!The winner of this month’s cryptic crosswordcompetition will win a copy of the book In Command byCaptain Mike Lloyd (reviewed on the facing page).To enter, simply complete the form below and send it,along with your completed crossword, to: Nautilus UKTelegraph Crossword Competition, Oceanair House,750–760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BB,or fax 020 8530 1015.Closing date is Friday 7 December 2007.You can also enter by email, by sending your list ofanswers and your contact details totelegraph@nautilusuk.org by the same closing date.Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Address: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Telephone: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Membership No.: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .✪ by BOB WILSONThe Quiz1. Roughly what proportion ofthe world’s containers aremade in China?2. Miami is the world’sleading cruise port — howmany passengers did ithandle last year?3. In which year, following thefailure of the Royal Mailgroup of companies, didthe British governmentforce a merger betweenCunard and the WhiteStar Line?4. How many years did it takeTHERE is not really a great deal tosay about the Framlington Court— she was typical of thehundreds of tramp steamers thatwere built in the early years of the20th century.They all looked pretty muchthe same with their straight bows,counter sterns and tall, thinfunnels. They had no pretensionsto beauty, but their success lay notonly in their physical strength, butthe fact that they could pound outa steady six or seven knots, dayin, day out, year in, year outalmost regardless of the weatherconditions.Though small in tonnagecompared with today’s ships,these tramps were usually morethan twice the size of a large fourmastedbarque. It mattered notthat a sailing ship couldsometimes achieve 16 or 17knots in favourable winds whenthe voyage average was broughtdown to less than six knotsbecause of the frequent calms andadverse winds encountered onlong voyages.Framlington Court served theCourt Line for 20 years, butGeneral detailsYear built: 1924Original name: FRAMLINGTON COURTBuilt by: Napier & Miller, GlasgowOwners: Haldin & Philipps, London. (Court Line)Type: Cargo steamerTonnage: 4,888 grossDimensions: Length 396ft 8in; Breadth 53ft 4in; Depth 26ft 8into construct the SuezCanal?5. Associated British Ports isthe UK’s largest portsgroup — how many portsand harbours does itoperate?6. In 1888 the Cunard linerEturia captured thewestbound transatlanticspeed record. What wasthe ship’s average speedfor the passage?✪Quiz and quick crosswordanswers are on page 42.towards the end of the secondworld war she was sold to theStanhope Shipping Company andrenamed Stancourt.In 1952, she was sold again toLansdowne & Co., Hong Kong,where she still flew the British flagas Landscape. Later the sameyear, she was finally sold foreign,becoming the Ami Banker, ofManila, Philippines. The year1953 found the old ship laid up atHong Kong. After a long spell ofidleness, she was purchased bythe Eddie Steamship Companyand took her final flag as theChinese registered Ally.She traded for a further threeyears, before being sold to thebreakers, and was finallyscrapped at Keelung late in 1958.By 1957, Court Line stillowned about nine ships, but thefleet steadily diminished and thecompany was wound up in themid-1960s. I was then servingaboard the RMS Transvaal Castleand we had several cadets whohad been transferred from CourtLine to complete their indentures.Without exception, they spokehighly of their former companyand greatly regretted its demise.QUICK CLUESAcross8. Waste receptacles (8)9. River (6)10. Let fall (4)11. Battle cry (4,2,4)12. Knockout stages (6)14. Deceive (4,4)15. Whenever (7)17. Generosity (7)20. Representative (8)22. Decipher (6)23. Mollusc (5-5)24. Speck (4)25. Watergate (6)26. Original (8)Down1. Keeper (8)2. Place foot (4)3. Big top (6)4. Cut off (7)5. Spanish scarf (8)6. Partially paralysed (10)7. Brit in Oz (6)13. Medication (10)16. Brewer (8)18. Drug (8)19. Piercing cry (7)21. Annual (6)22. Cromlech (6)24. Insect (4)CRYPTIC CLUESAcross8. Returned road atlases, bothcontaining means to enrage bull ringsomewhere in Spain (8)9. Chancellor conceals Grimmcharacter (6)10. Cover for anybody (4)11. Artistic bunch of flowers toLancashire town (10)12. Given a transplant? (6)14. Same pics represented getting awayfrom it all (8)15. Covered, but is under reappraisal (7)17. Gore correct, o.k. (7)20. It races for a share? (5,3)22. 5 mixed at shop (6)23. Refuse journal — into thebasket (10)24. Alexander in the Vatican (4)25. Agreement over Honda model (6)26. Loathing for criminal lure (8)Down1. Spitz appears to have fallen for pricecut (8)2. Farm building now a drinking placeto the north (4)3. Hypochondriac’s identificationpapers on mega-sphere (6)4. In charge, it was fixed (7)5. Form of Carbon Michael concocted inlab (8)6. A past ban, it transformeddissenter (10)7. Suit for Edinburgh footballers (6)13. Cutting short of elephant’sproboscis, we hear? (10)16. A wild bit of 14? (8)18. Waters the garden in leggings, then asmoke (8)19. So much latitude given to HenryMiller’s writing (7)21. Went off at a canter, as if hypnotised(6)22. Mother or father briefly torn apart (6)24. Sound of bells ringing for Cumbrianhunter (4)

