December 2008.pdf - Nautilus NL

In this issue: 

SPECIAL TREATMENT 

How the Dreadnought 

Medical Service is 

continuing to meet the 

needs of seafarers 

pages 20-21 

PIRACY PATROLS 

A special report focuses 

on the support being 

given to shipping in the 

frontline of piracy 

pages 23-26 

GLOBAL ADVENTURE 

How retirement for a 

member and his wife 

meant a new life sailing 

the world’s oceans 

page 29 

Telegraphthe journal of 

Volume 41 ●✪ Number 12 ●✪ December 2008 ●✪ £2.50 

ROYAL SEND-OFF AS 

QE2 SAILS FROM UK 

THE CUNARD liner QE2 is 

pictured leaving Southampton 

last month at the start of a 

final voyage to Dubai to begin a 

new life as a floating hotel. 

Thousands of people turned 

out to see the 41-year-old 

vessel depart following a day 

of commemorative events — 

including an RAF fly-past, a 

Royal visit and the dropping of 

1m poppies over the ship to 

mark Armistice Day. 

The Duke of Edinburgh 

toured the vessel, meeting 

long-serving crew, including 

some who served on the ship 

in the Falklands, as well as 

the commanding officers of 

three Royal Navy vessels that 

were lost in the Falklands 

campaign. 

Cunard president Carol 

Marlow described QE2 as ‘the 

best-loved ship in the world’ 

and said she had been the 

longest serving of the more 

than 225 ships ever owned by 

the company, covering more 

than 5.6m nm during her 

career. 

QE2 was due to reach Dubai 

on 26 November, where she 

will be extensively refurbished 

before docking permanently at 

a specially constructed berth 

on the Palm Jumeirah. 

The Cunard fleet will be 

reduced to two ships until a 

new vessel, the 92,000gt 

Queen Elizabeth — being built 

in Italy by Fincantieri — enters 

into service in autumn 2010. 

PICTURE: GARY DAVIES/MARITIME PHOTOGRAPHIC 

‘CARRY ON TRAINING’ 

As seaborne trade slumps, Nautilus backs calls for owners not to cut back on recruitment efforts 

AMID growing gloom over the impact of 

the global economic crisis on shipping, 

Nautilus UK is backing calls for owners 

not to use the credit crunch as an excuse 

to cutback on efforts to reverse the seafaring 

skills shortage. 

In the face of falling freight rates and 

warnings that maritime trade could suffer 

a five-year recession, the Union has 

endorsed a warning from International 

Maritime Employers’ Committee secretary-general 

David Dearsley to avoid a 

repeat of the ‘boom and bust’ approach to 

officer training. 

Speaking at a conference in London 

last month, he urged the industry to learn 

from the mistakes made in previous recessions. 

And he dismissed suggestions that the 

slowdown in seaborne trade — with slow 

steaming, potential lay-ups, and cancelled 

orders — would ease shipping’s labour 

problems. 

Mr Dearsley said many employers 

would be under pressure to cut training 

programmes in response to the slump. ‘If 

the recession produces a reduction in the 

scale of the officer shortages and reduces 

the pressure on officer wage rates, it will 

be even more difficult to resist demands to 

reduce the number of cadets being 

trained,’ he added. 

However, any company that closes the 

door to new recruits would be sending out 

‘a clear and long-lasting message that it is 

in terminal decline’, he warned. 

We run the very real risk of sending out 

this message again today, not just in the 

UK or Europe but globally, unless we 

maintain a long-term and far-sighted 

training programme to deal with the crew 

crisis,’ he said. 

In previous recessions, the industry 

had gone ‘from boom to bust economically 

in inverse proportion to the number 

of seafarers we’ve got available’. If it slashes 

training budgets this time, he warned, it 

faces ‘a big mess’ — because the old access 

to new sources of labour no longer exists. 

Mr Dearsley said the only way to 

ensure that the errors of the past are not 

repeated is to maintain the intake of 

cadets and to better target resources to 

reduce wastage and improve the quality of 

the output. 

IMEC had taken such a long-term 

strategic decision on cadet training last 

year after its members were ‘struck by the 

fact that each year some 18,000 young 

Filipinos commenced training programmes 

designed to deliver officer 

watchkeeping certificates after the fouryear 

period, but only some 4,000 officers 

were actually produced’. The balance 

obtained work ashore or became ratings. 

Under a programme sponsored 

through International Maritime Training 

Trust, IMEC is now seeking to reduce 

training costs by addressing the issues 

that result in such high wastage rates. 

Nautilus assistant general secretary 

Mark Dickinson welcomed the IMEC 

leader’s warning. ‘It is absolutely imperative 

that companies avoid the temptation 

to terminate training programmes. 

‘With the current age profile of the offi- 

cer population, when — not if — things 

pick up again, there will simply be no one 

there unless we continue to invest in a new 

generation of maritime professionals,’ he 

pointed out. 

‘The increasing size and sophistication 

of ships, the nature of their cargoes, and 

the ever-growing rate of regulation affecting 

the industry means an increasing need 

for crews of the highest quality, and the 

industry simply cannot afford the longterm 

costs of neglecting the human element,’ 

Mr Dickinson said. 

‘Focussing investment in areas where 

there is a long tradition of maritime 

expertise makes good sense, and pursuing 

policies that encourage retention and 

reduce wastage add to the economic case 

for quality training.’ 

✪ newsfront 2–13 ●✪ letters 16–18 ●✪ reports 19-29 ●✪ international 14–15 ●✪ appointments 37–45 ●✪ crossword 32 ✪

2●✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph●✪ DECEMBER 2008 

TRUSTEE TO TAKE 

THE CHAIR OF 

MARINE CHARITY 

NAUTILUS UK trustee Rear 

Admiral John Lang — pictured 

right — has been appointed 

chairman of the Shipwrecked 

Fishermen and Mariners’ Royal 

Benevolent Society. 

Established in 1837, the 

nautilus uk at work 

Industry told to act 

now on bill of rights 

THE SHIPPING industry must 

start moving quickly if it is to 

ensure the success of the ‘seafarers’ 

bill of rights’ — the Maritime 

Labour Convention 2006 (MLC) 

— Nautilus UK told a conference 

last month. 

In a presentation to the 

Manning the Future seminar, 

organised by the Nautical 

Institute last month, assistant 

general secretary Mark Dickinson 

highlighted the amount of work 

that needs to be done to put the 

convention into effect. 

The MLC is intended to 

become the fourth pillar of international 

shipping industry regulation 

— alongside STCW, SOLAS 

and MARPOL — updating and 

improving the existing 68 ILO 

conventions on seafarers’ working 

conditions. 

Mr Dickinson said Nautilus 

had played a major role in the 

development of the convention, 

Society last year paid out more 

than £1.7m in charitable grants 

to retired or permanently 

disabled seafarers, fishermen or 

their dependents. It also 

provides regular financial 

assistance to more than 2,000 

beneficiaries. 

Rear Admiral Lang — who 

began his seagoing career as a 

P&O Steam Navigation 

Company apprentice before 

transferring to the Royal Navy in 

1962 — retired from the RN in 

This year’s Nautilus UK Bevis Minter award for officer trainees, Klyne Tugs cadet 

Peter Cassap, is pictured at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, where he carried the MN 

standard in the annual service for seafarers last month PICTURE: ANDREW WIARD 

and believed it would have a significant 

impact upon seafarers’ 

social and employment rights, as 

well as promoting increased dialogue 

and consultation between 

unions and employers. 

But, he pointed out, it looks 

likely that the convention will take 

effect by early in 2011. ‘It is evident 

that everyone needs to be familiar 

and get involved, because 2010 or 

2011 is just round the corner.’ 

Mr Dickinson said good 

shipowners have nothing to fear 

from the convention, but the bad 

will face real problems. He urged 

employers to work with the Union 

to make MLC a success, and to 

ensure that it eradicates poor 

practices that create unfair competition. 

Mary Martyn and Neil 

Atkinson, from the Maritime & 

Coastguard Agency, said the UK is 

committed to full and meaningful 

implementation of MLC and has a 

1995 and served as head of the 

Marine Accident Investigation 

Branch from 1997 to 2002. 

‘The Shipwrecked Mariners’ 

Society has been serving the 

merchant marine and fishing 

community for almost 170 years 

and I’m honoured to be invited 

to take the helm of an 

organisation with such a 

distinguished history and yet 

whose work is as relevant and 

important today as it ever was,’ 

he said. 

£50m: THAT’S THE VALUE 

OF SHIPPING FOR THE UK 

NAUTILUS UK has welcomed a new government 

report highlighting the massive contribution 

of the maritime sector to the national 

economy. 

And the Union says the Crown Estate study 

— which values marine-related activities at 

more than 6% of the overall economy — shows 

the need for the government to take longawaited 

action to boost seafarer training. 

The Crown Estate report — ‘Socio-economic 

indicators of marine-related activities in 

the UK economy’ — concludes that marine 

industries and services contribute nearly 

£50bn to the UK’s annual GDP. 

The study — claimed to be the first of its 

kind — says the sector provides 890,000 jobs 

in areas as diverse as shipping, research, oil and 

gas production, and renewable energy. 

Researchers estimated that there are 98,000 

target date for UK ratification of 

the end of 2010. 

They stressed the scale of the 

work to be done — with inspections 

required of all 1,000 UK 

ships covered by MLC, of which 

around 770 over 500gt will need 

to be certificated. 

Trial inspections on a dredger 

and a containership had shown 

there was up to 10 hours of work 

involved, including preparation, 

onboard inspection and completing 

paperwork post-inspection. 

Maersk UK business development 

director Tom Graves said 

owners needed to prepare for 

MLC by establishing a project 

team to examine such areas as 

documentation, communication, 

education and training. He said it 

was essential that masters, officers 

and ratings are all fully briefed 

about the requirements — particularly 

in relation to port state control 

inspections. 

people employed by the UK shipping industry 

— which includes some 33,600 UK seafarers. 

The study says that whilst the sector has 

undergone massive changes — such as the 

decline of shipbuilding and the rise of marine 

renewable energy — traditional activities such 

as shipping and seafaring are ‘thriving’. 

Ships are still the main carrier of freight, 

transporting 426m tonnes each year, compared 

with just 2.2m tonnes carried by air 

freight. 

Overall, says the study, marine-related jobs 

account for 29 in every thousand in the UK — 

and they are far more effective than the average 

in generating wealth for the economy. 

Rob Hastings, director of marine estates at 

The Crown Estate, commented: ‘This report 

highlights the substantial, and ever-increasing, 

contribution of the marine economy to UK 

NAUTILUS members and 

officials helped to mark the 

nation’s tributes to wartime 

sacrifice on Remembrance 

Sunday this year. 

Swire Pacific master 

Captain James Hofton is 

pictured above left after 

laying the wreath at the 

Cenotaph on behalf of the 

TRIBUTES PAID TO 

FORMER OFFICIAL 

TRIBUTES have been paid to one 

of the Union’s former officials, 

Malcolm Bourne, who worked for 

the MNAOA/NUMAST for more 

than 30 years and died last 

month, at the age of 73. 

Mr Bourne served as a 

navigating officer with BP 

Tankers from 1951 to 1961, 

Union says figures highlight the case for action to boost training 

NAUTILUS REMEMBERS 

MN VICTIMS OF WAR 

Merchant Navy. Capt Hofton, 

who was accompanied by his 

wife, Diane,said it had been a 

privilege to represent those 

who served at sea in war time. 

General secretary Brian 

Orrell is pictured laying a 

wreath at the MN War 

Memorial at Tower Hill. 

Representing the Merchant 

before having to take up work 

ashore as a result of eyesight 

problems. 

He joined the MNAOA in 

October 1961, as assistant 

district secretary, and rose to the 

position of senior industrial 

officer before retiring in April 

1992. 

Deputy general secretary Peter 

McEwen said Malcolm had been 

a dedicated official, who had 

developed particular expertise on 

foreign flag employment issues. 

PLC. At a time when both the government and 

the press are showing renewed interest in 

marine issues, this report demonstrates the 

multitude of ways the marine economy contributes 

to British life.’ 

Nautilus assistant general secretary Mark 

Dickinson added: ‘It is very welcome to have 

solid research showing the value of the maritime 

sector to the national economy. 

‘However, the continuing success of the sector 

is utterly reliant upon a continued flow of 

maritime skills,’ he pointed out. 

‘It is high time the government delivered on 

its commitment to shipping by finally acting on 

the employment link proposals submitted by 

the industry which would help to further 

rebuild the UK’s pool of seafarers at remarkably 

little cost for such an immense payback to 

the national economy.’ 

Navy at the Westminster 

Abbey service were former 

Council member Captain 

Mike Lloyd, Great White 

Fleets chief engineer 

Christopher Watson, P&O 

Irish Ferries officer Micky 

Smyth, and Nautilus UK 

industrial officer Gavin 

Williams.

ON THE MOVE AT 

MARINERS’ PARK 

RETIRED P&O purser Sykes Little, 

centre, is pictured moving into his 

new bungalow at Nautilus UK’s 

Mariners’ Park welfare complex in 

Wallasey last month. With him are 

Liz Richardson, deputy director of 

the Union’s welfare services, and 

contracts manager Ian Madden, of 

builders T. Sloyan & Sons. 


NAUTILUS UK deputy general 

secretary Peter McEwen and 

deputy director of welfare 

services Liz Richardson are 

pictured right with members of 

the Merchant Navy Welfare 

Board and Merchant Navy 

Association at an event to mark 

the 10th anniversary of the ‘MN 

Convoy’ at the National 

Memorial Arboretum, in 

Staffordshire. 

The 2,535 oak trees in the 

convoy — one for every British 

merchant vessel and fishing 

boat lost in the second world 

war — were planted to help 

raise public awareness of the 

‘huge efforts and sacrifices of 

our Merchant Navy and 

fishermen and the ongoing 

need for them today on our 

small island,’ said MNWB 

chairman David Parsons. 

Funded through donations 

from the public — all recorded 

in a Book of Dedication — the 

Convoy remains the largest 

single plot at the 150-acre 

National Memorial Arboretum, 

and the memorial was 

rededicated in a service 

conducted by Revd David 

Potterton of the Sailors Society 

and attended by MN veterans 

from the world war and other 

conflicts. 

MINISTERS AGREE TO 

MEET ON TAX DISPUTE 

NAUTILUS UK was set to meet the 

Department of Transport and the Treasury last 

month in the latest stage of the campaign to 

safeguard the Seafarers’ Earnings Deduction 

income tax rules. 

Following the outcry from members and 

MPs over the latest attempt by HM Revenue & 

Customs to restrict the scope of the concession, 

both Mr Timms and shipping minister Jim 

Fitzpatrick wrote to the Union in an attempt to 

offer assurances. 

In his letter to general secretary Brian 

Orrell, Treasury minister Stephen Timms said 

the government continues to support the SED 

rules to promote the employment of UK seafarers 

— but wants to ensure that the benefits 

do not go to seafarers who work on what is 

legally defined as an ‘offshore installation’. 

Mr Timms said the HMRC defines an offshore 

installation as ‘a vessel that is engaged in 

exploiting mineral resources and is not mobile 

whilst doing so’. 

Mr Little’s new home is part of 

the project to build 10 new 

bungalows at Mariners’ Park, 

funded by a one-off instalment of 

£340,000 from the charity 

Seafarers UK and the rest from the 

NUMAST Welfare Funds. 

Seven bungalows will be ready 

by Christmas, and the last three by 

May next year. One is being 

specially adapted to suit a 

disabled person, with 

accommodation for a carer if 

required. 

SERVICE TO MARK ‘MN CONVOY’ ANNIVERSARY 

Treasury is still missing the point on SED eligibility, Union warns 

His letter states that construction, construction 

support, well service and dive support 

vessels that do not meet both of these 

conditions will continue to be classed as ships 

for the purposes of SED. This, Mr Timms said, 

should ensure that the majority of seafarers 

will not be affected by the HMRC 

Commissioner’s decision in the Pride South 

America case. 

The Treasury also apologised for the fact 

that this explanation was not provided in the 

original note from HMRC, and stated that 

revised guidance will be issued only after discussions 

with Industry stakeholders. 

Deputy general secretary Peter McEwen 

said Nautilus would use the meeting to repeat 

its calls for SED to be given to all seafarers — to 

ensure it meets its original aim of protecting a 

strategic supply of British seafarers. 

‘The minister’s letter still misses the key 

point — that SED was intended as a measure to 

safeguard the supply of British seafarers, irre- 

spective of the type of ship they serve on,’ he 

pointed out. 

‘Nautilus will continue to campaign for 

SED to be available to all seafarers, and for the 

confusion and anomalies created by the present 

rules to be eliminated,’ he added. 

‘The abuse of the current system by nonseafarers 

can be dealt with in a much more logical 

way than continually producing new 

definitions of what a ship is,’ he stressed. ‘The 

simple, but effective, solution is for a proper 

definition of what a seafarer is.’ 

In the meantime, said Mr McEwen, it is 

essential that members continue to keep up the 

political pressure to safeguard the SED system. 

So far, more than 1,730 people have signed a 

Downing Street petition on the issue 

(http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/MerchantSED) and more 

than 70 MPs have signed a Parliamentary 

motion (EDM 2232) that expresses concern at 

the changes to the SED rules and urges the government 

to reverse the decision. 

DRAGON’S DEN AT 

SOUTH TYNESIDE 

SOUTH Tyneside nautical college 

staff and students are staging a 

‘Dragons Den’ enterprise 

initiative in December. 

The event — which will raise 

funds for the college’s sponsored 

charity, African Leprosy Mission, 

and a local seafaring charity — 

will feature Foundation Degree 

briefly... 

DECEMBER 2008●✪ Nautilus UK Telegraph●✪ 3 

students presenting maritimethemed 

ideas that can be taken 

forward as a product, a service or 

an event. 

It follows a similar event last 

year and is being supported by 

the maritime lawyers Eversheds, 

The North of England P&I Club, 

Maersk and Carnival Cruises. 

The event is due to be held 

between 10-19 December, and 

anyone needing further 

information should email: 

jeremy.gilmour@stc.ac.uk 

Fishing warning: the International Transport Workers’ 

Federation has produced a detailed report warning that 

conditions for many foreign crews on fishing vessels operating 

off Scotland and Ireland are akin to ‘modern day slavery’. The 

report calls for government action to tackle the abuse of 

migrant workers in the sector, and to end the acceptance of 

transit visas for non-EU crews — warning that this could 

impact adversely on conditions in the offshore industry. 

