December 2007.pdf - Nautilus NL

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