DECEMBER 2007 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪35CLARITY THE KEY IN AHANDY GUIDE FORASPIRING YACHT CREWBUOYED by the earnings of the new‘mega-rich’, the large yacht sector hasexpanded rapidly in recent years —generating a strong demand for the skillsand professionalism of British officers.With increasingly rigorous regulationscovering the standards of large yachtcrewing, construction and operation, theneed for well trained personnel is moreacute than ever before.Against this background, thepublication of Reeds Superyacht Manualis to be welcomed. This 400-page tome isintended to serve as a complete referenceand training manual for everyoneinvolved with large yachts — fromdeckhands to captains — as well as forleisure boaters and sailors.Published in association withBluewater Training, the book aims to setout the background knowledge requiredto become OOW, covering the coursesyllabus for all career levels withexplanatory diagrams and photographs.Written with clarity and liberallyillustrated with well-chosen photographsand diagrams, the ring-bound manualserves both as a training aid and a handyreference.It is divided into seven sections,covering: safety (STCW basic training);navigation (RYA Yachtmaster);meteorology; marine radio (ROC andGOC); advanced navigation (OOW navand radar); general ship knowledge; andregulation (background for oral exams).There are also useful sections on seagoingqualifications, colregs, and abbreviations.All in all, a well produced guide thatshould prove useful to aspiring yachtofficers, and to those already working inthe sector.✪ Reeds Superyacht Manual by JamesClarke (ISBN 9780713679878) costs£35 and is published by Adlard ColesNautical — www.adlardcoles.combooksMagnificent, but a bitof a disappointmentTitanic scapegoatgiven a defencewith resonanceSOMETHING of a disappointmentyet also strikingly magnificent —that is the Telegraph’s paradoxicalverdict on The History ofSeafaring, a new book by DonaldS. Johnson and Juha Nurminenreleased in the UK last month.Our disappointment istwofold, but one issue is merelythat of thwarted expectationsprompted by the title. A history ofseafaring, we thought, would alsoto some extent be a history ofseafarers — not only of suchfamous figures as Columbus,Magellan, Cook, but also of themen and women who haveserved on ships throughout theages.There is a paucity of work onthis theme in maritimebibliography; however, it is soonapparent that this is another sortof study entirely. The book isTHERE is no shortage of seafarerscoming forward with memoirs oftheir time at sea — though thequality of their work varies asmuch as their backgrounds.But Nautilus UK memberCaptain Mike Lloyd has used his50 years of seagoing experiencesto produce a book that seeks toenrich the working lives of thosefollowing in his footsteps.In Command — 200 things Iwish I’d known before I wasCaptain is aimed at aspiring ornewly-appointed masters, but itscontents make fascinatingreading for anyone.Ambitious in its scope, thebook covers all aspects of thecaptain’s role — fromseamanship, to management, tohuman relations. The 227 pagescertainly serve to underline theamazing level of ‘multi-skilling’required of contemporarycaptains.However, Capt Lloyd exploresthe gaps between the perceptionsof the master’s powers and thesubtitled Navigating the World’sOceans, and that gives the clue tothe authors’ real intent. Nurminenexplains in the introductorypages: ‘Our principal interest isthe history of Europeannavigation and the developmentof European navigationalIt can get very lonely up therereality of the master’sresponsibilities. In theintroduction, he notes how themaster’s role has changed inrecent years to present significantchallenges — many of whichundermine the traditionalauthority that came withcommand. The modern master,he notes, is often in the invidiousposition of having little respectfrom the shore or from within theship.Capt Lloyd makes a strongargument for proper commandtraining, although he accepts thatthere are often no easy solutionsto the problems that can confrontmasters.So, supported with first-personcases, he offers sage advice ondealing with shore-basedmanagement, fellow shipmates,and official visitors. There aresections on discipline, welfareand alcohol abuse — not tomention, in the climate ofcriminalisation, the legal positionof the shipmaster.skill…Merchant shipping, navalwars, overseas settlement, fishingand whaling, are all interestingtopics and merit books on theirown, but since they are notimmediately relevant tonavigation we exclude them fromour account.’That understood, we can nowget out of the way our only realcriticism of this history: it rangesover 3,500 years from the firstdocumented voyages by theEgyptians, but shipping after theadvent of the great sailing ships ofthe 19th century gets short shrift— steam ship navigation iswrapped up in two pages, as isthe ‘electronic age’ of radio, radarand now GPS navigation.However, within the compassthat Johnson and Nurminen setthemselves, they have produced ahefty A3-sized 374-page tomeHis writing is stylish andcommendably to the point. Takethis: ‘As a Captain, you will nothave friends onboard and if youthink you do, wait until somethinggoes seriously wrong.’However, it’s not all bleak. AsCapt Lloyd — himself a formerNUMAST Council member —that it is a constant delight to leafthrough. It is packed withbeautiful reproduced rare mapsand charts, artwork, photos andother striking illustrative material,much of it from Numinen’s owncollection, impressively laid outon premium quality paper.And although The History ofSeafaring is of ‘coffee table book’dimensions, which might suggestsuperficiality, it is in fact a scholarlyyet highly readable work about afascinating subject that will appealto mariners, maritime academicsand the layperson alike.