Tanker deaths: the master of the Singapore-flagged tanker 

FR8 Venture on which two crewmen died after being hit by 

large waves in heavy seas off Orkney last year should have 

delayed sailing, an inquiry heard last month. Accident 

investigator Captain Paul Kavanagh told the hearing at 

Kirkwall Sheriff Court that the conditions had been forecast, 

and the ship should have stayed in sheltered waters until the 

men had completed their work on deck. 

Bilge neglect: P&I Club inspectors have expressed concern at 

the number of cases in which they have discovered the 

maintenance of hold bilge systems being neglected onboard 

bulk carriers and general cargoships. In a special technical 

bulletin issued last month, the UK Club warned that such 

negligence could have serious consequences — including 

unnecessary cargo claims. 

Norfolkline cuts: ferry operator Norfolkline has announced 

reduced sailings on its Felixstowe-Vlaardingen service in a bid 

to cut costs. The company says it is still planning to launch a 

new operation between Rosyth and Zeebrugge next year, 

although it has warned that tonnage may have to be reduced 

on other routes if the economic situation does not pick up. 

Age discrimination: older workers are still suffering 

discrimination, a new study has warned. According to the 

survey conducted by The Age & Employment Network, some 

63% of people aged over 50 said they were seen as too old by 

employers, and 42% said they were regarded as too 

experienced or over-qualified. 

Anchor alarm: marine insurers have issued a safety bulletin in 

response to concerns that seafarers are ignoring proper 

anchoring procedures. The Standard P&I Club says it is 

worried that commercial pressures have caused an increase in 

anchor-related accidents. 

Holiday call: the TUC has urged the government to introduce 

a new bank holiday to bridge the four-month gap between the 

August and Christmas breaks. It says a new Community Day 

holiday would cheer up stressed workers and encourage 

voluntary service. 

Channel collision: the British-registered cargoship Scot Isles 

suffered minor damage after a collision with the Egyptianflagged 

bulk carrier Wadi Halfa some 20 miles east of 

Ramsgate last month.


GLOBAL AWARD 

IS WORTH 6.6% 

MEMBERS serving with Global 

Marine Systems Guernsey are 

being consulted on a pay and 

conditions offer valued at 6.6%. 

The offer was made in talks 

with Nautilus officials and 

partnership committee reps last 

month and the Union is strongly 

recommending acceptance of the 


briefly... 

offer, which includes a pay uplift 

of 4.6% — brought forward by a 

month from the January review 

date — and the removal of the six 

annual travel days. 

Industrial officer Jonathan 

Havard said the company had 

also confirmed during the talks 

with Nautilus that it is confident 

of meeting its business plan, and 

that bonuses averaging around 

8% will be paid in March. 

Deadline for the consultation 

responses is 1 December. 

Hanson meeting: as a result of feedback from members 

serving with Hanson Ship Management, Nautilus has 

submitted a claim for a 10% across-the-board increase to 

salaries and allowances. The Union has also requested the 

scrapping of the bonus scheme, and its replacement by a 

further 10% increase in basic salary. The claim also calls for 

loyalty payments, and talks on issues including pay 

differentials, training arrangements and onboard facilities. 

A new date is being sought, after management had to 

postpone a scheduled meeting on 17 November. 

NLB ‘no’: Northern Lighthouse Board members have turned 

down a revised pay and conditions package that would have 

given them a 3% pay rise and a non-consolidated 

performance-related bonus of £1,200. ‘We’re now trying to 

find a way forward,’ said industrial officer Steve Doran. 

Trinity top-up: following a market testing exercise carried 

out as part of this year’s pay agreement, Trinity House has 

agreed to make an additional 1% increase for SVS staff, along 

with other improvements to help reduce turnover. 

PLA increase: Nautilus has secured confirmation that 

members serving with the Port of London Authority are to 

receive an inflation-linked pay award worth 5% with effect 

from 1 January as part of a two-year agreement. 

Red Funnel terms: Nautilus members serving with the Red 

Funnel Group are being consulted on proposed changes to 

terms and conditions, including leave arrangements, overtime 

costs and training. 

Carriers deal: following discussions with Anglo-Eastern, 

Nautilus has concluded an agreement giving a 5% pay 

increase for members serving on the company’s car carriers. 

Estuary claim: following consultations with members 

employed by Estuary Services, Nautilus has submitted a 6% 

pay claim and requested talks with management. 

Intrada input: Nautilus was due to meet Intrada Ships 

Management as the Telegraph went to press to discuss a claim 

for an across-the-board 7.5% salary increase. 

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NAUTILUS UK has sought to 

move urgently to the next stage of 

the Royal Fleet Auxiliary disputes 

procedure after a formal response 

to this year’s pay claim failed to 

materialise at talks last month. 

National secretary Paul 

Keenan said the Union had 

expressed ‘the widespread and 

high level of dissatisfaction’ 

among members at the way the 

negotiations have once again 

become bogged down. 

Mr Keenan said the RFA 

Commodore had sought to assure 

Nautilus that the submission was 

at ministerial level, and that a 

remit would be authorised very 

shortly. 

‘However, we believe that this 

is just not good enough,’ Mr 

Keenan added. ‘We have made 

repeated efforts to get the negotiations 

completed on time, but the 

RFA management’s lack of real 

control and influence over the pay 

review process — caused by the 

strict Treasury guidelines — is 

undermining confidence in collective 

bargaining and the whole 

credibility of the pay procedures.’ 

Nautilus has pointed out that 

members are losing out as a result 

of the delays in resolving the 

claim, with their take-home pay 

failing to keep pace with price 

rises. 

The Union has now requested 

NAUTILUS UK was set to meet Stena Line 

late last month after rejecting a 4.5% pay offer 

made in earlier talks on this year’s claim. 

National secretary Ronnie Cunningham 

said officer reps and officials at the initial meeting 

considered the company’s offer was not sufficient 

to form the basis of a recommended 

settlement for members and he hoped an 

improved package would be tabled when the 

that the disputes committee is 

convened at stage two — 

Command Secretary level — as a 

matter of urgency. 

NEW PRINCESS 

SHIP IS NAMED 

PICTURED left is the newest 

addition to the Princess fleet, 

Ruby Princess, which was 

christened at a ceremony in Fort 

Lauderdale, Florida, last month. 

Built at the Italian Fincantieri 

yard, the 113,561gt vessel has 

begun a series of Caribbean 

cruises, before transferring to 

✪Nautilus is now seeking nominations 

from members wanting to 

stand for election for the post of 

full-time RFA liaison officer. The 

negotiations are reconvened. 

The Union is seeking an 8% pay rise and a 

number of other improvements. 

Management told the negotiating team that 

the company is facing a challenging time 

ahead, but Mr Cunningham said Stena had 

confirmed that it would be able to increase the 

amount of money available for recall remuneration, 

and to discuss ‘anomalies’ in junior offi- 

the Mediterranean in May next 

year. Operating under the 

Bermuda flag with British and 

Italian officers, the US$400m 

can carry up to 3,080 

passengers and 1,225 crew. 

Princess Cruises president 

Alan Buckelew told the naming 

event that Ruby Princess would 

be the company’s last new ship 

for a while, but promised 

Princess would continue to 

innovate and ‘raise the bar’ on 

existing vessels. 

RFA: STILL NO OFFER 

Union takes pay claim to the next stage of disputes procedure 

PAY and conditions negotiations 

have begun on behalf of 

members serving with the key 

cruise shipping companies, 

Cunard, P&O/Princess and 

Holland America Line. Nautilus 

NL and UK officials are pictured 

with HAL management at 

the discussions last month. 

The Union is seeking 8% pay 

increases and a number of other 

improvements for members 

employed by Cunard Celtic and 

Fleet Maritime Services, and 

has requested a substantial 

increase and improved leave 

arrangements for members on 

HAL vessels. 

PICTURED above is the Royal Fleet Auxiliary fleet 

replenishment vessel Fort Victoria being moved 

out of lay-up in Portsmouth ahead of a refit at the 

Northwestern Shiprepairers and Shipbuilders 

(NSL) yard on Merseyside next year. 

Fort Victoria was placed in ‘extended 

readiness’ in May 2007 to save money, but is 

now due to begin a refit in April, taking the place 

of Fort George, which has spent much of the past 

year at the former Cammell Laird facility. 

✪ Fincantieri, the Italian shipbuilding giant, has 

However, progress towards 

offers has been slow — with 

managements at all three companies 

warning that the global 

economic slowdown means that 

the year ahead is set to be very 

difficult for them. 

Further negotiations have 

formed an alliance with Birkenhead-based 

Northwestern Shiprepairers and Shipbuilders in 

a bid to clinch a Ministry of Defence contract to 

build up to six new RFA fleet replenishment 

vessels. 

Fincantieri is one of four companies on a 

shortlist for the work, which forms part of the 

long-awaited MARS project to upgrade the RFA 

fleet. The new ships are due to go into service 

between 2012 and 2017. 

PICTURE: GARY DAVIES/MARITIME PHOTOGRAPHIC 

closing date for nominations is 12 

December, and if there is more 

than one candidate the elections 

will begin in January. 

More talks as 4.5% Stena offer is rejected 

cer scales as set against certification. 

✪Following extensive negotiations, Nautilus 

and Stena have agreed a new collective bargaining 

agreement covering all officers sailing 

out of Fleetwood. Mr Cunningham said the 

agreement, which took effect on 1 November, 

means that all officers who were on the old 

P&O contracts will now receive four weeks’ 

annual leave. 

CRUISE COMPANIES WARN OF ‘DIFFICULT’ TIMES AHEAD 

been scheduled for December, 

and national secretary Paul 

Keenan said he hoped the companies 

would come back to the 

table with realistic responses to 

the Union’s claims. 

‘Although we recognise that 

the climate is difficult, it should 

also be accepted that performance 

up to now has been strong,’ 

he said. ‘The experience and 

knowledge of our members 

brings added value to these 

brands, and they deserve an 

increase that reflects that, as 

well as the need to ensure their 

standard of living is maintained.’

UNION CONCERN 

AT SPEEDFERRIES 

NAUTILUS UK has approached 

SpeedFerries management for 

assurances after its cross- 

Channel catamaran SpeedOne, 

right, was arrested in Boulogne 

last month. 

Port authorities said they had 

seized the vessel on the basis of 

port dues and taxes owed by the 


UNION LIAISON 

OFFICERS MEET 

PICTURED right are members and 

officials attending the second 

annual Nautilus UK lay 

representatives meeting, held at 

the Wallasey office last month. 

Members from a wide range of 

companies attended the meeting 

and discussed issues including 

next year’s Biennial General 

Meeting, membership 

recruitment activity, and welfare 

provision — including a tour of the 

Union’s extensive facilities at 

Mariners’ Park. 

company. They said SpeedOne 

would be held until an 

agreement on the arrears had 

been reached. 

SpeedFerries told the Union 

last month that the 

‘unpredictable’ actions of the 

French port authorities meant it 

could not give a firm date for the 

resumption of services. 

It accused the port of having 

ignored substantial counterclaims 

and failing to address 

unfair competition issues. 

TARGETS FOR 

PAY TALKS 

SET BY UNION 

Council agrees negotiating plan 

NAUTILUS needs to focus on 

securing decent pay increases and 

protecting members’ jobs in the 

2009 pay negotiating process, 

Council members have decided. 

A 12-point set of industrial 

negotiating objectives was agreed 

at the last meeting, with above- 

RPI increases, resisting redundancies, 

and good quality 

pensions topping the list of aspirations. 

Assistant general secretary 

Mark Dickinson said the talks will 

take place against a bleak background, 

with reports of ships 

going into lay-up, freight rates 

tumbling, and cargo volumes 

plummeting. 

‘We can expect that negotiations 

may take longer than 

expected, because of the economic 

downturn and factors such as 

increased fuel prices,’ he added. 

‘However, analysis suggests 

that whilst there will be some 

short-term pain for the shipping 

industry, it is in a fundamentally 

healthy position and that it will 

ride out the storm largely intact.’ 

Mr Dickinson said the global 

seafarer skills shortage is so acute 

that companies will continue to 

face recruitment and retention 

pressures, and as a result they will 

be unwise to seek to cut members’ 

pay and conditions. 

‘The heat in the labour market 

is not going to go away,’ he 

stressed, ‘and that is what employers 

will need to remember when 

they sit down to consider our pay 

and conditions claims.’ 

Mr Dickinson said the recession 

could have one positive effect 

— forcing out old and substandard 

tonnage that has been kept in 

service longer than planned to 

benefit from the boom of the past 

few years. 

The industrial objectives also 

urge the Union to continue seeking 

long-term deals, promoting 

the ‘partnership’ approach, developing 

liaison officer structures, 

and paying attention to the needs 

of young officers. Negotiators will 

also press companies without inhouse 

pension arrangements to 

contribute to industry schemes. 

MAERSK TABLES REVISED OFFERS 

MEMBERS serving on Maersk 

containerships are being consulted 

on a 2% pay offer — tabled 

after Nautilus urged it to re-think 

a proposed pay freeze. 

A similar offer has been made 

to members employed by Maersk 

Offshore (Bermuda). 

The Union is also seeking feedback 

from members on Maersk 

tankers, after they were offered a 

4% increase plus 4% on increments. 

Members serving with Maersk 

Offshore on Norfolkline’s Irish Sea 

and Dover vessels have been 

offered 2%, whilst officers 

employed by Maersk (Safmarine) 

have been offered a pay and leave 

package valued at 6%. 

CalMac consult 

MEMBERS serving with 

Caledonian MacBrayne Crewing 

have been consulted on a 

proposed three-year pay deal 

that would give 5% this year and 

RPI-related increases in 2009 

and 2010. 

The package — said to be the 

full and final offer — also 

includes bonus payments worth 

up to 1.5% each year, superior 

certificate payments, and a 

number of other improvements. 

The Union had strongly recommended 

the offer, and industrial 

officer Gary Leech said 

meetings with members in 

Oban and Stornoway had been 

held to discuss it. If consultations 

show a majority against 

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the package, the Union will seek 

further discussions with the 

company. 

Mr Leech said consultations 

on a proposed new harmonised 

CalMac agreement are set to 

take place shortly following 

amendments to the draft made 

in response to members’ comments. 

✪CalMac has announced that it 

is seeking to take on some 120 

temporary staff for its March to 

October summer season — and 

human resources director Alan 

Moffat says the company hopes 

it can use the process to identify 

suitable candidates for permanent 

posts as they become available. 

TALKS CONTINUE 

ON P&O CUTS 

NAUTILUS was meeting liaison 

officers and management late 

last month for further discussions 

on P&O Ferries’ cost-cutting 

plans for job losses. 

The company is seeking to 

restructure deck and technical 

manning on its shortsea ships, 

and reorganise onboard services 

briefly... 


SFPA rejection: Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency 

members have rejected management’s offer of a three-year 

pay deal, with an average 4% year-on-year increase. At a 

subsequent meeting, management insisted there was no 

leeway concerning the percentages on offer. The Union was 

consulting members last month on three options: reject the 

offer and allow management to impose it unilaterally; accept 

it under protest on the understanding that it is the best that 

can be achieved by negotiation; or reject it and consider a 

ballot for industrial action. 

Epic talks: members serving with Meridian Marine Guernsey 

on Epic Shipping ropax ferries are being consulted on their 

aspirations for the next pay review, due in January. The 

company says it will probably seek a further three-year deal. 

Industrial officer Steve Doran and newly-elected liaison 

officer Graham Starkey met management on 22 October and 

discussed issues including officers’ recreational facilities, 

internet, email and telephone access. 

Wyndhams rethink: following Wyndhams Management 

Services’ refusal to negotiate on an initial pay and conditions 

claim, Nautilus has made a revised submission seeking a 7.5% 

increase. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said the new 

claim had been presented after consultation with members, 

and the Union considered it was realistic in the current 

circumstances. 

Azalea protest: Nautilus has complained to Azalea Maritime 

over its move to unilaterally impose a 3.5% pay rise, effective 

from 1 July. Industrial officer Gavin Williams told the 

company that members’ salaries are not keeping pace with 

inflation and that it needs to abide by the collective bargaining 

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management in all sectors. The 

proposals would mean the loss of 

46.5 officer posts. 

Industrial officer Jonathan 

Havard said the proposals had 

generated considerable concern 

amongst members, and talks 

with officer reps had identified 

issues such as increased 

workloads and standards of 

service to passengers. 

The Union has also 

challenged the company over the 

need to make redundancies. 

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TECHNICAL POST 

AT NORTH STAR 

FORMER chief engineer officer 

David Coultas has been 

appointed new technical director 

at North Star Shipping. 

Mr Coultas is pictured right 

with the man he is replacing — 

Robin Smith, who is retiring 

after 20 years with the company. 

With over 35 years maritime 

offshore bulletin 

briefly... 

Trico settlement: Nautilus UK has agreed a 7.5% pay 

offer for members serving with GSM on Trico Supply 

(UK) vessels. Industrial officer Gavin Williams said 

consultations with members had shown insufficient 

support for rejection of the package, which — with other 

improvements — has been valued at 10% and which will 

take effect from 1 January. 

Aberdeen claim: following consultations with members 

employed by Meridian onboard the Aberdeen, Nautilus 

has submitted a claim for a 15% pay increase, a seniority 

bonus scheme, travel and training days, and death in 

service benefits. A meeting with management has been 

requested at the earliest opportunity. 

FPSO moorings: new guidelines to promote the safer 

mooring of floating production, storage and offloading 

vessels have been published by Oil & Gas UK. The 

guidance was developed in response to concern over 

incidents in which mooring lines were damaged or failed. 

CMA submission: Nautilus UK has met management to 

discuss a 10% pay claim for members serving on the CMA 

Ships vessels Geo Prospector, Fugro Meridian and 

Mercator. Industrial officer Jonathan Havard said he 

hopes a formal offer will be tabled in December. 

Subsea rejection: members serving with Subsea 7 have 

rejected an improved pay offer worth a total of 20% over 

two years, and including an increased employer’s pension 

contribution. The Union is now seeking further talks. 

Safer baskets: the UK firm Reflex marine has launched 

a new personnel transfer capsule intended to address 

concerns over the safety of ‘basket’ operations. 

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OPERATORS HIT 

BACK ON SAFETY 

A BIG row over North Sea safety 

broke out last month after one 

industry executive told a 

conference that some of the 

installations in the sector are 

‘falling apart’. 

Petrofac chief executive 

Ayman Asfari told the Oil and 

Money conference in London that 

AHTS KIDNAP 

CONDEMNED 

ITF hits out as Cameroon rebels seize crew 

THE INTERNATIONAL Transport 

Workers’ Federation has expressed 

concern about an incident 

last month in which the 

crew of an offshore support vessel 

were kidnapped off the coast of 

Cameroon. 

A local rebel group who seized 

10 French, Tunisian and Cameroonian 

seafarers from the 

Bourbon Sagitta threatened to 

kill the men at one stage unless 

their demands were met. 

The crew members were 

taken from the French-owned 

AHTS as it was assisting an oil 

tanker loading crude from a field, 

some 15 miles offshore, off the 

Bakassi peninsula. 

They were taken ashore by 

armed men aboard three speedboats. 

The five remaining crew on 

the Bourbon vessel managed to 

take it to safety in the port of Doula 

AN ABERDEEN-based 

maritime training provider has 

announced a major upgrade 

to its dynamic positioning 

suite, pictured right, in a bid to 

stay ahead of the 

international competition and 

bring new business to the UK. 

Aberdeen Skills and 

Enterprise Training (ASET) 

welcomed delegates to the 

first courses on its new DP 

equipment in October. The 

delegates are international 

offshore workers, attracted by 

some of the first DP training 

courses in the world to be run 

according to Nautical Institute 

standards. 

Central to the equipment 

upgrade has been the 

installation of the new 

Converteam (previously 

Alstom) Duplex Series C 

System. This system, the 

latest and most advanced 

developed by Converteam, is 

now being fitted to newbuild 

ships. The upgrades to the 

with the help of relief officers. 

The kidnappers made a series 

of demands to the Cameroon 

government — thought to 

include better living conditions 

for people in the Bakassi area, 

whose sovereignty recently passed 

from Nigeria to Cameroon. 

They eventually released the 

men unharmed, and the French 

foreign minister said the cause 

had showed ‘the urgent necessity 

for the international community 

to fight against piracy.’ 

No details were given on why 

the men were released, but French 

president Nicolas Sarkozy thanks 

the Cameroon president for his 

efforts to resolve the situation. 

The ITF condemned the 

attack, which was the first incident 

of its kind off Cameroon in 

more than two years. 

ITF maritime coordinator 

training suite enable ASET to 

train delegates on the very 

latest specification 

equipment. 

‘One or two of the big oil 

companies may be using 

equipment like this on their inhouse 

courses, but we are the 

only centre in the UK — and 

one of very few in the world — 

to make it available 

Steve Cotton said: ‘This has been a 

barbaric spectacle: a violent kidnapping 

followed by threats that 

all the men would be killed within 

days if a ransom wasn’t paid.’ 

He said there were no excuses 

— either economic or political — 

for the kidnapping and the ‘callous 

threats’ made against the 

crew. 

✪Pirates are continuing to attack 

support vessels operating off 

neighbouring Nigeria. Two supply 

vessels came under attack 25 

miles off the Niger Delta at the 

end of October, and a group of oil 

workers, including seven French 

and 10 Nigerian nationals, were 

briefly seized. The support vessel 

Bourbon Ajax, under contract to 

Addax Petroleum of Canada, was 

boarded by pirates, who stole 

equipment and personal possessions. 

ASET claims DP upgrade 

makes it unique in the UK 

throughout the industry,’ 

pointed out ASET sales and 

marketing coordinator Paul 

Forrest. 

ASET marine instructor Jim 

Simpson added: ‘The new 

system is very user-friendly. It 

will also allow us to be more 

flexible and deliver more of 

the courses that industry 

request, more of the time.’ 

some of the platforms in the 

North Sea were now over 30 

years old and badly in need of 

repair, and that maintenance 

could suffer as a result of falling 

oil prices. 

But the operators’ association 

Oil & Gas UK immediately hit 

back at the comments. Health 

and safety director Chris Allen 

said the industry is spending 

more than £1.5bn on asset 

integrity this year and oil prices 

would not affect investment. 

Vector is 

warned 

on VDRs 

following 

Aberdeen 

accident 

THE MARINE Accident 

Investigation Branch has urged 

emergency response and rescue 

vessel operator Vector Offshore 

to ensure that its masters properly 

consider their passage 

plans — including berth shifts. 

The call comes after a preliminary 

examination of an incident 

in which the Vector vessel 

Caledonian Victory sank three 

small pleasure boats, and damaged 

four others and a ro-ro 

berth whilst manoeuvring in 

Aberdeen in September. 

No one was injured in the 

incident, and minor pollution 

from the boats was contained 

with the use of booms. 

Aberdeen port control had 

instructed the 5,279gt Caledonian 

Victory to switch berths 

with its sister vessel, Caledonian 

Vanguard. 

Once Caledonian Vanguard 

had positioned itself on Caledonian 

Victory’s port beam, 

Caledonian Victory began moving 

astern towards the intended 

berth. But its bow came under 

the influence of the south-easterly 

wind and during the ensuing 

manoeuvres it smashed into 

the pleasure boats moored 

alongside a ro-ro berth. 

‘Although voyage data 

recorders (VDR) were carried 

in both vessels,’ notes the MAIB 

report, ‘neither was working 

and therefore a detailed examination 

of the manoeuvring 

undertaken was not possible.’ 

The deputy chief inspector of 

marine accidents has written to 

the vessel’s manager and 

‘strongly advised’ that it 

instructs its masters to ensure 

that all passage plans — including 

berth shifts — are properly 

considered and take into 

account the environmental conditions, 

the limitations of the 

propulsion, and the assistance 

available, and that such plans 

are effectively communicated to 

all involved parties. 

The Cayman Islands administration 

has also written to the 

ship’s manager to remind it of 

its responsibility to ensure the 

correct operation of VDRs 

onboard its vessels. 

Vector Offshore has replaced 

the VDR onboard Caledonian 

Victory and has undertaken to 

replace the VDRs on three sister 

vessels.

JUBILEE SAILING TRUST 

GETS HELPING HAND FOR 

SOUTHAMPTON REFIT 

ASSOCIATED British Ports is supporting the 

Jubilee Sailing Trust by providing free 

berthing for the tall ship Lord Nelson during 

a refit this winter. 

Pictured beside the vessel, left to right, 

are: Andy Spark, JST ship operations 

manager; Steven Young, ABP deputy port 

news 

manager; and Sam Baggley, from the 

container services firm Pentalver. 

Work on the 22-year-old vessel begins in 

December and is due to run to March next 

year. Mr Young said ABP was delighted to 

support the Trust by providing the berth at 

Dock Gate 10. 

‘There are few more uplifting and 

motivational experiences than sail training 

and they deserve all the help they can get,’ 

he added. 

Pentalver is also supporting the Trust by 

providing secure container storage for the 

refit period. 

JST ship operations manager Andy Spark 

commented: ‘Our ships are our most 

important assets, and without this kind 

support we simply couldn’t maintain them to 

the high standards we demand — it would 

be too expensive.’ 

The JST is still looking for local people to 

help with the refit period and would 

particularly welcome specialist skills such as 

carpenters, electricians, plumbers, riggers 

and engineers. 

✪To find out more, visit the website: 

www.jst.org.uk; call 023 8044 3113 or 

email: operations@jst.org.uk 

UNIONS SEEK ACTION ON 

EU FERRY CONDITIONS 

Learn lessons from deregulation debacle in the finance markets, MEPs are told 

NAUTILUS has helped kick off a 

renewed campaign to protect jobs 

and conditions in the European 

ferry sector — with a warning that 

politicians need to learn lessons 

from the ‘credit crunch’. 

Seafaring unions from across 

Europe travelled to Brussels last 

month to stage a demonstration in 

support of calls for measures to 

safeguard EU maritime employment 

and to curb the use of lowcost 

labour. 

They also took part in a special 

public hearing at the European 

Parliament, presenting transport 

commissioner Antonio Tajani 

with a ‘charter for European seafarers’ 

— calling for action to end 

‘social dumping’, improved controls 

on seafarers’ working conditions, 

and the revival of the EU 

‘manning directive’ to regulate pay 

rates on EU ferry services. 

In a presentation to the meeting, 

Denis Gregory, from the 

Trade Union Research Unit at 

Ruskin College, Oxford, said traditional 

quality operators are 

under increasing pressure from 

‘the rock-bottom approach, which 

favours a flag of convenience and 

the employment of non-EU crews 

with very low wages, poor working 

conditions, minimal training, and 

very little employment security’. 

THE UK is being taken to the European 

Court of Justice for failing to properly 

implement a key piece of EU law on maritime 

pollution. 

The European Commission announced 

last month that the UK would be 

brought before the court ‘for failure to 

respect EU legislation on ship-source 

On the march: seafarers from across Europe join the protest march in Brussels to highlight the need to protect seafarer employment PICTURE: ETF 

He highlighted evidence to 

show increased exploitation in the 

European ferry trades, and a deterioration 

of the social conditions 

of EU seafarers in the past 25 

years. 

‘National and European-wide 

measures do not appear to have 

stopped the shift towards the 

rock-bottom business model,’ Mr 

Gregory pointed out. ‘But the lessons 

we are all learning from the 

credit crunch and the turmoil that 

has beset the world’s financial 

markets are a stark reminder of 

the dangers which accompany a 

lack of effective regulation. 

‘Shipping companies operating 

in the maritime sector face 

even less regulation than the 

banking sector,’ he added. ‘It 

would be timely to review this situation.’ 

The campaign is being organised 

by the European Transport 

Workers’ Federation, and ETF 

maritime political secretary 

Philippe Alfonso said there was a 

need to protect seafarers’ conditions 

to ensure that the maritime 

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profession is an attractive career 

choice. 

‘There’s no evidence to substantiate 

claims that young people 

do not wish to seek a maritime 

career,’ he said. ‘By providing good 

living and working conditions and 

attractive remunerations, the 

industry can avoid a shortage of 

skilled personnel.’ 

UK is taken to court for directive failures 

pollution and on penalties for those 

responsible for polluting discharges’. 

Brussels said it was also sending ‘a 

reasoned opinion’ to the UK authorities 

— the stage before court action — for 

incorrectly transposing legislation on 

the European vessel traffic monitoring 

system into national law. 

The Commission said the UK had 

failed to notify its national measures fully 

transposing the ‘ship-source pollution 

directive’ into national law, as required 

by 1 April 2007. 

And it said faults had been found in 

the UK provisions relating to the exclusion 

of all fishing vessels and traditional 

ships from the scope of the directive on 

ship monitoring, which should have been 

transposed by 1 May 2004. 

Nautilus senior national secretary 

Allan Graveson expressed concern at the 

moves — warning that it reflected poorly 

on the organisation and commitment of 

the UK’s maritime administration. 


$1m: ‘the 

daily cost 

of human 

error in 

shipping’ 

‘HUMAN factor’ accidents are 

costing the shipping industry as 

much as US$1m a day, an 

International Chamber of 

Shipping (ICS) conference heard 

last month. 

Revealing the figure, Joe 

Ludwiczak, general secretary of 

the Liberian Shipowners’ Council, 

told the meeting that shipping 

should adopt aviation industry 

techniques to tackle human element 

safety issues. 

He pointed to a recent analysis 

of fires and explosion on tankers 

over the last two decades which 

showed that the primary cause for 

most incidents was failure to follow 

standard industry guidelines 

and procedures. 

‘Common to all the incidents, 

though, and probably the most 

significant factor, a profound 

ignorance of the human factor was 

evident,’ Mr Ludwiczak stated. 

He said aviation — the industry 

that has the most in common with 

shipping — had identified that 

rather than focussing predominantly 

on technical systems and 

trends analysis, it should concentrate 

on human behaviour.’ 

After discovering the importance 

of psychological and physiological 

limitations, airlines had 

targeted such issues as stress, 

imperfect information processes, 

fatigue, workloads, poor decision 

making, poor interpersonal communications. 

Measures shipping could learn 

from aviation, Mr Ludwiczak suggested, 

included educating people 

on communications, teamwork, 

organisation skills, prioritisation, 

managing workloads, people and 

tasks, and problem solving. 

There is also a need to look at 

standardising the design of equipment 

where possible, he added, 

and to recognise the realities of 

human behaviour when addressing 

operations and management 

systems.


‘SUPER-BRIDGE’ 

SYSTEM FOR 

SUPERYACHTS 

THE MARINE electronics firm 

Simrad has launched a new 

‘super-bridge’ system for 

superyachts, pictured right. 

Developed in response to user 

feedback, the Navico 

StellaMaris seeks to replace the 

large yacht news 

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DUTCH FRIGATES ARE CONVERTED INTO ABU 

DHABI YARD’S FIRST PAIR OF ‘GIGA-YACHTS’ 

ABU Dhabi’s MAR Shipyard 

has revealed the latest details 

of the two spectacular ‘gigayachts’ 

currently under 

construction at its all-new 

shipyard. 

At 141 and 135m loa, they 

are among the world’s 

longest — if somewhat 

skinniest — private yachts 

under construction and when 

launched will rank high 

among the world’s top 100 

yachts simply because of 

their length. 

Both are based on the hulls 

of former Royal Dutch Navy 

frigates, whose design — 

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high propulsion power and 

futuristic styling by the 

Pierrejean Design Studio in 

Paris — ensures they will be 

fast — 26-knot — and 

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super yachts. 

Having had her gas turbine 

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141, set for mid-2009 

delivery. The second, Swift 

135, will be launched 18 

months later. The company 

has also announced that it 

has further orders for yachts 

of 47 and 52m loa, with 

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Tel/Fax 01446 771536 

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construction to begin in 

2009. 

With these four significant 

orders in its first year of 

operation, the builder joins 

the ranks of luxury builders, 

as it endeavours to establish 

itself as a force among other 

technically advanced, fullfacility 

yards. 

Marketing director Luuk V. 

van Zanten, commented: 

‘When the Swift141 is 

delivered in summer 2009 the 

world will recognise and 

celebrate a new era of large 

yacht concept and 

construction.’ 

Abu Dhabi MAR will be 

among the principal 

exhibitors at the initial Abu 

Dhabi Yacht Show, during 12- 

14 March 2009. 

Warning over 

jobs ‘scam’ 

A UK government body has concluded 

its investigation into a 

suspect yacht crewing agency 

with a warning to seafarers to be 

‘very wary’ of any firm that asks 

them for money to get jobs. 

The Employment Agency 

Standards inspectorate probe of 

an outfit calling itself Sealink 

was launched following a complaint 

from a Nautilus member. 

EAS said it could find no evidence 

that Sealink was a genuine 

agency, and said it is illegal 

to charge fees for job seekers. 

DEVONPORT DROP 

JUST three months after 

announcing three bold new 

designs, and having only ever 

completed two yacht builds since 

its inception, the Plymouth-based 

firm Devonport is set to dump 

yacht projects altogether. The 

decision not to bid for future 

yacht contracts beyond those 

currently under way follows a 

review of the firm’s operations. 

Awesome 

revival of 

axe-bow 

✪by Capt MICHAEL HOWORTH 

THE 72.8m Predator, pictured 

left, will go down in the annals of 

yachting history as the first 

Feadship with an axe-bow. Built 

by Koninklijke De Vries Scheepsbouw, 

at Aalsmeer in Holland, this 

awesome vessel also broke several 

other records at the time of her 

launch earlier this year. 

Despite being among the quietest 

the yard has ever built, 

Predator carries an unprecedented 

four-engine propulsion 

package, has the tallest engineroom, 

the longest uninterrupted 

interior views, and the largest 

draft. 

Based in the Netherlands, 

Feadship is a cooperation between 

three yachting companies — 

Koninklijke De Vries Scheepsbouw, 

Royal Van Lent, and De 

Voogt Naval Architects — with 

combined roots dating back to 

1849. Recognised as a leader in 

the field of custom-built luxury 

motor yachts, the group has continuously 

been at the forefront of 

innovations in both technology 

and design. 

The background to the construction 

of the axe-bow yacht can 

be traced to 2003, when a 

designer from outside the yachting 

world asked the builder to 

investigate the feasibility of 

designing and building a superyacht 

based on a semi-submerged 

concept. 

Detailed technical research by 

the De Vries yard and De Voogt 

Naval Architects established that 

the best way forward would be to 

base the hull design on the axebow 

designs from the late 1800s. 

Although models were analysed in 

association with the MARIN 

research institute in Holland, the 

design package was not taken further 

at the time. 

Fast forward to late 2004, and 

the company began discussions 

with the future owner of 

Predator, who had commissioned 

a modern and aggressive 

design for a sleek, fast-looking 

yacht. His primary requirement 

was for speeds around the 25knot 

mark, but he did not want to 

use water jets or gas turbines. 

This raised a clear challenge for 

the builder: Such high speeds on 

a 70m-plus yacht would 

inevitably result in high propeller 

blade loads if a conventional 

diesel-propeller propulsion setup 

is deployed, creating excessive 

levels of noise and vibration. 

In order to minimise the 

required propulsion power, the 

solution was a hull form with the 

lowest possible resistance. The 

owner was given a choice between 

a flared bulbous bow or an axebow. 

Seeing the hydrodynamic 

benefits of such an efficient displacement 

hull design and loving 

the raked look, he did not hesitate 

to go for the latter and the 

Predator project was confirmed. 

Extensive sea keeping tests 

were carried out in the test tanks 

at MARIN and the results used to 

further optimise the hull form. 

Examples include having the foredeck 

dodger reshaped to serve as a 

breakwater, while the underwater 

bow shape was modified to avoid 

the risk of broaching and reduce 

the required bow thruster power. 

Now that she has been 

launched and has entered service 

Predator’s master, Captain Greg 

Drewes, who has 30-plus years at 

sea, is delighted with performance. 

‘The yacht handles better 

than any I have ever sailed. We 

have been in 5m seas and Predator 

throws no bow wake.’ 

Capt Drewes is equally 

impressed with the comfort standards 

in other ways too: ‘The specs 

on noise, vibration, speed and 

handling also surpassed our highest 

expectations. We averaged 20 

knots with two engines running at 

1,500rpm, and at that speed 

Predator is as smooth as other 

yachts I have run at seven knots. 

When we kick in four engines at a 

top rpm of 1800, she does between 

27 and 28.5 knots, depending on 

the amount of fuel onboard and 

the sea conditions. Nonetheless, 

the power of the blades is such that 

Predator can slow to zero in little 

more than twice her length.’ 

Predator is fitted with four 

MTU 16V 595 TE90 diesel 

engines that give a combined 

power in excess of 23,000bhp. 

They run in tandem with two 

Renk reduction gears, which were 

custom-built for this project and 

are the only two of their kind in the 

world. The gearboxes drive Rolls 

Royce controllable pitch propellers, 

which are an imposing 

3.20m in diameter. This explains 

why Predator has a draft of 3.70m, 

which is large by yachting standards.

CONCERNS OVER 

BULKER CHECKS 

CONCERNS have been voiced 

over a decline in the port state 

control record of the world’s bulk 

carrier fleet. 

The bulker owners’ body 

Intercargo warned last month 

that its analysis of latest 

inspection statistics showed that 

the bulk carrier sector’s detention 

news 

rate has deteriorated over the 

past year. 