✪ The History of Seafaring byDonald S. Johnson and JuhaNurminen, is published by JohnNurminen Foundation inconjunction with ConwayMaritime Press(ISBN 9781844860401),price £40 hardback.points out, masters need not facethese challenges alone. ‘In thedays where Captains are beingput in prison around the world forthe strangest charges, I think thatit is essential that you haverepresentation and that everyoneshould very seriously considerjoining a union that will providesuch support wherever andwhenever it is needed.’This insightful and usefulpublication closes with a 1907quotation from Captain EdwardSmith, of the Titanic, thatunderlines the timeless nature ofthe vicissitudes of the master’srole: ‘When anyone asks me how Ican best describe my experiencein nearly 40 years at sea, I merelysay, uneventful…’✪ In Command — 200 things Iwish I’d known before I wasCaptain by Captain Michael Lloyd(ISBN 978 1 85609 353 8) costs£25 and is jointly published byWitherbys and SeamanshipInternational: www.witherbys.com orwww.seamanship.com‘NOT ANOTHER book about theTitanic!’ could be theunderstandable response topicking up a new title fromTempus Publishing: Titanic andthe Californian.But it’s well worth suspendingthe prejudice that can arise as aresult of the steady flow of booksdealing with the loss of the WhiteStar liner in 1912.Thomas Williams, and hiseditor Rob Kamps, havedelivered a work that is wellworth reading, with significantcontemporary relevance and agenuine passion for the subject.In short, this book aims to setthe record straight for CaptainStanley Lord, the master of theCalifornian, who was blamed byinquiries in the UK and US forignoring distress signals from theTitanic and consequentlyconsigning many potentialsurvivors to death.With forensic analysis andcrusading zeal, Mr Williams putsthe case for Capt Lord — andvery strong it is too. Highlightinga number of shortcomings in thedesign and construction of theTitanic, he suggests that theCalifornian’s master became aconvenient scapegoat uponwhich to deflect much of therighteous anger and blame forthe disaster.Along the way, he demolishesa number of other myths —including those surrounding theactions of the Titanic’s master,Captain Edward Smith, and theWhite Star chairman JosephBruce Ismay.He also gives somefascinating information —including the fact that survivingmembers of the Titanic’s crewhad to appear in a music hallsideshow to make ends meetwhile they were staying in NewYork waiting for the start of theUS inquiry.The book underlines the solidsupport provided to Capt Lord bythe Nautilus UK predecessor, theMMSA, including its challenge toa book and a film purporting torecount the events, and itspetitioning of the Board of Tradeto reconsider the defamatoryfindings of the inquiry.After 80 years, Capt Lord’sreputation was finally somewhatrestored by the Marine AccidentInvestigation Branch — althoughMr Williams says the fight toclear his name in the States mustcontinue.This is a deliberatelycontentious read, well writtenand persuasively argued, and itsunderlying theme of individualseafarers suffering the blame forcircumstances far beyond theircontrol or influence is one thatresonates strongly today.✪ Titanic and the Californian byThomas Williams (ISBN 978 07524 4278 5) costs £17.99 andis published by Tempus, The Mill,Brimscombe Port, Stroud, GlosGL5 2QG.TO ADVERTISEYOUR PRODUCTS& SERVICES INTHE TELEGRAPHCONTACTRedactivetel: 020 7880 7668fax: 020 7880 7553email: claire.barber@redactive.co.uk

42 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ DECEMBER 2007The face of Nautilus UK: Captain Rodger MacDonald, trustee‘TRUSTEES are the “conscience” of Union committees.We don’t have voting rights, but we have a legalobligation to be there and make sure things are runproperly.’That, in his own words, is Rodger MacDonald’s role atNautilus UK. He recently became one of the Union’s fourtrustees, and he brings valuable expertise gained fromhis many years in the industry.Captain MacDonald has had a varied working life.Having gone to sea in 1958 with British India Line, heworked his way up to master, then became a surveyor. In1970, he joined the oil business and spent the next 26years in the offshore sector.This wasn’t the last word on his career, though. Hewent on to become director of faculty at the National SeaTraining Centre in Kent, and has continued as a freelancetutor after retiring from this position.Capt MacDonald is perhaps best known these days asthe secretary general of the International Federation ofShipmasters’ Associations (IFSMA) — of which NautilusUK is a member. ‘Nautilus has been a big support to usin tackling important issues at the IMO such as safemanning, fatigue and criminalisation,’ he notes.So he was happy to volunteer as a trustee for theUnion. ‘Things are well run here,’ he says. ‘The BGM inparticular was extremely professional, and I found thatNautilus does much more on the welfare side than Iexpected. It sets a tremendous example of how a unioncan be beneficial not just to members but to the industryat large.’TelegraphIncorporating the merchant navy journal and ships telegraphISSN 0040 2575staffeditor: Andrew Liningtonproduction editor: June Cattinireporters: Sarah Robinson/Mike Gerberadvertising managersRedactive Media Group17 Britton Street, London EC1M 5TPSales Executive: Claire Barbertel: +44 (0)20 7880 7668fax: +44 (0)20 7880 7553email: claire.barber@redactive.co.ukwebsite: www.redactive.co.ukAlthough the Telegraph exercises care and caution before acceptingadvertisements, readers are advised to take appropriate professional advicebefore entering into any commitments such as investments (including pensionplans). Publication of an advertisement does not imply any form ofrecommendation and Nautilus UK cannot accept any liability for the quality ofgoods and services offered in advertisements. Organisations offering financialservices or insurance are governed by regulatory authorities and problemswith such services should be taken up with the appropriate body.Published by Nautilus UK, Printed by College Hill Press Limited,37 Webber Street, London SE1 8QW.Nautilus UK meetings with members: diary datesNautilus UK has always had a firmcommitment to dialogue with itsmembers, and that commitmentcontinues to this day, with the Unionplacing a high priority on contactbetween members and officials.Officials make regular visits toships, and a variety of differentmeetings are held by the Union toencourage a healthy exchange ofviews.The Union also offers the chancefor members to meet Nautilus UKofficials when they make regular visitsto ships in ports and nautical collegesaround the UK.These visits aim togive members the chance to getadvice on employment and otherproblems that cannot easily be dealtwith by letter or email. Times andvenues for meetings and visits in thenext few months are:COLLEGE VISITSThe next Nautilus UK ‘surgeries’ formembers at the UK’s main maritimecolleges — Glasgow, Fleetwood,Warsash and South Tyneside — aredue to take place towards the end ofJanuary.SHIP VISITSIf you have an urgent problem on yourship, you should contact Nautilus UK(enquiries@nautilusuk.org) to ask for anofficial to visit the ship. Wherever possible,such requests will be acted uponby the Union and last year more than200 ships were visited by Nautilus UKofficials as a result of contact frommembers. If you need to request avisit, please give your vessel’s ETA andas much information as possible aboutthe problem needing to be discussed.SCOTLANDMembers employed by companiesbased in the west of Scotland shouldcontact Nautilus UK at NautilusHouse, Mariners’ Park, WallaseyCH45 7PH (tel: +44 (0)151 6398454). Members employed in theoffshore oil sector, or by companiesbased in the east of Scotland, shouldcontact +44 (0)1224 638882. Thisis not an office address, so memberscannot visit in person.NAUTILUS: A NEWUNION FOR 2009Nautilus UK last monthbegan balloting memberson the pioneering proposalsto form a new union withour Dutch partner, NautilusNL in 2009.See page 31 of this issue fordetails on how to vote.Nautilus UK is continuing tostage meetings of the NationalProfessional & Technical andNational Pensions Forums.Future dates and venues include:✪ National Professional & TechnicalForum — deals with technical,safety, welfare and other professionaltopics relevant to shipmaster andchief engineer officer members. Thenext meeting is being held on Tuesday4 December, at the Holiday Inn,Ormeau Avenue, Belfast, starting at1100hrs.✪ National Pensions Forum —established to provide a two-way flowof information and views on allpension matters and pension schemes(not just the MNOPF). This forum isopen to all classes of Nautilus UKmember, including associate andaffiliate. The next meeting will be heldon Friday 25 January 2008 inGlasgow, at a venue to be arranged,starting at 1100hrs.All full members of the relevant rankor sector can attend and financialsupport may be available to somemembers by prior agreement. Forfurther details contact head office.general secretaryBrian Orrellhead officeOceanair House,750–760 High Road,Leytonstone, London E11 3BBtel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677fax: +44 (0)20 8530 1015telex: 892181 DIAL G(marked for the attention of Nautilus UK)website: www.nautilusuk.orgnorthern officeNautilus House,Mariners’ Park,Wallasey CH45 7PHtel: +44 (0)151 639 8454fax: +44 (0)151 346 8801department e-mail addressesgeneral:enquiries@nautilusuk.orgmembership:membership@nautilusuk.orglegal:legal@nautilusuk.orgTelegraph:telegraph@nautilusuk.orgindustrial south:industrialsouth@nautilusuk.orgindustrial north:industrialnorth@nautilusuk.orgcentral services:centralservices@nautilusuk.orgwelfare:welfare@nautilusuk.orginformation technology:administrator@nautilusuk.orgIn ordertobetterservethemembershipefficiently andcost-effectively,Nautilus UKhasstartedto compilealist of members’ emailaddresses.Itwouldbehelpful ifmembers withemailaddressescouldnotifythemtothe IT Department,indicatingtheirmembership number.Nautilus UK also administers the NUMAST Welfare Fundsand the J.W. Slater Fund, which are registered charities.M–NoticesM-Notices, Marine InformationNotes and Marine GuidanceNotes issued by the Maritime &Coastguard Agency recentlyinclude:MGN349 (M+F) — Carriage and Use ofRadar Reflectors on Small VesselsThe loss of the sailing yacht Ouzo and itsthree crew last year highlights the potentiallyfatal consequences of poor radar visibility onsmall vessels, the Maritime and CoastguardAgency warns in this marine guidance notice.Marine accident investigators concluded thatin the early hours of 21 August 2006, the P&OFerries ro-ro Pride of Bilbao had ‘eithercollided with, or passed so close toOuzo…that the yacht had been swamped orcapsized by the vessel’s wash’.The new M notice, which is directed atsmall vessel owners, operators, masters andskippers, calls their attention to the SOLASregulation (Chapter V Regulation 19.2.1.7)which states that a vessel of less than 150gross tonnes should have ‘if practicable, aradar reflector, or other means, to enabledetection by ships navigating by radar at both9 and 3 GHz’.Along with regulatory compliance, the Mnotice strongly recommends that:✪ all small craft should correctly andpermanently install — ‘not just carry onboard’ — a radar reflector, either passive oractive, that meets British safety standards✪ vessels under 15m should be fitted withthe ‘most efficient reflector that the vesselcan accommodate’But MCA warns that it is essential forskippers to be aware that ‘notwithstandingthe type of radar reflector fitted, in certaincircumstances their craft may still not bereadily visible on ships’ radars. They shouldnavigate with caution’.The M notice explains that the MarineAccident Investigation Branch, in its report onthe Ouzo incident published this April, ‘raisedseveral issues including the characteristicsof the vessel as a good radar target. The MAIBcommissioned a study by QinetiQ designed toinform yachtsmen of the most appropriatechoice of radar reflector for their craft’. TheMAIB also asked the MCA, together with theRoyal Yacht Association, to issue guidance onthe carriage of radar reflectors to allseafarers, especially owners and skippers ofsmall recreational craft.The M notice further explains: ‘The physicsof radar detection is a complex subject whichdepends primarily on the quality and height ofthe interrogating radar, and the range, size,shape and aspect of the vessel involved.’Vessel — or ‘target’ — detection is alsoaffected by other external factors including seastate, wave shape and direction, multipathcancellation and rain, the notice says.Commercial shipping uses radarequipment that operates in the X band (9GHz)and the S band (3GHz) which, MCA’s noticepoints out, ‘each present their own problemsand advantages. The probability of detectingsmall craft, particularly those not fitted with aradar reflector, may be degraded by any or allof the environmental factors and this hasalways presented a challenge to marinersand equipment manufacturers’.The M notice continues: ‘Although itcannot be overemphasised that there is noguarantee that a small vessel willconsistently show on radar screens, acorrectly fitted reflector with a consistentechoing area or Radar Cross Section…is acrucial factor in increasing the overallprobability of detection’.MIN 299 (M+F) — MCA OccupationalHealth and Safety Leaflets and PostersThis M notice lists the leaflets and postersthat the MCA’s seafarer health andsafety branch has issued over the last fewyears.These range over such issues as:fatigue; protection against slips, trips andfalls; seafarer medical examinations;watertight doors; manual handling; riskassessment; mooring deck safety; the codeof safe working practices for merchantseafarers; sun protection for seafarersexposed to direct sunlight; skin cancer;protection against hearing risks;legionnaires’ disease; and maritime healthand safety law.For full list details, and to order leafletsand posters free of charge, contact the MCApublication distributors at: MCA CustomerLine, EC Group, Europa Park, Magnet Road,Grays, Essex RM20 4DN, or contact:tel: 0845 6032431; fax: 01375 484556;email: mca@ecgroup.uk.com✪ M Notices are available in three ways: a setof bound volumes, a yearly subscription, andindividual documents. A consolidated set of allM Notices current on 31 July 2003 is publishedby The Stationery Office: ISBN 0 11 5524789,price £150.✪ Annual subscriptions and copies ofindividual notices are available from the officialdistributors: Mail Marketing (Scotland), Unit 6,Bloomsgrove Industrial Estate, Norton Street,Nottingham, NG7 3JG.tel: +44 (0) 11 5901 3336fax: +44 (0) 11 5901 3334email: mca@promo-solution.com✪ Individual copies can be downloaded fromthe MCA website — www.mcga.gov.uk under‘guidance and regulations’ — or collected fromMCA offices.Quiz answers1. In 2006 China supplied some 93% of the world’stotal TEU production.2. A total of 3,479,211 cruise passengers passedthrough Miami in 2006.3. The merger was ordered in 1934 and although itbecame Cunard-White Star Ltd., it marked theeffective end of the White Star Line.4. Construction of the Suez Canal began in April1859 and the first direct sea to sea passagethrough the waterway was made inSeptember 1869.5. ABP operates a total of 21 ports and harbours.6. 19.65 knots.Crossword answersQUICK ANSWERSAcross: 8. Dustbins; 9. Amazon; 10. Drop;11. Call to arms; 12. Finals; 14. Tell lies;15. Any time; 17. Largess; 20. Symbolic;22. Decode; 23. Razor-shell; 24. Mote; 25. Sluice;26. Creative.Down: 1. Guardian; 2. Step; 3. Circus; 4. Isolate;5. Mantilla; 6. Paraplegic; 7. Pommie; 13. Antibiotic;16. Maltster; 18. Sedative; 19. Screech; 21. Yearly;22. Dolmen; 24. Moth.This month’s cryptic crossword is a prizecompetition. The answers will appear in nextmonth s Telegraph. Congratulations to theNovember crossword winner — Nautilus UKmember George Barrie.CRYPTIC ANSWERS FROM NOVEMBERAcross: 1. Slippage; 5. States; 9. Unpopular;11. Olive; 12. Blood-brother; 15. Amen;16. Aspergilla; 18. Subsequent; 19. Ogle;21. Oscilloscope; 24. Adorn; 25. Rain gauge;26. Extort; 27. Agitated;Down: 1. Stun; 2. Imps; 3. Pupils;4. Gallows humour; 6. Thorough; 7. Trichology;8. Shearwater; 10. Rubbernecking; 13. Passionate;14. Serbo-Croat; 17. Berliner; 20. Spigot; 22. Hunt;23. Bend.