However, chairman Nicky 

Pappadakis claimed, a ‘flight to 

quality’ will continue, because 

charterers are increasingly 

demanding better and higher 

quality shipping services. 

And he said Intercargo is 

involved in a number of projects 

that seek to improve bulker safety 

standards, including research 

into the impact of excessive 

loading rates. 

TRAINING 

FEAR FOR 

DEEPSEA 

PILOTAGE 

Alarm at recruitment shortage 

DEEPSEA pilotage can make a 

major contribution to the safety of 

shipping in the Channel and 

southern North Sea — but the 

chances of it becoming compulsory 

look remote, a meeting in 

London heard last month. 

Deepsea pilots and pilotage 

authorities from countries including 

the UK, the Netherlands, 

Sweden, Denmark, Finland, 

Belgium and France met at Trinity 

House for a day of discussion on 

the future of deepsea pilotage in 

NW European waters. 

‘There is no substitute for an 

additional pair of experienced 

eyes on the bridge of a ship,’ said 

Pat Brooks, of the Deep Sea & 

Coastal Pilots Agency. Benefits 

include reduced crew stress and 

fatigue, local knowledge, familiarity 

with reporting requirements 

and potential savings from 

improved routeing. 

However, she warned, because 

deepsea pilotage is not compulsory 

in the Channel many owners 

choose not to use it. 

James Ryeland, from George 

Hammond & Co, suggested that 

insurers and P&I clubs should 

introduce incentives for owners 

who utilise deepsea pilotage services. 

‘There are advantages to be 

gained on even the best run and 

best managed vessels,’ he argued. 

There are presently around 50 

UK deepsea pilots and a further 

40 or so in the other countries bordering 

the Channel. Both Mr 

Ryeland and Mrs Brooks warned 

that the growing shortage of suitably 

qualified and experienced 

masters is being felt by the agencies. 

‘We are desperately short of 

deepsea pilot recruits,’ Mr 

Ryeland told the meeting. ‘We 

need to attract younger masters 

and encourage more young people 

to go to sea. Deepsea pilotage may 

become unsustainable in its present 

form unless this is done.’ 

Captain Duncan Glass, director 

of pilotage at Trinity House, 

noted the increasing pressure for 

compulsory pilotage in sensitive 

areas such as the Torres Straits in 

Australia, the Bosporus, and some 

of the waters off Denmark. 

Pernilla Bergstedt, from 

Sweden’s Deepsea Pilotage 

Administration, spoke of similar 

pressures in the Baltic. But, she 

added, ‘from a legal and a practical 

point of view, compulsory deepsea 

pilotage is something of a dream’. 

And Captain Roger Francis, of 

the UK Marine Pilots Association, 

said the constraints on the ability 

to board and land pilots at the 

southern North Sea end of a 

Channel pilotage scheme would 

make a compulsory system impossible 

to implement. 

The best way forward, he said, 

would be to revise the wording of 

the IMO recommendation on the 

carriage of deepsea pilots in the 

area — and he hoped this would be 

put before the organisation next 

summer. 

The meeting heard that such 

an approach — backed up by close 

monitoring by the Danish maritime 

safety authority — has had a 

significant impact in the Danish 

Strait, where some 98% of ships 

now use deepsea pilots. 

Several speakers warned of the 

need for pre-emptive action on the 

issue — expressing concerns that a 

‘kneejerk reaction’ by politicians 

in the event of a major accident in 

the area could result in ill-advised 

measures. 

Capt Glass said the meeting 

had been the first of its kind for 17 

years and had been a major success. 

He said it is now hoped that 

the organisations will form a body 

that will meet regularly to discuss 

the issues and consider developing 

a common approach to training, 

qualifications, regulation and 

possible requirements for compulsory 

pilotage. 

PALACE HONOURS 

FOR CLYDE 

MARINE FOUNDER 

CLYDE Marine Recruitment 

founder David Livingstone, 

pictured left, was awarded an 

OBE in the Queen’s Birthday 

Honours list this year for his 

services to maritime training, 

the shipping industry and to the 

community in Glasgow. 

Last month he travelled to 

Buckingham Palace to be 

presented with a gold cross from 

the Queen in recognition of his 

achievements in having 

recruited more than 4,000 

officer trainees into the 

Merchant Navy since launching 

Clyde Marine in 1981. 

The company rapidly 

expanded, and in 1983 Clyde 

Marine Consultants was 

established to recruit shore- 

Dutch trawler skipper 

fined for collision with 

coaster in UK waters 

A DUTCH fishing vessel skipper has been fined 

£2,700 and ordered to pay £8,000 costs 

following an incident in which his boat holed a 

coaster in UK waters last year. 

Robbert van Belzen, of Arnemuiden in the 

Netherlands, pleaded guilty at Folkestone 

magistrates court to a breach of Rule 5 of the 

Colregs (failure to keep a good lookout). 

He was fined £2,700 and ordered to pay costs 

of £8,000. 

His vessel, the Belgian beam trawler 

Zeldenrust, collided with an Antigua & Barbudaregistered 

coaster in the English Inshore Traffic 

Zone (EITZ) on 21 March 2007. 

The court heard that the ship’s chief officer 

had made repeated attempts to contact the 

fishing vessel by radio after spotting that it was on 

a collision course. 

Government pledge on 

coastal shipping aid 

THE GOVERNMENT has signalled 

a change in the support 

measures to encourage freight to 

switch from the roads to the sea. 

In its response to the House of 

Commons transport committee 

report on the future of freight 

transport, the government says it 

will soon seek approval from the 

European Commission for 

changes to the aid package to help 

coastal shipping compete on an 

equal footing with other transport 

modes. 

Subject to approval from 

Brussels, the Department for 

Transport will seek to combine the 

rail and inland waterway mode 

shift support into a single scheme, 

and to improve the effectiveness of 

the Waterborne Freight Grant 

scheme. 

The transport committee 

report had backed evidence submitted 

by Nautilus expressing 

concern at the government’s 

‘hands-off’ approach to promoting 

the ‘motorways of the sea’ concept, 

and urged the government 

not to ‘shirk’ its responsibilities. 

Shortly before the collision, someone had 

been spotted running from below into the 

trawler’s wheelhouse. 

Investigations revealed that the skipper of the 

Zeldenrust was working on the vessel’s computer 

and had not seen the ship. The mate was working 

on deck repairing nets when he saw the coaster, 

and rushed into the wheelhouse to put the vessel 

astern — too late to avoid the collision. 

Following the hearing, Maritime & Coastguard 

Agency fishing vessel surveyor David Fuller 

commented: ‘The cause of this collision was 

simple — a lookout was not being kept. It was 

fortunate that no one was harmed in this incident 

and no vessels lost. 

‘Skippers and crew of fishing vessels must 

keep a good lookout and not allow themselves to 

become distracted or complacent,’ he added. 


based marine executives. Clyde 

Marine Training was set up in 

1986 and is now the largest 

training provider in the UK. 

The group now includes 

Clyde Travel, established in 

1988, and it acquired Sealife 

Crewing Services in 

Southampton in 1990, along 

with Precious Associates in 

2005. 

Although now semi-retired, 

Mr Livingstone remains as 

chairman of The Clyde Group. 

Beaching 

boxship 

‘averted 

disaster’ 

THE DECISION to deliberately 

beach the stricken containership 

MSC Napoli on the east Devon 

coast averted a major environmental 

disaster, an inquiry heard 

last month. 

And the Maritime & Coastguard 

Agency told the Devon 

county council inquiry into the 

incident that the way the UK handled 

the emergency in January 

2007 ‘is viewed internationally as 

a massive success’. 

A rapid decision had to be 

made to ground the UK-flagged 

vessel on the world heritage coast 

near Sidmouth because of fears 

that it would break up and sink in 

deteriorating conditions in the 

Channel after suffering catastrophic 

hull failure. 

In a 103-page report presented 

to the inquiry into the circumstances 

leading to the beaching of 

the MSC Napoli, the MCA states: 

‘Major pollution of the UK’s 

waters and coastline was avoided, 

and more than 40 organisations 

worked together to achieve a successful 

outcome’. 

The report includes 11 recommendations 

based on lessons 

learned from the incident, including 

improvements to communications 

between marine and land 

response units and a review of the 

national pollution contingency 

plan to look at ways of dealing with 

beached materials other than oil 

and chemicals. 

The MCA said the case had 

demonstrated the success of the 

UK secretary of state’s representative 

for maritime salvage 

and intervention (SOSREP) 

and the ‘excellent cooperation’ 

with French authorities secured 

through the Mancheplan contingency 

scheme.


news 

Operator is 

fined after 

ship hits 

light vessel 

A SHIPPING company has been 

fined following a case in which a 

flag of convenience ship with a 

lone watchkeeper on the bridge 

collided with a light vessel off the 

coast of Kent. 

The 1,297gt Antigua & 

Barbuda registered general cargoship 

Jerome H severely damaged 

the East Goodwin light vessel in 

the collision, on 27 February last 

year. 

Folkestone Magistrates Court 

heard that the incident took place 

whilst the German-owned ship 

was sailing from Dagenham in 

Essex to Belfast, and the light vessel 

had to be removed from station 

for repairs. 

Investigations had revealed 

that the mate was alone on the 

bridge, and had been doing paperwork 

on an aft-facing desk in the 

moments leading up to the collision. 

It was also discovered that 

the routine onboard was for the 

designated lookout to remain 

below in the messroom. 

Further investigations showed 

that the vessel did not have adequate 

charts onboard for the voyage 

between Dagenham and 

Belfast. It also had inadequate 

charts for the next voyage. 

The vessel’s owners — Helms 

Reederai ‘Jerome H’ KG, of 

Wilhelmshaven in Germany — 

pleaded guilty to a breach of Rule 

5 of the Colregs (failure to keep a 

good lookout) and two breaches of 

the ISM Code (failing to provide 

adequate charts and failure to 

comply with regulations concerning 

the provision of lookouts at 

night). They were fined £3,700 

and ordered to pay costs of 

£13,000. 

Paul Coley, assistant director of 

seafarers and ships at the 

Maritime & Coastguard Agency, 

commented: ‘This collision was 

caused by the failure to keep a 

good lookout. It resulted in a 

major navigation aid being 

severely damaged. The mate was 

alone on the bridge of this vessel in 

contravention of UK, flag state 

and international requirements. 

The regulations are clear that a 

lookout is required on the bridge 

at night. Vessels should be 

manned and operated so that this 

fundamental requirement is 

maintained adequately within 

their maximum allowed hours of 

work.’ 

Nautilus UK senior national 

secretary Allan Graveson said he 

was pleased to see that action had 

been taken against the owners, 

but said the level of the fine was 

insufficient to serve as a proper 

disincentive against substandard 

operations. 

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END OF AN ERA AS CHILTERN 

PASSES THE BATON FOR 

FOUR TRAINING SCHEMES 

TO VIKING RECRUITMENT 

CHILTERN Maritime has handed over the 

running of four major cadet training schemes to 

Viking Recruitment. 

Roger Haworth, of Chiltern, is pictured left 

with Viking MD Dieter Jaenicke at a ceremony in 

NO WALKOVER! 

ISLE of Man Steam Packet 

Company master Captain Dermot 

O’Toole, right, has completed his 

14th consecutive 85-mile Parish 

Walk to raise £1,000 for the 

Manx Foundation for the 

Physically Disabled. 

He has now collected more 

than £10,000 for the charity — 

but this year had to endure the 

worst ever weather recorded for 

the event. ‘It rained for 24 hours 

solid,’ he said. ‘One of the 

advantages was that it helped to 

keep my feet well lubricated and 

so I finished with no blisters!’ 

Despite this, Capt O’Toole said 

he is looking forward to next 

year’s event. ‘I really enjoy taking 

part; it is both a mental and 

physical challenge for me.’ 

PROPOSALS to combat seafarer 

certificate fraud have been developed 

by a two-year research project 

funded by the European 

Union. 

The results of the ‘Get Quality’ 

project were presented to maritime 

professionals at a meeting in 

London recently — with speakers 

highlighting serious shortcomings 

in the present systems of certificate 

verification in the global 

market for seafarers. 

Project promoter, Captain 

Jazeps Spridzans, said: ‘The outcome 

of this project is essential for 

the world’s maritime society, 

because this research shows weak 

points in our certification system, 

shows different practices in different 

countries, and offers instruments 

and a system for combating 

forgery.’ 

And he added: ‘When such a 

system is developed worldwide, 

the idea of fraudulent seafarers’ 

certificates would hopefully 

become pointless.’ 

Capt Spridzans said he had 

personal experience of certificate 

fraud when working with multinational 

crews whose level of competency 

was sometimes ‘close to 

zero’. 

Concerned by the ‘terrible’ 

Trinity House HQ to mark the transition, 

following a buy-out by Viking Recruitment. 

Under the deal, Viking has taken over the 

administration of the Trinity House Merchant 

Navy Scholarship Scheme, the Maritime London 

Officer Cadet Scholarship Scheme, the Conway 

Merchant Navy Trust Cadet Scheme and the All 

Leisure Group’s cadet training. 

Chiltern was established in 1986, initially for 

the management of BP cadets, and took on the 

management of the Trinity House scheme when 

it was launched in 1989. 

Commodore David Squire, director of the 

Trinity House scheme, commented: ‘Over the last 

PLAN TO CRACK 

CERTIFICATE 

FRAUDSTERS 

EU research develops counter-forgery support 

competence of one officer, he 

checked with the college whose 

diploma had been registered as 

proof of verification, and learned 

that no such individual had ever 

graduated there, and that it had 

never issued a diploma with such 

a number. 

The ‘Get Quality’ project was 

launched in October 2006 by 

partner organisations from 

Latvia, Germany, Lithuania and 

the UK in response to previous 

research highlighting the scale of 

the problem — including a 2001 

IMO-commissioned study which 

uncovered 12,635 detected cases 

of forgery. 

The project also found evidence 

of employer complacency 

— with vast variations in checks 

on certification. Researchers 

found 100% of Latvian, 86% of 

British and 33.5% of German 

employers said they always verify 

certificates with issuing administrations; 

11% of German and 14% 

of British shipping companies 

said they do so only in cases of 

doubt; and 55% of German shipping 

companies stated that they 

never verify a certificate’s authenticity. 

The project team says there is a 

need to raise awareness of the 

problem and to make it easier to 

pinpoint critical aspects of fraudulent 

practice. The team has 

developed a guidance tool for antifraud 

staff to address the main 

weaknesses identified in the study, 

including the fact that fraudsters 

are adapting to new technologies 

and organisational changes. 

Researchers said a key objective 

is the development of a secure 

online image bank of certificates 

to be used for authenticity checks. 

This facility also includes information 

on contact points, websites 

and other resources that 

administrations have in place. 

For the anti-fraud measures to 

succeed, the project team underline 

that verification needs to be 

applied at three levels — by the 

certificate-issuing administration, 

by the ship’s flag state administration, 

and by the ship’s 

managers or crewing agency. Also 

essential is that each administration 

has a reliable, secure and 

robust database. 

Capt Uwe Zellmer, the project’s 

chairman, said the pilot project 

had proved the feasibility that 

most loopholes in the system can 

be closed, and he said he hoped 

the proposals would be picked up 

and acted on by the IMO. 

20 years Chiltern Maritime have been 

responsible for overseeing the training of over 

300 Trinity House cadets. It is to the credit of 

Roger Haworth and his team that the scheme is 

held in such high regard throughout the industry.’ 

Captain Don Houghton, trustee of the Conway 

Trust scheme added: ‘It is to the credit of Roger 

Haworth and his team that all our cadets who 

have qualified as Officer of the Watch have found 

employment at the end of their cadetships.’ 

‘It is a great honour to take on the challenge of 

running Chiltern Maritime, which will continue to 

operate as a stand-alone brand,’ said Mr 

Jaenicke. 

Working 

group to 

consider 

future 

of orals 

NAUTILUS UK is part of a special 

steering group which has 

been put together to progress 

work on a review of the oral 

examination process for certificates 

of competency. 

The working group — which 

is due to meet for the first 

time early in December — 

includes representatives from 

the Maritime & Coastguard 

Agency and all sides of the shipping 

industry. 

It will be examining a number 

of key issues, including: 

✪the benefits of the existing oral 

examination system and any 

alternatives that may be available 

✪the present training and monitoring 

of MCA examiners, and 

to consider whether there is a 

need for improvement 

✪the customer service provided 

to oral examination candidates 

✪whether the existing arrangements 

provide a fair and consistent 

examination system 

The appointment of the 

working group follows a ‘user’ 

survey conducted by the MCA 

earlier this year, which showed 

some 97% of Nautilus members 

in favour of the MCA continuing 

to conduct oral examinations. 

Of those who wanted to 

see alternative arrangements, 

almost three-quarters suggested 

the orals should be undertaken 

by maritime colleges.

COAST TO COAST 

FOR SEAFARERS 

APOSTLESHIP of the Sea 

trustee David Savage — pictured 

right — was aiming to raise 

£10,000 last month for the 

maritime charity by cycling 150 

miles from the Irish Sea to the 

North Sea in a day. 

Mr Savage — training and 

development manager at the Oil 

news 

Companies International Marine 

Forum — decided on the ride as 

a way of raising money for 

projects around the UK that 

directly benefit seafarers. 

‘This won’t be an easy ride,’ 

he said, ‘but I do have sufficient 

motivation and concern for the 

plight of our seafarers to give it 

my best shot.’ 

He has set up his own Just 

Giving page for anyone who 

wants to sponsor him directly, 

at: www.justgiving/davesavage1 

NEW RECRUITS ‘WILL 

RISE TO THE TOP FAST’ 

Union says ‘generation gap’ offers good prospects to trainees 

PICTURED right are the Nautilus 

UK visits to meet the new intakes 

of HND phase 1 deck cadets at 

Fleetwood and trainee engineer 

officers at Glasgow College of 

Nautical Studies last month. 

Officials from the Union have 

this year met more trainee officers 

than ever before — with the 

recruitment team running an 

extensive programme of college 

and university visits to coincide 

with a rise in the number of young 

people starting maritime training. 

By the end of the current academic 

year, Nautilus will have met 

some 800 phase one inductees — 

up from 730 last year, and compared 

with 450 in 2000. 

‘The current crop of trainees 

could well be the most valuable 

seaborne asset in decades, as the 

previous era of under-funding will 

see existing British officers 

approaching retirement without 

the required numbers to replace 

them already at sea,’ said recruitment 

assistant Tim Vernon. 

Department for Transport figures 

demonstrate the current and 

potential maritime generation 

gaps — showing that the most 

common age bracket for UK officers 

at present is between 50 and 

55. 

Projections for 2013 show the 

two peaks of age will then be 55 

and 25, with a big gap in between. 