DECEMBER 2007 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪43Stick up for Nautilus UK’s Sea Sense campaign!NAUTILUS UK offers a range of free stickers to help youshow your support for British shipping.The ever-popularSea Sense car stickers have been spotted all over the world— why not put one in your back window? We also havesome smaller paper Sea Sense stickers to put onenvelopes.There is also the ‘delivered by ship’ selection, showingthe variety of products that reach our shops thanks tomerchant ships and seafarers. These are ideal for handingout at schools and festivals.All the stickers promote Nautilus UK’s specialcampaign website www.seasense.co.uk, designed to raisepublic awareness of the need for maritime skills — andwhere you can sign an electronic petition urging thegovernment to take more effective measures to supportBritish shipping and seafarers.If you’d like some free stickers, simply contact NautilusUK’s Central Services department and let them know howmany you need. Call Central Services on +44 (0)20 89896677 or email centralservices@nautilusuk.orgIndicatorsLATEST government figures show slight downwardmoves in annual inflation and a marginal increase inthe rate of average pay settlements.According to the Office of National Statistics,the CPI inflation rate — the government’s preferredmeasure — was 1.8% in September, unchangedfrom August.RPI inflation — used in pay negotiations —fell to 3.9% in September, down from 4.1% inAugust, while the ‘all items’ RPI, which excludesmortgage interest payments, was 2.8% in September,up from 2.7% in August.The ONS said average earnings increases,including bonuses, in the year to August were runningat 3.7% — up from 3.5% in the previous month.According to the independent analysts IncomesData Services, median pay settlements were runningat around 3.2% in the three months to the end ofSeptember, compared with 3.3% in the previousmonth.Average earnings increases excluding bonusesstood at 3.7% in the three months to October —unchanged from the previous month.10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BE A NAUTILUS UK MEMBER…1. Pay and conditionsNautilus UK negotiates on your behalf with an increasingnumber of British and foreign flag employers on issuesincluding pay, conditions, leave, hours and pensions. TheUnion also takes part in top-level international meetings onthe pay and conditions of seafarers in the world fleets.2. Legal servicesWith the maritime profession under increasing risk ofcriminalisation, Nautilus UK provides specialist support,including a worldwide network of lawyers who can providefree and immediate advice to full members on employmentrelatedmatters. Members and their families also haveaccess to free initial advice on non-employment issues.3. Certificate protectionAs a full member, you have free financial protection, worthup to £90,000, against loss of income if your certificate ofcompetency is cancelled, suspended or downgradedfollowing a formal inquiry. Full members are also entitled torepresentation during accident investigations or inquiries.4. CompensationNautilus UK’s legal services department recovers more than£1m every year in compensation for members who havesuffered work-related illness or injuries.5. Workplace supportNautilus UK officials provide expert advice on work-relatedproblems such as contracts, redundancy, bullying ordiscrimination, non-payment of wages, and pensions.6. Safety and welfareNautilus UK plays a vital role in national and internationaldiscussions on such key issues as hours of work, crewinglevels, shipboard conditions, vessel design, and technicaland training standards. The NUMAST Welfare Funds run a15-acre welfare complex in Wallasey providing homes andcare for retired seafarers, and administer welfare pensionsand grants to seafarers in need. Nautilus UK has a majorsay in the running of the Merchant Navy Officers’ PensionFund and the Pension Plan. It also launched The MaritimeStakeholder Plan to meet the needs of seafarers and othersworking in the shipping industry, at sea and ashore, who areunable to participate in the MNOPF or MNOPP.7. SavingsBeing a Nautilus UK member costs less than buying anewspaper every day and gives you peace of mind at work,with access to an unrivalled range of services and support.It’s simple to save the cost of membership — by takingadvantage of specially-negotiated rates on a variety ofcommercial services ranging from tax advice, credit cards,household, motoring, travel and specialist insurance.8. In touchAs a Nautilus UK member, help is never far away — whereverin the world you are. Officials regularly visit membersonboard their ships and further support and advice isavailable at regular ‘surgeries’ and college visits throughoutthe UK.9. Your union, your voiceNautilus UK is the voice of more than 18,000 maritimeprofessionals working in all sectors of the shipping industry,at sea and ashore. As one of the largest and most influentialinternational bodies representing maritime professionals,the Union campaigns tirelessly to promote your views.10. Get involved!Nautilus UK is a dynamic and democratic union, offeringmembers many opportunities to be fully involved and haveyour say in its work — both at local and national level.Join Nautilus UK todayTo: General Secretary, Nautilus UK, Oceanair House,750-760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BBPlease complete this form in BLOCK LETTERSI would like to join Nautilus UKSurnameAddressPostcodeDate and placeof birthNext of kin:SurnameAddressEmployingcompanyShip nameIf cadet, statecadetship start dateand whetherdeck/engine/ETOIf certificated officer, please statedetails of main certificate No.Issued bypersonalemailFirst namesIMO no.FOR OFFICE USE: REF.First namesRelationshipDischargeBook noRankPhone no.Mobile no.PostcodeGenderMFPlease fill in the whole form including For Nautilus UK Official UseOnly Box using a ball point pen and send it to:Originator’s Identification NumberNautilus UKOceanair House750-760 High RoadLeytonstoneLondon E11 3BBName(s) of Account Holder(s)Instruction to yourBank or Building Societyto pay by Direct Debit9 5 3 3 6 4For Nautilus UK Official Use OnlyThis is not part of the instruction to your Bank or Building SocietyPlease tick instalment method required:ANNUALHALF-YEARLYQUARTERLYMONTHLYYour preferred day in the month for debit:2nd 9th 16th 23rdEnd dateGradeDate ofissueBank/Building Society account numberBranch Sort CodeInstruction to your Bank or Building SocietyPlease pay Nautilus UK Direct Debits from the account detailed in thisInstruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct DebitGuarantee. I understand that this Instruction may remain withNautilus UK and, if so, details will be passed electronically to myBank/Building Society.Have you previously been a member of NUMAST/MNAOA? YES NOIf known, please state previous membership numberand date ofleavingIf you are or have recently been a member of another union/association, please state:Name of union/associationSubscription paid untilBranch/mem noDate of resignationI apply for membership of Nautilus UK and undertake to observe all Nautilus UK rules. I further undertake to pay subscriptions regularlyand be liable for all subscriptions as they fall due. I agree that my personal data can be used for furthering the interestsof the Union, providing services to me direct and via third parties, as covered by the Data Protection Act.SIGNEDDATEName and full postal address of your Bank or Building SocietyTo The ManagerBank/Building SocietyAddressPostcodeReference Number (for completion by Nautilus UK)Signature(s)DateEQUAL OPPORTUNITIESNautilus UK wants to provide the best possible service to all our members, and target information to meet your needs.All information will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be revealed to any third party.To which broad ethnic group do you belong? White Asian Afro-CaribbeanOther Please specifyDiscounted monthly subscription rates from 1 January 2008 formembers paying by direct debitPlease tick membership category required:Full member (Marine sea-going) £17.30*Full member (Shore, salary over £23,000, Trawler officer or ITES) £13.55*Full member (Shore, salary under £23,000) £5.30Full member (Marine Ratings) £12.85*Full member (Cadet) £5.30***The full rate if you are paying by cheque or postal order is £18.55, £14.55 and £13.55 respectively.**Cadets joining in their first year and paying by direct debit £8.50 for that year.The full membership classes listed here are only for those in regular employment in the industry.NB. If you are uncertain as to your appropriate membership class please ring the Membership Services Team at Head Office or email: membership@nautilusuk.orgBanks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit Instructions from some types of accountPlease retain this portion for your own recordsDirect Debit paymentsPayment by direct debit means your subscription to Nautilus UK will be paid on time, every time.You will be spared the nuisance of getting reminders and the inconvenience of having to alter your standing order whenever the subscriptionchanges. This is because direct debit allows for variations in the amount paid by your bank on your behalf.You can also pay your subscription in instalments and decide which day from 2nd/9th/16th/23rd in the month they are to be taken on, if youprefer. Tick the appropriate box on the form.If no preferences are shown we will assume monthly payments on the 2nd of each month.This guarantee should be detached and retained by the PayerThe Direct Debit Guarantee✪ This guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that take part in the direct debit scheme.The efficiency and security of the scheme is monitored and protected by your own bank or building society.✪ If the amounts to be paid or the payment dates change Nautilus UK will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being debitedor as otherwise agreed.✪ If an error is made by Nautilus UK or your bank or building society, you are guaranteed a full and immediate refund from your branch of theamount paid.✪ You can cancel a direct debit at any time by writing to your bank or building society.✪ Please also send a copy of your letter to us.

44 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ DECEMBER 2007newsSHIPPING EMISSIONS‘CAUSING 60,000DEATHS EVERY YEAR’MORE THAN 60,000 people die each yearworldwide as a result of health-damagingemissions from shipping, according to a newreport.And the scientific paper published lastmonth by the American Chemical Societyjournal Environmental Science andTechnology also warns that — based oncurrent trends — the death rate could rise by40% over the next five years.The report is based on in-depth researchinto the connection between particulatematter emissions in ships’ exhausts and thescale of associated heart and lung disease.Researchers said that the majority ofdeaths occur near coastlines in Europe andeastern and southern Asia, with nearly 70%of ship emissions occurring within 400km ofland.The study concludes that action to curbparticulate matter in ship emissions woulddeliver significant mortality and healthbenefits around the world.Nautilus UK senior national secretaryAllan Graveson said the study providedfurther evidence of the need for shipping tomove away from the use of heavy fuel oiltowards distillates.