And the forecast for 2023 shows 

the bulk of British certified officers 

will be within the age ranges of 24 

to 34, as many of the existing 

workforce retire. 

‘The significance of this data 

for current officer trainees is 

immense,’ says Mr Vernon. ‘If you 

note that one of the least common 

age brackets for current serving 

officers is between 40 to 50 years, 

it then becomes apparent just how 

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valuable the services of current 

trainees will be within a few years 

of receiving their certificates. 

‘If the projections are to be 

believed, in order to plug the gaps, 

today’s cadets could potentially be 

moving through the ranks at a 

pace without precedent,’ he 

pointed out. 

‘It could be therefore that masters 

and chief engineers in their 

early 30s could increasingly 

become the norm, coupled with 

the obvious financial reward it 

would entail for someone so soon 

out of training. 

‘If we accept this to be the case, 

then it comes as no surprise that 

our nautical colleges are finding it 

so easy to fill their places.’ 

Remaining Nautilus college 

visits this year include Warsash on 

2 December, and the University of 

Plymouth on 4 December. A visit 

to Greenwich University is also 

UK OFFICER training is being 

boosted by the NAFC Marine 

Centre in Scalloway, in the 

Shetland Islands, where 21 new 

students— pictured above left — 

joined the deck and engineer 

cadet programme last month. 

Jan Rigden, head of the 

Shetland School of Nautical 

Studies at the centre, said: ‘We 

are delighted to have this new 

complement of students undertaking 

this year’s cadet training 

programme, with a total of 21 

new starts — 11 of whom are 

from Shetland, with the remainder 

from Scotland, mostly from 

the Highlands and Islands.’ 

Mr Rigden said awareness of 

the Merchant Navy as a career is 

rising, thanks to a Scottish TV 

series and increased promotion 

and marketing activity. 

due to be arranged before 

Christmas. 

The Union is also seeking to 

improve the representation of 

trainee officers, and has invited 

volunteers to serve on a proposed 

national forum for cadets across 

the country. Some colleges and 

universities are still without a volunteer 

to act as a liaison for 

Nautilus and to attend the occasional 

forum meeting. 

Trainee officers are also being 

urged to attend the Union’s 

Biennial General Meeting between 

12-14 May 2009, and there 

are still opportunities for trainee 

officers to attend the TUC Young 

Members’ Conference in Eastbourne 

on Friday 27 to Sunday 29 

March. 

✪For more details, contact Tim 

Vernon at the Nautilus UK 

Wallasey office, or email him at: 

tvernon@nautilusuk.org 

Scottish 

TV show 

is set to 

lift NAFC 

numbers 

‘We expect to build up the 

numbers on the programme 

over the next few years, with the 

possibility of a second intake in 

the future if the demand continues 

to grow,’ he added. 

The new group joined the 

programme just as the 2005 

intake — pictured above right — 

completed their training to 

secure professional qualifications 

based on SQA Higher 

National Diplomas and 

Vocational Qualifications. 

The ‘passing out’ group were: 

Michael Eunson, Njal Christie- 

Henry, Glenn Tonner, Sean 

Sinclair, Christian Kidd, and 

Murdanie MacLeod. Three 

Shetland Towage mates studied 

with this class of cadets and successfully 

completed the HND in 

Nautical Science. 

STRESS IS PRIME 

SAFETY CONCERN 

STRESS is the number one safety 

concern in British workplaces, 

according to a new TUC survey. 

Its latest biennial survey of 

trade union safety reps shows 

some 60% reporting stress and 

overwork as the biggest health 

and safety worry, followed by 

injuries and illnesses from poor 


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use of display screen equipment. 

Repetitive strain injuries (40%) 

are another commonly reported 

hazard. 

Other concerns on the 

increase since 2006 include 

slips, trips and falls (up 6%), 

working alone (up 3%), and 

violence at work (up 4%). 

‘Thankfully, over 150,000 

safety reps across the UK are on 

hand to help employers prevent 

these hazards,’ said TUC general 

secretary Brendan Barber.


‘FAIL-SAFE’ SYSTEM AIMS TO 

CURB ILLICIT DISCHARGES 

A UK company has launched a new ‘fail-safe’ system, 

pictured right, designed to combat ‘magic pipe’ illicit 

oily waste discharges. 

The first of the ‘plug and play’ SmartSafe bilge 

overboard security systems are being fitted to a car 

carrier and an LNG tanker presently being completed 

by yards in South Korea. 

Developed by the UK company Rivertrace 

Engineering, the system aims to ensure that the oily 

health and safety 

ACCIDENT investigators have 

called for tougher international 

standards to govern sail training 

ship operations. 

The call comes from Canada’s 

Transportation Safety Board 

(TSB) in a report on the loss of a 

crew member from the sail training 

vessel Picton Castle in 

December 2006. 

The volunteer deckhand was 

swept off the 284gt vessel by a 

large wave during heavy weather 

on a voyage between Lunenburg, 

Nova Scotia, and St George’s, 

Grenada. Her body was never 

found, despite extensive searches. 

Investigators highlighted a 

series of safety issues that lay 

behind the incident, including 

poor communications between 

crew, inadequate safety management 

procedures, and a failure to 

take full consideration of weather 

forecasts before sailing. 

They found that safety nets had 

not been rigged, and although 

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safety lines had been rigged 

inboard on the main deck their 

effectiveness was diminished 

because safety harnesses were not 

worn. 

No specific policies or procedures 

were in place for the planning 

and conduct of safety drills, 

or for the training, qualifications 

and instructions for crew members 

charged with responsibility 

for trainees. 

The Cook Islands-flagged vessel 

was operating with 12 crew and 

16 trainees, but the TSB found 

that half the crew were new to the 

vessel and some had limited training 

or relevant experience. 

Although four of the officers had 

previous experience on sail training 

vessels, it was the first time 

that three of them had sailed 

onboard the Picton Castle. 

Had the vessel — which was 

not covered by STCW Convention 

requirements — been operated 

under US regulations, it would 

water system cannot be bypassed, by monitoring the 

diverter valve and cumulative flow rate through the 

discharge pipe. 

The system will shut off the overboard discharge 

valve if it detects an attempt to make an illegal 

discharge, and sounds an alarm and closes the diverter 

if any attempt is made to tamper with the system. 

The company says the secure and unique files 

generated by the system are port state control 

compliant, and can save owners considerable sums by 

simplifying inspection procedures. 

Suitable for newbuilds and for retro-fitting, the 

system can also be connected to the vessel’s local area 

network for monitoring on the bridge. 

New rules urged 

for sail training 

FIVE buoys have been installed to 

mark a new secondary channel 

linking the Thames Estuary and 

the river Medway which aims to 

improve traffic management 

and to allow shipping to pass or 

overtake in the busy area. 

The Mobilis BC1242 buoys, 

left, are special marks, 

suggested by Peel Ports Medway 

in consultation with Trinity 

House, and as defined by IALA. 

They are yellow in colour, with a 

top mark comprising a yellow St 

Andrew’s cross. 

had to have two additional certificated 

officers for the watch system 

and three additional qualified 

ABs. 

The report highlights the need 

for tight controls over inspection, 

crewing, certification and training 

programmes on such vessels, 

warning that many flag states lack 

specific standards or guidelines 

for sail training ships. 

It urges Canada to ‘take a 

proactive position at the 

International Maritime Organisation 

with the objective of bringing 

all sail training vessels within 

the scope of the appropriate international 

conventions, while 

recognising their special character’. 

‘We are pointing why safety 

management systems are needed 

for all training vessels regardless 

of whether they sail under a 

Canadian or an international flag,’ 

said Paul van den Berg, investigator-in-charge. 

DUTCH and Belgian salvors have managed to 

free yet another grounded ship in the River 

Scheldt, pictured above. 

Teams from Multraship and URS Salvage & 

Maritime Contracting last month refloated the 

39,906gt, Singapore-flag containership Kota 

Lagu, which grounded after suffering rudder 

failure near Ossenisse on the River Scheldt, 

between Hansweert and Antwerp. 

Because the vessel had hazardous cargo 

onboard, local authorities declared a ‘high alert’ 

situation, and working under a Lloyd’s Open 

Form agreement, Multraship and URS used eight 

E-LOGS FOR ENGINEERS 

THE OVERSEAS Shipholding Group has 

bought a new system that will cut paperwork 

by enabling the generation of electronic 

engineroom logs. 

Supplied by the systems integration 

company Datatrac, the EERL system provides 

for paper-free capture of data into hand-held 

readers, which can be displayed on a website 

and subjected to trend analysis. OSG has also 

bought Datatrac’s Envirotrac system, to 

monitor vessel waste stream systems. 

ANOTHER GROUNDING IN THE SCHELDT 

tugs to refloat the vessel on the next tide and 

subsequently towed it to the Scheldepoort yard 

at Flushing, where it was redelivered to its 

owners. 

Leendert Muller, managing director of 

Multraship, commented: ‘This was another 

incident which served to illustrate the essential 

nature of the professional salvage industry, and 

the importance of having immediate access to its 

resources and expertise. Working closely with the 

local authorities, we were able to avert a 

potentially catastrophic outcome, given the 

presence onboard the vessel of hazardous cargo.’ 

‘RENT-A-PILOT’ ALARM 

OVER NAVIGATION BILL 

Government rejects calls to make port safety code mandatory 

NAUTILUS has expressed concern 

at the government’s dismissal 

of calls from the Union and MPs to 

make the Port Marine Safety Code 

(PMSC) a mandatory document. 

And the Union has warned that 

there is a risk of a ‘rent-a-pilot’ system 

being created if the government 

presses ahead with plans to 

relax the rules governing the issue 

of pilotage exemption certificates 

(PECs). 

In a response to the House of 

Commons transport committee 

report on the proposals, contained 

in the draft Marine Navigation 

Bill, the government acknowledged 

that the PEC plans generated 

significant opposition. 

However, it claimed, ‘in many 

cases the concerns expressed were 

the result of a misunderstanding 

of the intentions behind proposing 

the change in the criteria for 

qualifying for a PEC’. 

The government said it considered 

that there were potential 

safety benefits in allowing more 

PEC holders to be available for 

duty on ships, and that it is ‘unnecessarily 

burdensome to the operators 

of the ship to set an arbitrary 

limit of two officers’. 

However, it accepted the concerns 

raised about the proposals 

and offered to discuss with the 

industry the transport committee’s 

suggestion of amending the 

proposed wording to ensure that 

PECs may only be issued to someone 

who is a bona fide member of 

the ship’s crew, and whether it 

would be appropriate to specify a 

rank or certificate in determining 

who may qualify for a PEC. 

The government’s response 

also argued that ‘it would not 

advance the cause of safety’ to 

make the PMSC mandatory — 

arguing that the current approach 

is working. 

It told the committee that a 

risk-based process of verifying 

PMSC compliance has been 

developed by the Maritime & 

Coastguard Agency, and verification 

visits by the Agency ‘are 

already contributing to a more 

consistent interpretation of the 

Code’. 

And it also argued that the Bill 

would give ministers the power to 

intervene in ‘rare cases’ of a failure 

of the harbour authority’s management 

system. 

‘Rather than introducing further 

regulation upon all harbour 

authorities, which is likely to be 

unnecessary for many or most of 

them, this approach allows targeted 

directions to be issued to 

those authorities where a serious 

safety risk has been identified and 

the authority has not responded to 

persuasion and consultation,’ it 

added. 

The response accepted a need 

to improve some elements of the 

Code — including a better 

description of the ‘Designated 

Person’ role, but rejected argu- 

ments for the creation of a separate 

ports safety inspectorate. 

Nautilus senior national secretary 

Allan Graveson described the 

response as ‘disappointing’ and 

said the insistence that the PMSC 

remains non-mandatory will 

allow continued unfair competition 

in the sector. 

‘The government continues to 

advocate the “light touch” 

approach, even though it has been 

found wanting in other sectors, 

such as banking,’ he pointed out. 

‘Permitting PECs to be issued 

to anyone other than bona fide 

masters or first mates would open 

the door to owners replacing experienced 

PEC holders or qualified 

marine pilots with “roving pilots” 

— a practice already shown to be 

unsafe following an investigation 

into a contact incident involving 

the ferry Ursine last year.’ he said. 

Mandatory occupational standards 

for pilots and harbour masters 

are essential, he added.

PERSONAL SAFETY 

ALERT SYSTEM IS 

PUT ON MARKET 

PICTURED right is a new ‘man 

overboard’ safety alert system 

which is being unveiled at the 

International Workboat Show in 

New Orleans this month. 

Developed by Australian 

marine safety specialist Mobilarm, 

health and safety 

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MAIB MOVES TO TIGHTEN UP 

UK PILOTAGE PROCEDURES 

Conflicting orders by master and pilot almost led to disaster on Thames, investigation reveals 

THE MARINE Accident Investigation 

Branch has called for 

tougher controls over pilotage 

procedures following an incident 

in which a product tanker nearly 

collided with a laden crude oil 

tanker in the River Thames. 

In a report issued last month, it 

urged all UK competent harbour 

authorities to ensure that pilots 

have sufficient time for a full 

exchange of information with the 

ship’s team, and that only one person 

is responsible for all manoeuvring 

instructions. 

The recommendations are 

made in response to an investigation 

into an incident in February, 

when the Singapore-flagged vessel 

Sichem Melbourne struck 

mooring structures while leaving 

a berth at the Coryton oil refinery. 

Investigations revealed that 

the Russian master and British 

pilot had been giving conflicting 

orders — with the ship’s engine 

safety management system closing 

down at one point following a 

rapid series of ahead/astern 

orders. 

The MAIB said the pilot had 

intended to move off the berth by 

coming ahead on the forward 

springs and bringing the vessel 

astern into the channel once a 

substantial wedge of water had 

formed between the stern and the 

jetty. 

But, the report added, the pilot 

had not discussed this plan with 

the master because he felt it was 

self-explanatory. 

As the ship moved away from 

the jetty, the master ordered — in 

Russian — the forward springs to 

be cast off and used the bow 

thruster in an attempt to avoid 

contact with the forward mooring 

Tanker forced to do 

360-degree turn in 

Channel near-miss 

A MAERSK product tanker had 

to make a 360-degree turn in the 

Channel to avoid a collision with 

a Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier 

earlier this year. 

The Singapore-flagged Maersk 

Borneo had to carry out the 

emergency manoeuvre after 

failing to get a response from the 

22,147gt Barbara as the two vessels 

closed on each other in good 

visibility in the SW lane of the 

Dover Strait Traffic Separation 

Scheme. 

The German-owned bulker 

— which was the give-way vessel 

— failed to respond to calls from 

the Crewsafe system claims to 

take ‘MOB detection to an entirely 

new level, by integrating it with a 

complete onboard safety and 

communications network’. 

Capable of monitoring up to 24 

crew members, the system aims 

to provide rapid alerts in the event 

of accidents or security 

emergencies. 

Each crew member is required 

to carry a small transceiver — 

called a Tag — whose wireless 

signal keeps them connected to 

the Maersk Borneo’s OOW, 

made on various VHF channels, 

and also did not reply to calls 

from Dover Coastguard. 

A preliminary examination 

report issued by the Marine 

Accident Investigation Branch 

last month notes that the 

Maersk Borneo — which was 

carrying a cargo of ammonium 

nitrate — was forced to alter 

course ‘broadly to starboard, 

eventually completing a 360degree 

turn to avoid a collision’. 

The MAIB said the incident 

has also been investigated by the 

Bahamas Maritime Authority. 

the network via a series of wireless 

routers. The network immediately 

detects any break in the signal 

and will automatically raise the 

alarm if the connection is not reestablished 

within a few seconds. 

If a seafarer goes overboard 

and the signal is lost, the alarm is 

raised and GPS tracking is 

implemented. The Tag also 

features a ‘duress button’ which 

can be manually activated if an 

employee is in distress but not in 

the water. 

dolphin. Over the next 10 minutes, 

the master and the pilot 

made a series of countermanding 

orders, each trying to gain control 

of the vessel using the engine, rudder 

and thruster. 

The 8,455gt vessel scraped the 

jetty and struck two mooring dolphins, 

with the erratic manoeuvres 

causing the evacuation of 

berthing and workboat staff from 

another jetty. 

MARITIME lawyers and insurers 

have urged the Intenational 

Maritime Organisation to reopen 

the debate on a proposed global 

convention on places of refuge for 

serious ship casualties. 

Meeting in Athens, members 

of the Comité Maritime 

International approved a resolution 

for submission to the IMO’s 

legal committee in spring 2009, 

requesting that the committee put 

the issue back on its agenda. 

Supporting the resolution, 

Fritz Stabinger, secretary general 

of the International Union of 

Marine Insurance, told CMI dele- 

LEFT: damage to the deck edge of the Singapore-flagged Sichem 

Melbourne after the incident on the Thames in February 

ABOVE: Damage to MD 41 mooring structure and stern lines leading to 

the tanker Thornbury PICTURES: MAIB 

The Sichem Melbourne managed 

to clear that jetty — but this 

put the tanker in danger of collision 

with a causeway and pipeline 

carrying oil being discharged from 

the 98,893dwt crude tanker 

Thornbury. 

The rapid series of conflicting 

full ahead and full astern orders 

issued by the master and the pilot 

in an attempt to avoid the collision 

caused the engine to cut out, and 

Call to act over 

refuge places 

gates that he continued hearing 

comments — even after the Erika, 

Castor, Prestige and other casualties 

— that a new convention was 

unnecessary. 

He said there were arguments 

that existing liability conventions 

should first be implemented. But, 

he warned, the decision was one 

the public would never understand. 

Mr Stabinger also argued that 

the definition of a ship in the draft 

convention on places of refuge was 

‘too narrow’. A floating submersible 

was still afloat even if it 

drilled, he pointed out. 

£4m CONTRACT TO UPGRADE DGPS 

THE General Lighthouse Authorities have awarded a £4m 

contract to VT Communications (VTC) to upgrade and enhance 

14 Differential Global Positioning Service reference stations in 

the UK and Ireland. 

The upgrade programme includes adding capabilities to use 

modernised GPS signals and the additional functionality to 

track the future Galileo and GLOSNASS signals. 

VTC is already working on the provision of a state-of-the-art 

eLoran navigation service from its radio communications 

facility in Cumbria, under a 15-year contract signed with the 

GLAs last year. 

Sichem Melbourne struck the 

mooring dolphin holding the 

Thornbury’s stern lines. 

The chief engineer managed to 

quickly restore power, enabling 

the Sichem Melbourne to clear the 

Thornbury’s stern by what the 

report describes as ‘a very small 

margin’ before being diverted to 

Southend anchorage for a damage 

inspection. 

Investigators said the prime 

cause of the accident was the failure 

of the master and the pilot to 

exchange an appropriate level of 

information before departure 

from the berth. 

‘Assumptions were made by 

both parties of the other’s intentions,’ 

the report adds. 

‘As the accident started to 

unfold, communications between 

master and pilot still did not 

improve, with each attempting 

different remedial manoeuvres, 

serving only to compound the 

problem.’ 

The report notes that a similar 

accident had occurred in Port of 

London Authority waters only six 

weeks previously, when the James 

Fisher products tanker Pembroke 

Fisher damaged propulsion and 

steering systems after making 

contact with a buoy whilst under 

pilotage. 

That incident also involved the 

master and the pilot making contradictory 

evasive manoeuvres 

after the ship failed to make sufficient 

distance astern into the 

channel before coming ahead to 

go downstream. 

The PLA had circulated 

‘lessons learned’ from the incident 

to its pilots — but not in time to 

prevent the Sichem Melbourne 

accident. 

��


DUTCH GROWTH IS 

FIRST SINCE 2007 

THE DUTCH-flagged fleet has 

increased for the first time in five 

years — adding 22 ships in the 

first half of 2008, to hit a new 

total of 782 vessels. 

The country’s owners also 

have some 300 ships on order, a 

good proportion of which are 

expected to join the national flag. 

international news 

briefly... 

At present, the Dutch-controlled 

fleet totals almost 1,500 vessels. 

The election of former 

transport minister Ms Tineke 

Netelenbos as president of the 

Royal Association of Netherlands 

Shipowners is also expected to 

boost the flag. Her priorities, as 

agreed by TAZ, the joint unionshipowner 

taskforce, include 

closer cooperation between the 

country’s 11 maritime 

academies to increase the 

number of young officers. 

Fuel tax: French shipowners’ association chairman Eudes 

Riblier has criticised the European Union’s carbon exchange 

plan, complaining that shipping accounts for only 3% of 

global carbon dioxide emissions. He has backed Denmark’s 

idea for a small tax to be paid for each ton of carbon emitted. 

The levy would be fixed annually by the IMO and paid into an 

international compensation fund. 

Building fear: unions at the French Aker shipyard at Saint 

Nazaire are concerned about jobs following US-based 

operator Norwegian Cruise Line’s decision to annul a new 

vessel order because of ‘high costs’. Aker Yards has ‘prudently’ 

suspended activity on the ship for six weeks pending talks with 

NCL, but said it would do everything possible to resume 

construction. 

Union appeals: the Sierra Leone Seamen’s Union has called 

for the government to act to prevent the country’s seafaring 

profession from dying out. Abu Bakar Kamara, the union’s 

assistant general secretary, said Sierra Leone seafarers used to 

be among the best in West Africa, but measures needed to be 

taken to enhance training in the country. 

Dutch connection: the two main Dutch ports of Rotterdam 

and Amsterdam are to share a joint port logistics system from 

July 2009, through merging the Infolink and PortNet 

information exchange networks. The tie-up is expected to 

provide a broad range of port authority and customs services. 

Jamaican expansion: Jamaica is planning to expand its 

register from the current level of 65 ships of 251,000gt — 

targeting 150 vessels of 1m gt in the next four years. It is also 

aiming in particular at German and Asian owners, and has 

recently opened offices in Bremen and Shanghai. 

Gas delivery: Swiss-based gas transporter Geogas has 

celebrated 30 years of activity and taken delivery of a new 

35,000 cu m vessel, the Lapérouse, from South Korea. 

Shortsea support: the French national assembly has backed 

an S80m plan to take freight off the roads, which includes 

support for shortsea shipping services. 

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AUSTRALIAN seafarers have 

welcomed a government report 

that backs their calls for a tonnage 

tax scheme to revitalise the country’s 

shipping industry and measures 

to boost seafarer training and 

employment. 

Tabled in the federal parliament 

last month, the 166-page 

report follows a lengthy inquiry 

into coastal shipping policy and 

regulation, and stresses the 

importance of the maritime sector 

to the country. 

It says the Australian tonnage 

tax should follow the UK scheme 

in being linked to mandatory 

training requirements. And it also 

calls for a clear system of income 

tax concessions to assist with the 

retention of seafarers. 

Currently, only 1% of the 

Australian seafaring workforce is 

under 21 years of age, and the 

report warns that Australia faces a 

shortage of some 2,000 seafarers 

within two years. 

A GREEK chief engineer has 

been fined US$5,000 and put 

on probation for three years for 

his role in dumping oily waste 

from a Maltese-flagged bulk 

carrier. 

Casilda Shipping, the 

Maltese company that owned 

the 23,663gt Rio Gold, was 

fined $750,000, while the operating 

company, Genesis Seatrading, 

was sentenced to three 

years of probation and ordered 

to follow an environmental 

compliance plan. 

The officer and the two com- 

Union plans to train 

It proposes the creation of an 

Australian maritime training 

authority to work on a unified 

training system, and also calls for 

the introduction of a national seafarer 

training vessel. 

‘This report signals a significant 

policy break away from the 

panies pleaded guilty in a US 

court last month to conspiring 

to create false oily waste disposal 

records. 

The case followed a fivemonth 

investigation by the US 

Coast Guard, launched when 

four crew members reported 

the violation while the Rio Gold 

was docked in the port of 

Oakland. The Department of 

Justice said some of the fine will 

be paid to the ‘whistleblowing’ 

crewmen, whilst $250,000 will 

be awarded to the National Fish 

and Wildlife Foundation. 

Howard years and provides a solid 

foundation to revitalise the struggling 

Australian shipping industry,’ 

said Paddy Crumlin, national 

secretary of the Maritime Union 

of Australia. 

‘If intelligently developed and 

implemented, the policies and 

THE HEAD of the US Coast 

Guard has issued a new directive 

that warns private terminals 

against indiscriminate denials of 

shore leave to visiting seafarers. 

Issued in response to a number 

of cases in which crew members 

have been refused permission to 

go ashore, the directive urges port 

captains to ‘vigorously facilitate’ 

shore leave rights, as well as preventing 

the denial of access to representatives 

of seafarers’ welfare 

organisations. 

Issued under the authority of 

the USCG Commandant Thad 

PICTURED left is the Belgianflagged 

LNG carrier Methania 

— one of a growing number of 

ships on the country’s 

register, which has doubled in 

size in the past five years. The 

number of Belgian-controlled 

vessels now totals 226 — 

more than 95% of which flies 

the national flag, named by 

several experts as the most 

competitive in Europe. The 

fleet expansion, triggered by 

a new shipping policy 

introduced in 2002, has also 

boosted employment by 

almost 7%. PICTURE: ERIC HOURI 

AUSTRALIAN REPORT BACKS 

TONNAGE TAX PROPOSALS 

Inquiry recommends measures to rebuild maritime skills base 

THE MARITIME Union of 

Australia is to set up its own 

independent seafarer training 

company in a bid to tackle the 

country’s crewing crisis. 

National secretary Paddy 

Crumlin said action is urgently 

needed, because some 20% of 

the country’s current seafarers 

are set to retire within the next 

four years. 

He said the move was being 

made in desperation as a 

result of long-standing failure 

Officer fined $5,000 

for waste dumping 

UNION ANGER AT 

TUG JOB LOSSES 

A MAJOR row has erupted in the 

French port of Le Havre, left, 

where the Spanish-based tug 

operator Boluda is poised to 

dismiss up to one-third of its 

156 officers and ratings. 

The leading seafarers’ union, 

CGT, said the redundancies are 

the result of unfair competition 

by companies to invest in 

training and the ‘cherrypicking’ 

of crews by many 

employers. 

The MUA’s plan will involve 

the launch of an independent 

training company, with the 

union being registered as a 

training company, seeking to 

attract contributions from the 

shipping industry and the 

offshore oil and gas 

companies who employ large 

numbers of seafarers. 

by a rival operator, SNRH. CGT 

has complained that SNRH is 

undercutting Boluda by 

breaching working time rules — 

a claim that is fiercely rejected 

by the company. 

The union said that it would 

not oppose non-compulsory 

early retirement with acceptable 

conditions, but warned that it 

would fight for every other job, 

including through industrial 

action, if necessary at the 

national level. PICTURE: ERIC HOURI 

regulatory proposals in the report 

provide the basis for Australia to 

become a regional centre for maritime 

trade and training in the 

Asia Pacific region,’ he added. 

The report notes that despite 

Australia’s dependence on the sea, 

the national flag trading fleet has 

shrunk to just 46 ships and foreign 

tonnage has taken an increasingly 

large share of the country’s coastal 

trades. 

It makes a total of 14 recommendations 

for action — including 

legislative reform, strengthening 

of regulations governing 

the use of foreign vessels in coastal 

trades, and new taxation arrangements 

to encourage investment in 

Australian ships. 

The report also recommends 

the launch of a national port 

development plan to help improve 

the country’s critical port infrastructure 

and respond to the 

expected expansion of Australian 

shipping. 

US Coast Guard chief 

in shore leave pledge 

Allen, the directive notes cases in 

which US ports and terminals 

have refused shore access to seafarers 

on the grounds of security or 

potential personal injury liability 

issues. 

But, it adds, only US immigration 

officials have the final say on 

whether or not a mariner can 

come ashore. And it warns that 

denying shore leave to seafarers 

holding a valid visa and having 

clearance from customs and border 

protection agency staff ‘runs 

counter to the intent of USCG regulations’.

PHILIPPINES PLAN 

TO BOOST CADETS 

THE body controlling the 

employment of Filipino seafarers 

has announced plans to force 

manning agencies operating in 

the country to train cadets. 

The Philippines Overseas 

Employment Administration is 

proposing to introduce a new 

condition for agencies and 

international news 

FRENCH FIRM SETS UP 

NEW FERRY SERVICES 

LD Lines reveals plans for new routes to UK Channel ports 

✪by JEFF APTER 

THE EXPANDING French ferry 

operator LD Lines — which 

already runs Newhaven-Dieppe 

and Portsmouth-Le Havre services 

— is creating waves in English 

Channel operations by opening 

new links between Dover and 

Boulogne and Dieppe. 

The Paris-based Louis Dreyfus 

Armateurs subsidiary — which 

started Channel services when 

P&O Ferries abandoned its 

Portsmouth-Le Havre route in 

October 2005 — is set to open its 

new twice-daily return route 

between Dover and Dieppe on 6 

January with the vessel Seven 

Sisters. 

And the company has revealed 

that its planned Dover-Boulogne 

freight and passenger service will 

begin operations in July next year, 

providing four return sailings 

daily with a crossing time of one 

hour 45 minutes. 

The LD Lines service will be 

the first to use Boulogne’s new roro 

terminal, which is being built as 

part of a S80m project to redevelop 

the French port. 

The company aims to carry as 

many as 400,000 passengers, 

120,000 freight vehicles and 

133,000 cars in the first year of 

operations on the route. It will 

use the vessel Norman Spirit, 

which currently runs on the 

Portsmouth-Le Havre service. 

‘Our entry into the highly competitive 

shortsea cross-Channel 

Report blames US pilot for 

boxship’s bridge collision 

A US marine pilot has been blamed for an 

incident in which a containership struck 

San Francisco Bay bridge last November, 

causing a 54,000 gallon oil spill. 

A report published by the Californian 

board of pilot commissioners last month 

concluded that Captain John Cota made 

seven key errors — including allowing the 

ship to sail in thick fog, failing to resolve concerns 

about the ship’s radar and an electronic 

chart system, and proceeding at an 

unsafe speed. 

An investigation by the board also determined 

that the pilot had failed to communi- 

principals to have a human 

resources programme in place 

when it considers applications for 

new licences. 

The plans were revealed at the 

Lloyd’s List events Manning & 

Training conference in Manila last 

month. They received a mixed 

reaction — with one operator 

claiming it was unnecessary state 

interference, and another saying 

that ship managers need to have 

such policies in place to head off 

the skills crisis. 

The new LD Lines ferry Norman Voyager arrives in Le Havre after a delivery voyage from Italy last month PICTURE: ERIC HOURI 

ferry business is a major development 

for LD Lines,’ said directorgeneral 

Christophe Santoni. ‘We 

are convinced that the service will 

undoubtedly attract new freight 

and tourist customers, which will 

benefit both Dover and Boulogne 

as departure and destination 

ports.’ 

LD Lines will continue to operate 

the Newhaven-Dieppe services 

with the vessel Cote d’Albâtre, 

but has discontinued its two-year 

service between Le Havre and 

Newhaven as part of a triangular 

route with Dieppe. 

Last month saw the delivery of 

the company’s newest ship — the 

26,500gt Norman Voyager. 

Capable of carrying 800 passengers 

and up to 120 trucks, the 

Italian-built UK-flagged vessel 

will double the number of crossings 

on the Portsmouth-Le Havre 

route, as well as operating a new 

weekend passenger/freight serv- 

cate properly with the Chinese officers and 

crew on the Hong Kong-flagged Cosco 

Busan — giving directions on course and 

speed even though they had a poor grasp of 

English. 

The investigation was undertaken as part 

of a bid to revoke Capt Cota’s state pilot 

licence — but the commission is unable to 

take any action against the pilot because he 

retired in October. 

However, he still faces federal criminal 

charges of polluting the bay and lying to 

authorities about his medical history. 

Capt Cota’s attorney, John Meadows, 

ice linking Rosslare and Le Havre. 

✪Louis Dreyfus Armateurs is 

hoping to make its first foray into 

port operations by bidding for a 

concession to run part of the port 

of Cherbourg from 1 January. 

The company has teamed up 

with the local Chamber of 

Commerce in the bid following 

the government’s decentralisation 

of port management. LDA is 

understood to want to ship coal to 

the UK from Cherbourg. 

told the board hearing that blame for the 

incident also lay partly with the ship’s crew, 

who had failed to alert the pilot of the Cosco 

Busan’s position, and the US Coast Guard’s 

failure to adequately warn him of the 

impending accident. 

The vessel was holed after striking the 

bridge at a speed of 11 knots. Some 26 miles 

of shoreline was polluted by the oil spill, and 

more than 2,000 seabirds were killed. 

The report said the ship’s owners and 

operators have estimated that the resulting 

clean-up and compensation costs will 

exceed $80m. 

FIRST VLCC BUILT 

TO ROBUST RULES 

PICTURED left is the 

318,000dwt tanker Hua San — 

the first VLCC built to new 

classification society rules 

setting more robust vessel 

construction standards. 

Classed by Lloyd’s Register 

and built at the Shanghai 

Waigaoqiao Shipyard, Hua San 


briefly... 

is the first VLCC built to 

Common Structural Rules, 

which include increased 

strength requirements and more 

robust fatigue-related 

construction, with design 

requirements that target a vessel 

life of 25 years under ‘North 

Atlantic’ operational conditions. 

Hua San — the biggest 

vessel, in deadweight tonnage 

terms, ever built in a Chinese 

yard — was delivered five 

months ahead of schedule. 

Research redundancies: the French maritime union CGT 

has expressed concern after Genavir — the company that 

manages the fleet of scientific research vessels for France’s 

Ifremer — announced that it will not renew the short-term 

contracts of 68 employees, one-third of them officers, due to 

financial difficulties. The company blamed the decision on a 

fall in government subsidies for scientific missions while ship 

operation costs continue to rise. 

Rustbucket sails: the Cambodian-flagged cargoship Brusterl 

has been allowed to return to its home port of Durres, Albania, 

after being held since mid-September in the French port of La 

Rochelle when an inspection found 39 deficiencies onboard. 

The ship — which had been condemned by the country’s 

shipping minister — was cleared to sail on condition that no 

cargo would be carried and repairs would be undertaken. 

Rubbish fine: a shipmaster has been fined A$1,800 (£770) 

plus costs and his company A$20,000 (£8,500) for dumping 

plastic bags off the coast of Australia last year. A court in 

Brisbane imposed the fine last month after the Australian 

Maritime Safety Agency discovered that three bags of waste 

had been dumped off Queensland by the Panamanian-flagged 

products tanker Golden Akane. 

Unpaid crew: ITF inspectors in Australia criticised 

conditions on a flag of convenience ship whose crew 

complained of not being paid for three months. They 

demanded proof that the 22 Filipino seafarers were being paid 

before the Greek-owned bulker Equator was allowed to 

discharge its cargo of coal in the port of Bunbury last month. 

Swedish feeder: the French operator CMA CGM is 

introducing a new weekly container feeder service to link its 

deepsea operations with the Swedish ports of Gothenburg and 

Helsingborg. The move in part follows withdrawal of Iceland’s 

Samskip’s Baltic and northern European services. 

VTS row: vessel traffic services officers in the French ports of 

Calais and Boulogne suspended strike action last month after 

the FO union secured a meeting with the ministry of transport 

in a bid to find a solution to a dispute over bonus payments. 

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16 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ DECEMBER 2008 

Have your 

say: online 

Last month’s poll asked: 

Do you think the Treasury 

should change the SED 

rules so that seafarers in all 

sectors can benefit from the 

concessions? As the Telegraph 

Old hands have 

to think hard... 

AS AN ‘old hand’, I feel the letter 

in the October Telegraph (Old 

hands need to present a positive 

image) needs some clarification 

as to the point I was trying to 

make. 

My father told me about 

his days at sea during the 50s 

What’s on your mind? 

Tell your colleagues 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 a pen name or just your membership number if you don’t want to be identified — say so in an 

accompanying note — but you must let the Telegraph have your name, address and membership number. 

✪ Send your letter to the editor, Telegraph, Nautilus UK, 750-760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BB, 

or use head office fax 020 8530 1015, or email telegraph@nautilusuk.org 

How to keep SED as a 

benefit for seafarers 

IN REPLY to the article in 

October’s Telegraph about the 

government’s latest crackdown on 

the seaman’s tax — ‘a malicious 

and destructive move to exclude 

even more seafarers from income 

tax concessions’ — to which 

seafarers do Nautilus UK refer? 

How many of those affected 

by this new ruling can be defined 

as a seaman? Surely to be defined 

as a seaman you must be part 

of the ship’s crew, signed on the 

articles with some form of STCW 

certification, not just because 

you happen to be the holder of a 

seaman’s discharge book. 

All the vessel types that have 

been targeted by HMRC more 

often than not have a higher ratio 

of contractors than actual ship’s 

crew, the seamen. To myself and 

others, the clampdown seems 

to be a targeting of non-seaman, 

(ROV pilots, surveyors, riggers, 

etc) who are employed not on 

vessels but by companies whose 

business requires that their 

employees go to sea, employees 

that are paid considerably more 

than the humble seaman, and 

therefore making higher claims. 