‘We are also concerned about thepotential damage to the health of seafarersarising from exposure to particulate matterand toxic additives,’ he added. ‘Ships arebeing used as floating incinerators, and theindustry cannot afford to be complacentabout these risks.’MASTER JAILED FOR A YEARFOLLOWING RIG COLLISIONPolish captain was nearly three times over the legal limit when tested after accident, court toldA POLISH shipmaster has beenjailed for a year after being foundguilty of being nearly three timesover the legal alcohol limit whenhis vessel collided with a NorthSea gas rig in August.Captain Zbigniew Krakowskiadmitted breaching the TransportSafety Act 2003 by being master ofa ship with excess alcohol in hisbreath, and to breaching the 500msafety zone around the VikingEcho gas platform, approximately24 miles off Skegness, in contraventionof the Petroleum Act 1987.Lincoln Crown Court was toldthat Capt Krakowski was in commandof the Antigua & Barbudaflaggedgeneral cargoship Jork asit sailed from Lübeck in Germanyto the port of New Holland, NorthLincolnshire, with a cargo of grainwhen the collision occurred on 4August.The court heard that after takingthe con of the 3,169dwt vesselfrom the chief officer, CaptKrakowski decided to do administrativework on the ship’s computerand failed to make a sevendegree course correction.By the time he glanced up fromthe PC and realised the imminentdanger, the unmanned platformwas only 100 metres away — and acollision was inevitable. He triedto alter the ship’s course, but it hitthe structure with a glancing blow— causing substantial damage tothe platform and holing the shipbelow the waterline.Prosecuting solicitor StuartLody told the court that CaptKrakowski’s response to the collision‘was not one you would expectof a master of a ship’. Whilst othercrew members reacted to theemergency, the master remainedpassive and said he would stay andgo down with his ship.‘It would seem that in hisHandcuffed Captain Zbigniew Krakowski is led from Lincoln Crown Court after beingsentenced to a year in prisonPICTURE: RAYMONDS PRESS AGENCYshock, and no doubt horror, atwhat had happened, he helpedhimself to a drink of vodka thatwas in a locked box,’ Mr Lodyadded.The court heard that as the shipstarted to list, the chief officer, JanWieschetek, took control of thesituation and with actionsdescribed as ‘only just short ofheroic’, saved the lives of the sixcrew members.While the crew were picked upby the emergency rescue responsevessel Putford Puffin, CaptKrakowski continued to drink. MrUnion continues to seek inquiryNAUTILUS UK is continuing to press thegovernment over the failure to conduct aninvestigation into the circumstances surroundingthe Jork’s collision with the Viking Echo platform.The Union has called on shipping minister JimFitzpatrick to reconsider the decision not toconduct a Marine Accident Investigation Branchprobe into the causes of the incident.Officials told the Union that an MAIBinvestigation was not being undertaken becauseit had not occurred in UK waters. But generalWieschetek and the PutfordPuffin’s second mate, John Wilson,returned to rescue the master afterhe eventually decided to attachhimself to a lifebuoy and jumpedinto the waves — but forgot torelease the cord and had to be cutfree.The vessel sank on the followingday.When Capt Krakowski wasbreath-tested on shore he wasfound to have 94mg of alcohol per100ml of breath — some two-anda-halftimes over the limit. He saidthat he had begun drinking onlyafter the collision, but that he haddrunk three bottles of beer withhis lunch several hours earlier.Passing sentence, Judge JohnMilmo QC said: ‘A master’s reluctanceto leave his ship might, insome circumstances, have beensecretary Brian Orrell said he was concerned bythis decision — arguing that it would be too easyto write it off as being drink-related.The influence of factors such as crewing levelsand workloads should be examined, Mr Orrell toldthe minister. The Jork collision also needed to beassessed in the context of a number of otherrecent incidents in which the safety of offshoreinstallations in the UKCS has been jeopardised bysafety zone infringements by foreign ships, headded.seen to be heroic. Here it indicateseither drunken stupidity or therealisation of the consequences ofwhat you had done. It is clear thatyour career has gone.’The judge described the incidentas ‘a breathtaking set ofevents’ and it was fortunate thatno one was killed. ‘The collisioncould have caused a gas cloud orexplosion’ he added. ‘The fact thatthere was no loss of life or injury isnot mitigation.’Allan Mainds, in mitigation,said that Capt Krakowski was‘genuinely remorseful’ about theincident. ‘It is hard to imagine thecareer of a man going in onemoment. In the mind of a mastermariner the loss of your ship is theloss of everything,’ he added. ‘Hisbizarre behaviour was completelyout of character. His world has collapsedabout him, and it is his ownfault.’The platform remains out ofoperation, losing £615,000 amonth in revenue.Murray Milligan, Maritime &Coastguard Agency regional SARoperations manager, commentedafter the case: ‘It was fortunatethat the platform was unmanned,that rescue vessels were close athand to quickly rescue the crewand that the weather was excellent.‘I would like to thank all thoseinvolved in the rescue operationfor their rapid and professionalresponse,’ he added. ‘Being drunkin charge of a vessel can be as dangerousas driving a car while overthe legal alcohol limit. The sentencingreflects the serious natureof this offence.’St Peters StreetLowestoftSuffolkNR32 2NBPhone: (0044) 1502 525025Fax: (0044) 1502 525106Website:www.lowestoft.ac.ukEnquiries and bookings:maritime@lowestoft.ac.ukDYNAMIC POSITIONING TRAININGDP OPERATOR TRAININGDP-capable vessels are the fastestgrowingsector of the marine market.We offer DP Induction and Simulator(Advanced) courses using the latestsimulation systems from Kongsbergand Alstom.We also offer manufacturer approvedDP Maintenance training onKongsberg and Alstom systems.2 and 3 day Familiarisation training onspecific systems available.Lowestoft College has been training DP staff for over 20 years andis recognised worldwide as the leading DP training establishment.We are able to tailor courses to the requirements of individualclients, and will be happy to discuss this with you.COURSES FOR THE MARINE & OFFSHORE INDUSTRIESAccredited by