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Established 1974 

87.8% Yes 

9.2% No 

3.1% No, only the offshore 

sector should benefit 

Unfortunately, HMRC’s 

clampdown makes the marine 

crews of these vessels the 

collateral damage. Nautilus UK 

would be better making ‘top level 

protests’ to protect the interests 

of its fee-paying members, those 

of us who can justifiably call 

ourselves seaman, as opposed to 

those who just happen to work 

on our ships. Instead of a list of 

ship types, maybe a list of job 

descriptions to be excluded is a 

better way forward. 

DAVID SINCLAIR 

mem no 187140 

IT IS good news on the SED 

front, but surely this is the time 

for removing all the fuzziness 

about various rulings on who is 

eligible and who is not. 

To say that a hairdresser on 

a cruiseship is eligible for the 

SED seems mad, as I’m sure 

there will be a great demand for 

hairdressers on a ship in time of 

conflict. The purpose of the SED 

wasn’t to allow employers to pay 

lower wages but to encourage 

and retain marine personnel. 

Rather then defining what is a 

ship and what isn’t, surely it’s 

time to define who is a seafarer 

and who isn’t. 

A few years ago I worked in 

the North Sea offshore sector 

and the OIM had a tax rebate 

of more than all the officers put 

together. Surely this isn’t the 

purpose of the SED, as again 

this is a non-marine person. 

There also needs to be a severe 

tightening up of who has and 

hasn’t discharge books as many 

companies seem to be able 

to get them for supers, OIMs, 

divers, etc so as to secure them 

a wage rise without costing 

themselves anything and to get 

cheaper travel by being able to 

use cheaper seafarers’ airline 

tickets. 

Perhaps if only marine 

personal were getting the 

SED then the HMRC would be 

happier and not try at every turn 

to find a reason to exclude more 

and more genuine seafarers from 

the SED. 

mem no 154969 

wwent 

to press, the poll 

sh showed a clear result, left. 

Th This month, we want your 

vi vviews 

on page 1’s story: 

Do D you think seafarer 

training tr programmes will 

be cut as a result of the 

ec 

economic downturn? 

Vote now, on 

www.nautilusuk.org 

IN CONNECTION with the current 

dispute over SED I would just like 

to state that I feel the Union is 

going down completely the wrong 

tack. 

The problem here lies in the 

definition of a ‘seafarer’. 

It is difficult to use the strategic 

reasoning behind the entitlement 

when, at the Union’s insistence, 

anyone onboard a vessel is 

classed as a seafarer. How can 

the Union justify to the HMRC the 

strategic need for hairdressers, 

entertainers, ROV operators or 

scaffolders, to name but a few? 

Look at the manning list for 

any tanker/cargo vessel. There is 

your definition of a seafarer. The 

rest are simply supernumeraries. 

The decision as to whether 

or not a person qualifies for the 

SED should have nothing to do 

with the type of vessel. A factory 

worker is not taxed differently 

from an office worker. 

What I can see is getting to 

HMRC is the sheer numbers now 

qualifying, and this is its way of 

reducing that number. 

I would like to remind this 

Union that it is its actions in 

pushing for every Tom, Dick and 

Harriet to be declared a seafarer 

that has exponentially increased 

the number of claimants. 

I would also like to remind 

this Union that its whole purpose 

of being is the rights and welfare 

of British officers, not British 

hairdressers or British welders or 

British entertainers. 

STEVEN WILLIAMS 

1st Engineer, Acergy 

mem no 184110 

AS A retired seafarer I am not 

affected by the current threat by 

HMRC to withdraw the income 

tax concession from some 

seafarers. But I do sincerely 

sympathise with those who 

may suffer by this ill-advised 

and frankly greedy proposed 

legislation. 

However, it seems to me that 

the thinking behind this proposal 

is not the definition of a ship or 

its function, but the definition of 

a seafarer. Here the solution is 

simple, (although governments 

abhor anything that is simple), 

and that is the proper allocation 

of the British seaman’s 

discharge book. 

The officially sanctioned 

abuse of the discharge book 

system has gone on for far too 

long, (something I protested 

about many years ago). The 

British seaman’s discharge 

book should only be issued to 

UK citizens who are genuine 

professional seafarers. All 

those who do not meet these 

elementary criteria should 

have their discharge books 

withdrawn. 

Thereafter, anyone holding 

a valid current discharge 

book should be entitled to an 

annual percentage income tax 

concession on all seafaring 

income; not necessarily 100%, 

but the same percentage for all 

seafarers, and irrespective of 

what ship, where trading, what 

type of operation, or how often in 

or out of the UK and regardless 

of leave taken. 

Such a system would be the 

simplest and cheapest possible 

to administer and probably 

the most equitable of all to 

both seafarer and government. 

However, such simplicity and 

fairness almost guarantees that 

no government would consider 

the system. 

J. BORE 

mem no 075240 

and when I had the choice 

of dockyard apprenticeship 

or engineer cadet I chose the 

latter. I soon realised life on a 

containership in the mid-80s 

was a completely different ball 

game from the life he knew, but I 

accepted it and got on with it. 

I have many happy memories of 

my time ‘deep sea’ and obviously 

some tales of not so good times. 

The question I pose is what 

are shipping companies doing 

to make the seafarer’s lot a 

A service for seafarers and their families 

FREE, FAST & CONFIDENTIAL 

good experience these days on 

modern ships with small crews, 

quick turn-around times etc, etc? 

I wholeheartedly agree with 

the gentleman’s comments 

regarding the professionalism 

and challenges asked of the 

marine engineer, but in reality 

would he encourage his own 

sons or grandsons to follow in our 

chosen career? I would have to 

think long and hard before I did. 

BERNIE MOSS 

mem no 170689 

The view from Muirhead 

Deputy general secretary Peter 

McEwen replies: Nautilus 

UK policy is that the Seafarers 

Earnings Deduction should be 

applied to seafarers and in the 

context of the offshore oil sector 

NOT to oil workers such as riggers 

who are non seafarers. The SED 

was reintroduced (under pressure 

from the Union) to provide a pool 

of qualified seafarers required for 

the strategic defence purposes 

of the UK. Subsequently, the 

SED was improved for the same 

reason — but also because of the 

strategic economic importance of 

the shipping industry to UK plc. 

These points have been the basis 

of our policy for many years. The 

ferry and cruise sectors are an 

important part of the UK shipping 

industry and their success 

is contributed to by all of the 

onboard departments. 

Nautilus also believes that 

discharge books should not be 

issued other than to seafarers. 

I have no doubt that the HMRC 

attacks in recent years on the 

SED in the offshore industry arose 

because it wrongly extended the 

SED to non seafaring oil workers. 

Immediate telephone advice is available on many subjects, including: 

Welfare Benefits � Tax Credits � Housing � Employment � Pensions 

� Debt (including Council Tax) � Consumer � Immigration 

� Relationship & Family 

Seafarers.indd 1 19/9/08 08:31:11 

Seafarers 7 x 3.indd 1 22/10/08 09:43:04

Old plastic can be 

used for green 

shipping power 

I SEE that you did a big article on 

bio-diesel (September Telegraph) 

— it involving the growing of a 

crop that would not be at the 

expense of food crops or rain 

forest. 

Has anyone looked at the 

website for Cynar plc (www.cynarplc. 

com)? This company makes liquid 

fuel out of old plastic (any type) 

and gets approximately 95 tonnes 

of good quality low sulphur diesel 

from 100 tonnes of old plastic. The 

plant produces 20 tonnes a day, 

and all that is left as waste is ash. 

A very good website with stacks 

of info and diagrams on how it all 

works. 

JOHN NEWLYN 

mem no 191228 

Please don’t place 

lifeboat safety on 

the back burner 

SOME months ago considerable interest was 

generated by the submission made by me on 

the design of a new lifeboat lowering hook. 

To date, things have gone very quiet 

on this issue both from members and, 

indeed, (and not unrepentantly) from 

manufacturers. 

I am somewhat surprised that more 

members have not taken up the cudgels 

in this matter, for they of all people have a 

vested interest in the promotion of safety for 

their crews and the industry in general. 

We do know (or at least we think we 

know) why there has been no comment 

from manufacturers, but without hard 

evidence that reason would be difficult to 

explain. 

We are continuously being reminded 

that the matter of lifeboat lowering systems 

is being reviewed, but nothing of any 

DECEMBER 2008 ✪ ●Nautilus UK Telegraph ●✪ 17 

consequence appears to be forthcoming. 

It is sincerely hoped that it has not been 

put ‘on the back burner’ or is under pressure 

from others to leave well alone, as it is a 

good profit-making business for the carrying 

out of maintenance. 

Safety should be paramount in this very 

important aspect of seafaring and if there is 

an attitude of c’est la vie, then it should be 

abhorred. 

We do not need more committees 

to carry on an endless debate, we need 

common sense and positive decisions. 

Capt P. DONOCLIFT 

letters 

Shock tactics in the war on piracy 

DESPITE the enterprise by NATO to mobilise 

warships to the Gulf of Aden, what seems to be 

missing is any reference to other parts of the world 

which continue to suffer the scourge of piracy. Is it 

the intention to mobilise navies of all countries to 

combat ‘ local’ piracy/terrorism or to just concentrate 

on the Gulf of Aden and let the others suffer? 

It seems that once again the exercise has not 

been thought through, thus allowing all these thieves 

and robbers to operate with total impunity. 

To summarise, naval vessels in the Gulf of Aden 

(with no rules of engagement), the Malaysian navy 

pulling out, no talk of other areas being protected, 

it can only be ‘status quo’, with the whole world 

looking on in mock dismay and confusion of their 

own making — but unwilling to do anything. 

The general consensus is that piracy is outside the 

international human rights agreement, in as much 

that it does not apply to acts of piracy against ships 

on the high seas. The public opinion generally is that 

anyone who commits a crime abdicates their human 

rights — one with which this writer fully agrees. 

However, should there be objections to any 

military action, here is maybe one significant loophole 

by which action can be taken. Assume a boat comes 

alongside a vessel and action is precipitated by 

master and crew — hoses, gunfire or whatever then if 

the politically correct human rights activists are to be 

believed the pirate is innocent of all crime as he has 

not yet carried out any offensive action. 

Now, take a vessel that has been fitted with an 

electrical deterrent system. When rounding Perim 

Island at the south end of the Red Sea bound for 

(say) Singapore the master requests his chief 

engineer to ‘test’ the system. This testing being 

protracted until well clear of Socotra. 

Poor treatment of seafarers means ISM is doomed to failure 

I CAN still recall the days when 

surveyors actually worked for the 

safety of seafarers instead of just 

ticking the boxes and checking 

the paperwork. I am not against 

change. Change is generally 

a positive part of the human 

condition. But there are constants 

at sea (the sea itself being the 

main one of these) and it should 

be remembered (in the words of 

Viscount Falkland) that, when it 

is not necessary to change, it is 

necessary not to change. 

Since the general introduction 

of the International Safety 

Management (ISM) Code, much 

has been written on the topic. 

One line of thought, at the outset, 

was that the effectiveness of 

the code would stand or fall 

on the attitude and behaviour 

of those acting as auditors. It 

was suggested that any actions 

which sought to introduce further 

layers of administration or were 

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Such an electrical deterrent is based upon the 

same theory as ‘degaussing’. Also we have to bear in 

mind that, unlike the old days with 110v DC power 

most (if not all) vessels have 440v AC power which is 

then transformed for all other uses (domestic, heavy 

duty use, winches, etc). The peripheral cable would 

be copper and maybe only 25mm diameter, with no 

sleeve insulation but insulated from the hull only. 

antagonistic to shipboard staff 

would be detrimental to the 

operation of the code. 

In my experience, it has 

generally been the case that 

shipboard auditing for ISM, and 

now ISPS, has added markedly 

to shipboard administration. 

Auditors often appear to be 

less qualified and certainly less 

experienced than the auditees. 

(If that is not too much of a 

neologism!) Not only that, 

but auditing is often carried 

out in a manner which, if not 

confrontational, is at least mildly 

antagonistic towards hardworking 

shipboard staff. 

The reasons for this seem to lie 

mainly in the prevailing attitude 

towards seafarers. Those of us 

who choose to continue to pursue 

our occupation onboard ships at 

sea are regarded as being at the 

bottom of the professional heap. 

What might be called the 

pyramid of marine administration 

and control has, over time, 

Now during that short passage pirates attempt 

to board the vessel which (as is being done in the 

Bonnie River) is in a ‘citadel’ mode and they suffer 

greatly from a nasty shock and decide to leave well 

alone. By definition, the master and crew have taken 

no hostile action against them — they were busy 

doing what they normally do and the chief engineer 

was only testing his equipment. This argument, I 

become inverted. It is now top 

heavy with ‘management’, 

auditors, and health and safety 

specialists (this last area being 

endowed with an almost cult-like 

authority) and sundry inspectors. 

Somewhere at the bottom, where 

the apex has now become the 

tiny base, is the ship. Here the 

master and crew are still diligently 

striving to carry out the legitimate 

commerce of the shipowner. 

The main reason for this 

‘inversion’ is the use (or misuse) 

of the word ‘management’. In 

seafaring today the management 

should be, quite clearly, onboard 

the ship. Personified, if you like, 

in the master and supported by 

the crew. What is going on ashore 

in various offices is, or should 

be, regarded simply as support 

for the seagoing management. 

(Incidentally, I count myself as 

fortunate enough to be working 

for a shipowner who recognises 

the management role of the 

master and the supporting role of 

shore staff.) 

But some things never seem to 

change: 

‘Stick close to your desks and 

never go to sea, 

And you all may be Rulers of 

the Queen’s Navee!’ 

These old lines from W.S. 

Gilbert still ring true and until, and 

unless, there are some marked 

feel, would stand up on the side of the vessel, master 

and crew. 

Capt P. DONOCLIFT 

PETER Newton has burst into print once again 

in the November issue of the Telegraph, with his 

usual anti Royal Navy tirade. I suspect that, as 

usual, he has not fully researched his facts. 

As he states in the second paragraph of his 

letter, it was the Foreign & Commonwealth Office 

who advised the RN not to capture pirates, in case 

they claimed asylum in the UK. As he knows, the 

RN takes its orders from the elected government 

and long may this be the case. If he had taken the 

time to read the Navy’s reaction to the advice, he 

would discover that it was one of disgust. 

Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, who recommended 

that merchant ships carry mercenaries for their 

own protection, is in fact an American naval 

commander. The US laws regarding merchant ships 

carrying arms are very likely to be different to ours. 

I find the last paragraph of his letter both 

offensive and insulting and will not waste my time 

discussing it. 

ALFRED W. JOHNSTON 

mem no 138636 

I RECEIVED two messages last night from a friend 

in shipping circles, reporting on a pirate attack on 

a ship in the Gulf of Aden (see pages 23-24). They 

illustrate the severity of the piracy problem brought 

about by the breakdown of responsible government 

and also illustrate the need for protected convoy 

systems in the affected areas. 

LOUIS ROSKELL 

mem no 106329 

attitudinal changes towards the 

role of seafarers then the changes 

wrought by the introduction of 

various codes will not become 

positive. For this reason the ISM 

code (and its ugly sister, the ISPS 

code) is rapidly becoming a real 

failure. 

BARNABY PERKINS 

mem no 141033 

S Project1.indd 5 x 2.indd 1 1 16/10/08 22/10/08 16:58:55 09:39:01 Royal Alfred 6 x 2.indd 1 22/10/08 09:19:2


APPALLING IDEA 

TO CHARGE RNLI 

FOR RADIO CALLS 

MY attention was drawn to the 

attached article on the front page of 

our local Advertiser (in partnership 

with the Bournemouth Echo) on 16 

October. 

I was a radio officer for 30 

readers’ letters 

Bigger issues than shore leave 

WITH reference to the item on shore 

leave in the October Telegraph, I would 

dispute that there is or ever was any 

‘ancient and cherished rights to go 

ashore’. Shore leave from any vessel is 

at the discretion of its master and always 

subject to the laws of the country which 

the vessel is visiting and the permission 

of the owners of the property at which the 

ship is berthed, to cross that property. 

As for the statement that this received 

the full support of the TUC; so what! 

Although basically labour unionism 

is and has been a good thing, it has 

developed in to an organisation with 

many bad faults such as the ‘closed 

shop’, the failure to institute and enforce 

secret balloting for motions instead of 

a ‘show of hands’ and the demarcation 

of work, all of which contributed to 

the downfall and demise of British 

shipbuilding, among other industries. 

Also, of course, the speech of Mr Jess 

cannot have done our particular industry 

much good. You can imagine if, when 

all those staunch and upright brethren 

years, both with the New Zealand 

Shipping Company and British Rail, 

subsequently Sealink. During this 

time, it was one of the comforting 

aspects of my job that allowed 

me to call upon the RNLI at any 

time knowing that they would 

attend an emergency in whatever 

circumstances — sometimes at great 

risk to their own personal safety, in 

order to save life. To do this, they had 

the use of Channel 16 and other VHF 

frequencies and still do, in order to 

carry out their task effectively. 

return home and their son or grandson 

says ‘Granddad/Dad, when I leave school 

I want to go to sea’. ‘Not bloody likely son, 

you’ll lose all your mates, you won’t be 

able to go to Dr Rankin’s and have those 

boils seen to on your neck and what’ll 

the team do without their best goalie in 

years? Anyway your Mum and I would 

miss you, so forget it and concentrate on 

getting good A-levels so you can go to 

university like your cousin Joe and then 

get a proper job.’ 

Returning now to the subject of shore 

leave, if Nautilus is really serious about 

this, it should take a leaf out of the rules 

of the Australian Merchant Service Guild 

(circa 1960) that stated that a member 

was entitled to seven days leave a month, 

three which could be ‘out port’ days and 

four ‘home port’ days. Thus, for instance, 

where my ‘home port’ was Sydney and 

we were in Hobart I could request a 

day off to climb Mt. Wellington, or if 

in Yokohama a day off to visit Tokyo or 

Kamakura. Unused ‘out port’ days were 

accumulated with similar ‘home port’ 

Promoting Career 

and Educational Development 

in the Maritime Industries 

A Unique Masters Programme 

for Professionals 

Master’s Degree in Maritime 

Operations and Management 

For someone to suggest that 

this service, supplied as it is with 

public donations, should be charged 

for the use of these frequencies is 

outrageous in the extreme. That 

person should be asked to consider 

his position and hope that he never 

requires the services of the RNLI. 

You may be aware of these 

proposals. Nevertheless, I felt 

compelled to write to you on the 

subject. 

P.A. LLOYD 

mem no 429301 

for eventual liquidation when one paid 

off, to which was added ‘leave on leave’, 

that is for every 30 days of leave due they 

attracted a further seven days as per the 

guild rules; furthermore if one worked 

more than eight hours a day one also 

earned overtime. 

In my opinion, international shipping 

started on its downward path when it was 

agreed by the powers that be that nations 

could ‘farm out’ their mercantile shipping 

responsibilities to private enterprise, 

leading initially to the creation of the 

Panama register followed by that of Liberia 

and other flags of convenience and which 

now include such landlocked states as 

Mongolia and Bolivia where there can 

hardly be a handful of citizens who have 

even seen the sea; I doubt that you will 

find any maritime organs of government 

in the streets of Ulan Bator or La Paz. 

None of these states (there are a couple 

of exceptions) contribute to the shipping 

industry, they neither train or provide 

officers and crews, they don’t have or 

support hydrographic activities or publish 

School of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences 

City University’s School of Engineering has an 

innovative masters programme, which has been 

designed to offer exciting career opportunities for 

maritime professionals. 

● A unique blend of technical, management 

and financial subjects, focused on the 

maritime industries 

● Supported by the Honourable Company of 

Master Mariners and a Steering Committee of 

the maritime industries 

● Suitable for Master or Chief Engineers, Class 1 

Master Mariners, Class 1 Engineers. 

● Based in London, able to use prestigious, 

visiting lecturers to supplement material and 

enrich course materials 

● Part-time, flexible modular structure to suit 

students in full-time employment 

● Short intensive study periods enables modules 

to be arranged around professional commitments 

charts and other nautical publications, 

they do not have any educational facilities 

devoted to maritime interests: the list is 

endless. They are in fact parasites that 

depend fully on the shipping nations of 

the world for their survival. 

Finally, I would have thought 

that Nautilus could have found more 

deserving things to spend its time and 

money on, such as the restructuring 

internationally of the way that 

professional qualifications are obtained 

and maintained, and the safety of life on 

mega passengerships. With regard to the 

latter, we now have such ships in excess 

of 120,000gt regularly coming down the 

ways with accommodation for passengers 

and crew of several thousand persons 

and who can be evacuated, presumably 

into lifeboats, in 45 minutes — so 

the executive vice president of RCCL, 

developers of the Project Genesis, says. 

However, I doubt if this has been put to 

the test as required in the airline industry 

who earlier this year physically proved 

that the civil aviation rules requiring that 

Flagging fortunes 

WITH regard as to whether the Cape Osprey 

was flying a Union Flag or a Union Jack 

(letters, August and November Telegraphs), 

I tend to side with Mr Price on this. At least it 

was being flown the right way up; unlike some 

of the flags being waved about by some of our 

Olympians in Beijing recently. If Cape Osprey 

had been flying the red ensign in the first 

place, the problem would not have arisen. 

IAN SAMPLES 

mem no 56279 

the new Airbus A380 should be capable 

of being completely evacuated of its 830 

passengers and crew within 90 seconds 

were met by demonstrating that the 

plane could by evacuating that number of 

persons in 73 seconds. 

Capt ROGER WOMERSLEY 

mem no 310660 

General secretary Brian Orrell 

comments: If there is one issue that has 

united all sides of the shipping industry 

in recent times, it is the right of seafarers 

to enjoy shore leave off their ship. It is an 

ancient right, recognised in customary 

maritime law as far back as the Middle 

Ages, and is enshrined within a series of 

international conventions agreed through 

the UN agencies the ILO and IMO. In 

these times of stress, high workloads 

and minimum manning levels, it is a 

right worth fighting for. Nautilus is also 

actively involved in the discussions on 

the revision of the STCW Convention, and 

we have worked tirelessly on the issue of 

large passengership safety. 

● Of global appeal – students from around the world 

are encouraged to participate and benefit from the 

City of London maritime business environment 

● Provides the maritime industries with staff having 

specialised technical, management and financial 

skills and competencies 

● Strong foundation for further career development 

in all branches of the maritime industries. 

For further details please contact: MOaM 

Programme Administrator, School of Engineering, 

City University, Northampton Square, 

London EC1V 0HB, UK 

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7040 0118 

www.city.ac.uk/sems/postgraduate/moam/index-html 

Email: pgeng@city.ac.uk 

Please quote ref: NAUDEC08. 

The University for business and the professions 

City Uni 19 x 6.indd 1 30/10/08 09:36:41

nautilus at work 

We have 

moved from 

managing 

decline to 

looking to 

the future 

with renewed 

optimism 

Brian Orrell OBE 

General secretary 

Nautilus UK 

AS 2008 draws to a close, it is an 

opportune moment to reflect on 

our Union’s recent achievements 

— particularly so for me, as this 

marks the end of my final year at 

the helm of Nautilus. 

Next year will see the launch of 

the new union, Nautilus International, 

at the close of the 

Biennial General Meeting in May. 

This momentous occasion — the 

launch of the first cross-boundary 

trade union — not only represents 

a radical step forward for us, but 

also serves as a recognition of the 

changes that continue to 

transform the industry in which 

we operate. 

Shipping today bears little 

relation to the industry it was 

even two or three decades ago. 

Sweeping changes in ship design, 

technology, and operating 

practices have swept away the old 

order and have resulted in 

fundamental changes in seafarers’ 

working lives. 

Thankfully, Nautilus officials 

and members have had the good 

sense to respond to these changes. 

Motions from members to 

successive BGMs called for the 

Union to broaden its horizons 

and devote more resources to its 

work on the international scene. 

Ever since the mass flag-outs 

of the 1980s, which resulted in 

more than half the membership 

working under foreign flags, our 

focus has been shifting to a bigger 

stage. 

No one can now afford to look 

at our industry with blinkers on. 

It has always been the most 

globalised and international of all 

industries, but the developments 

of the past two decades have seen 

shipping move to an even higher 

level of transnational operation. 

When ships are owned in one 

country, managed in another, 

flagged in yet another, and crewed 

by a multinational complement, 

there is no room for narrow national 

perspectives. Increasingly, 

we have had to look to global 

answers to the problems we face. 

Hence our significantly 

increased involvement with such 

bodies as the International 

Transport Workers’ Federation, 

the International Maritime 

Organisation, and the International 

Labour Organisation — 

to say nothing of our ever-closer 

relationship with our Dutch 

partners in Nautilus NL. 

In the past couple of years, 


GENERAL secretary Brian Orrell 

looks back at another busy period 

for Nautilus and forward to the 

challenges that lie ahead… 

Better controls on the conditions of foreign seafarers working on UK ships remains a major challenge for the Union, says Brian Orrell PICTURE: DANNY CORNELISSEN 

those links have truly delivered. At 

the ILO, some five years of 

negotiations have produced the 

so-called ‘bill of rights’ for seafarers 

— the 2006 Maritime Labour 

Convention, which will have a 

huge impact on the working 

conditions of seafarers everywhere. 

Working through the IMO 

and ILO, we have also helped to 

secure global guidelines on fair 

treatment for seafarers following 

maritime incidents — something 

that was desperately needed in 

the face of the increased 

criminalisation encountered by 

masters and officers. 

We are also developing a 

binding instrument to protect 

seafarers in cases of abandonment, 

and to give clear guidance 

on compensation for personal 

injury or death — all elements 

that are vitally important in the 

current economic climate. 

At the IMO, we are playing an 

active part in negotiations on the 

revision of the STCW Convention, 

not least in the way it addresses 

minimum safe manning. 

Nautilus also had a leading 

role in the discussions on 

international requirements for 

seafarers’ identity documents — 

essential in the wake of the strict 

security clampdown that has 

restricted shore leave following 

the 9/11 attacks. 

And we were also instrumental 

in the evolution of the world’s 

first global collective bargaining 

agreement — the International 

Bargaining Forum — which now 

determines terms and conditions 

for seafarers on more than 7,000 

ships in the world fleets. 

All of these are issues of direct 

relevance to Nautilus members. 

By tackling these topics at the 

highest regulatory and industrial 

levels, we can ensure that the 

resulting standards are applied 

across the board — helping to 

eradicate the unfair competition 

that drags down the best operators 

or depresses pay and conditions. 

All these are areas where real 

improvements have been secured, 

or are on the way — addressing 

such fundamental matters as 

health and safety, fatigue, onboard 

accommodation, security, welfare 

and shipboard standards. And 

Nautilus knows these are the 

issues that matter to you, thanks 

to the regular surveys we conduct. 

All of this work at the 

international level has been 

achieved with no dilution of our 

day-to-day representation and 

campaigning for members on the 

domestic front. Our industrial 

teams continue to provide 

essential support in negotiating 

pay and conditions with major 

employers, and dealing with 

hundreds of individual cases. We 

continue to offer unrivalled legal, 

welfare and information services. 

And our commitment to 

quality service for our members 

continues to be recognised by our 

Investors in People status — the 

first union to achieve this award, 

and to be successfully reassessed 

to the higher standards. 

I believe we have moved from 

a situation when we were 

‘managing decline’ to one in 

which we are looking to the future 

with renewed optimism. Whilst 

tonnage tax has not delivered all 

that was hoped, it has at least 

taken us to a point at which the 

UK fleet is expanding and UK 

officer trainee numbers have 

more than doubled. 

There remains much work to 

be done — securing an 

employment link to tonnage tax, 

tackling the exploitation of 

foreign seafarers on UK ships, 

getting tighter controls on 

certificates of equivalent 

competency, and heading off the 

current threat to seafarers’ 

income tax concessions. 

However, by doing this from a 

position of strength — through 

the new union — we will be better 

placed than ever to meet these 

challenges, and whatever else is 

lurking around the corner. 

The turmoil on the world’s 

financial markets in recent 

months has reminded us that we 

live in a complex world, where 

decisions made in one country 

can instantly impact on people in 

another country. I believe that 

Nautilus has chosen a positive 

and a proactive course to respond 

to the rapidly changing world in 

which we operate. And I believe 

that if we continue to work 

together with determination and 

commitment, we can make a 

better future…


seafarer health seafarer health 

MN RATING 

WANTING TO 

MOVE AHEAD? 

Collect up to £15,000 

to help your studies… 

Are you a Merchant 

Navy rating 

considering career 

progression? 

The JW Slater Fund, 

administered by Nautilus 

UK, offers awards 

of up to £15,000 to 

help ratings study for 

a first certificate of 

competency. 

And there is now a bonus 

of £1,000 for completing 

the course. 

Over the past decade 

alone, Slater Fund awards 

have been given to more 

than 800 individuals. 

Named in honour of 

former MNAOA general 

secretary John Slater, 

the awards are made to 

selected UK-resident 

ratings aged 20 or over. 

The money can be used 

towards the costs of any 

necessary full- or parttime 

education, and to 

provide some financial 

support during college 

phases for those off pay. 

Nautilus UK is now 

inviting applications for 

the 2008 awards. If you 

want to make the next 

move, don’t leave things 

to chance — fill in the 

form on the right, 

or apply via 

www.nautilusuk.org 

COMPLETE THIS FORM 

AND SEND IT TO: 

The Marine Society 

& Sea Cadets, 202 Lambeth Road 

London SE1 7JW. 

I am over 20 years of age and a 

rating normally resident in 

the United Kingdom. 

Please send me details of the 

John Slater Award. 

Name: __________________________ 

_________________________________ 

Address: 

__________________________________ 

__________________________________ 

__________________________________ 

__________________________________ 

Email: 

__________________________________ 

__________________________________ 

This form is also available online 

at www.nautilusuk.org 

or email your name, address 

and request for Slater Fund 

details to Captain Ian Smith at 

ismith@ms-sc.org 

Ref: 500 

END OF AN ERA FOR IRENE 

IRENE Bonnici retires 

on Christmas Eve after 

more than 40 years in 

the NHS — the last 20 of 

them attending to the 

needs of seafarers in the 

Dreadnought Medical 

Service. 

Starting in the NHS in 

1965, at Lewisham Hospital, 

she began working at St 

Thomas’ as a clerk in 1982, 

before the Dreadnought Unit 

was moved to the hospital 

from Greenwich. 

She joined the 

Dreadnought team in June 

1988, and was made the 

administrator in September 

1994. 

Highlights of her career 

have included meeting 

visiting royalty, and being 

invited to the naming 

ceremonies of the P&O 

liners Aurora, Arcadia and 

Adonia. 

As for her general 

Dreadnought work, Irene 

comments. ‘I just consider 

myself fortunate that we’ve 

got so much contact with the 

patients still. Patients come 

up, they get to know us, and 

I’ve felt like every day I’ve 

enjoyed, I haven’t really had 

one bad day of working here. 

Because it’s interesting, 

every day’s different. All our 

patients are different and 

they’re so appreciative.’ 

Nautilus senior national 

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

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

the country on foreign going voyages. 

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

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

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Dreadnought still delivers for MN 

THE DREADNOUGHT Medical 

Service has served the needs of 

Britain’s seafarers for nearly 180 

years — and continues to offer 

specialist care in very changed 

circumstances from its origins. 

The Service — which has 

always sought to give priority 

treatment to seafarers — began 

life aboard the decommissioned 

HMS Dreadnought, which 

had seen action in the battle of 

Trafalgar. Taken out of commission 

in 1812, it became a quarantine 

ship in 1827. 

From 1831 to 1857, it served 

as the second vessel used by the 

Seamen’s Hospital Society as an 

infirmary for ex-Merchant Navy 

or fishing fleet personnel. 

In 1857 the infirmary transferred 

to the Caledonia, which 

was renamed Dreadnought. Then 

came the move to land, with the 

establishment of the Seamen’s 

Dreadnought Hospital at Royal 

Greenwich Hospital in 1870. 

And there it stayed until 

1986 when — now known as 

the Dreadnought Unit — it took 

up berth within two wards at St 

Thomas’ Hospital, overlooking 

the Houses of Parliament on the 

opposite bank of the Thames. 

Although St Thomas’ remains 

the Dreadnought’s administrative 

base, the last decade has 

seen major changes. Seafarers, 

active and retired, and their 

dependants, are still treated 

at St Thomas’ — but now also 

at Guy’s Hospital, adjacent to 

London Bridge, as both hospitals 

now come under the control of 

the Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS 

Foundation Trust (GSTT). More 

fundamentally, Dreadnought 

patients are no longer treated in 

dedicated wards for seafarers. 

So, one might ask, why 

The Dreadnought administrative team, left to right: Sandra Jones, Irene Bonnici, and Ruth Wallis PICTURE: ANDREW WIARD 

should there be any kind of 

Dreadnought facility in the first 

place — no other industry enjoys 

priority medical services on the 

NHS? Dreadnought administrator 

Irene Bonnici explains: ‘The 

reason being that seafarers really 

can’t wait that long for appointments, 

because there’s certain 

ailments they can’t work with 

such as hernias.’ Seafaring, moreover, 

requires a high standard of 

fitness, particularly as vessels are 

often operating in remote parts 

of the world. 

But why are seafarers no longer 

allocated to dedicated wards? 

Irene says this is a result of ‘dedicated 

nursing’ — a concept introduced 

in the NHS around the 

turn of the millennium — which 

means that nurses, like doctors, 

are now expected to specialise. 

Consequently, patients are put 

on specialist rather than general 

wards. 

The NHS has also successfully 

cut its waiting lists in recent years 

— for operations, for instance, 

the current target is to see and 

treat everyone within 18 weeks. 

So to what extent therefore can 

Dreadnought still claim to offer 

seafarers a priority service? 

This issue was highlighted 

by Lucy Mackellar of the GSTT 

at a meeting of the Dreadnought 

joint policy committee last 

month. Ten years ago, she said, 

‘we would have been able to 

show that Dreadnought patients 

waited a shorter amount of time, 

pretty much across the board. 

When waiting times were up to 

two years long, Dreadnought 

patients we’re given priority 

access, greater than we can demonstrate 

now’. 

At the same meeting, Nautilus 

UK’s deputy director of welfare 

services Liz Richardson — one 

of two Union officials on the 

Dreadnought committee — suggested 

that what the Dreadnought 

offers seafarers was ‘added 

value’, combined with priority 

access. 

Added value is definitely what 

Irene Bonnici, her deputy Ruth 

Wallis and assistant Sandra 

Jones, offer as a matter of course. 

‘I’ve got a good team, and we help 

each other,’ says Irene. 

As well as a defined, dedicated 

and personal service 

from the administrative team, 

Dreadnought patients benefit 

because of the advanced medical 

facilities at St Thomas’ and 

Guys. ‘A lot of our patients like to 

come down to the Dreadnought 

because they know that if there’s 

anything new medically available, 

it’s more likely to be in the 

London hospital than in their 

local hospital,’ says Irene. 

‘We have had patients that 

have more or less been told, “Go 

home, get the MacMillan nurses 

in, you’re not going to survive.” 

And they come here and they’ve 

had operations that haven’t been 

available in their local area and 

they’ve survived,’ she adds. 

Whilst the administrative unit 

has ship models and paintings to 

show its seafaring heritage, Irene 

says it is unfortunate that seafarers 

no longer have their own dedicated 

area. However, she adds, 

modern medical techniques 

mean that patients are in hospital 

Whilst there is no longer a special ward for Dreadnought patients, the long tradition of the service is still on show thanks to such 

models of the old hospital ships PICTURE: ANDREW WIARD 

for much less time — ‘so it’s not as 

necessary as it was before’. 

On balance though, have the 

changes have been for the better? 

After some reflection, Irene 

responds: ‘A lot of them say, “Oh, 

it’s not like the old Dreadnought, 

we could go out to the pub and…”. 

But everyone’s got to expect 

changes, and this is better. Better, 

dedicated wards — patients come 

here because they feel that some 

of the treatment is better than 

their local hospital.’ 

MEMBERS URGED TO 

KEEP USING SERVICE 

NAUTILUS senior national secretary Allan Graveson — who serves 

as secretary to the Dreadnought committee — urges members to 

make use of the Dreadnought Medical Service and ‘help the staff to 

help them’. 

Active seafarers resident in the UK — including pilots, towage 

crew, trainee officers and shipping company shore staff essential 

to the functioning of the fleet — are all eligible for consideration for 

Dreadnought treatment. 

Dependents may also be eligible where the illness of a seafarer’s 

spouse or child is such as to cause the seafarer grave concern. 

Retired seafarers will also be considered. 

Besides the wide range of medical and surgical services 

available, dental treatment can be provided, a ‘one-stop’ hernia 

service is available, and in certain circumstances, female seafarers 

can have access to gynaecological services. 

St Thomas’ Hospital is located near Waterloo station, while 

Guy’s is adjacent to London Bridge station. A limited amount of 

accommodation is available nearby for close relatives, for which 

there is a moderate charge. 

Referral is normally through the seafarer’s GP or company 

doctor. 

Dreadnought Administrator, Dreadnought Medical Service, 

St Thomas’ Hospital, Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7EH. 

Telephone: 020 7188 2049. Fax: 020 7188 2051. Email: 

dreadnought2@gstt.nhs.uk 

secretary Allan Graveson 

praised Irene’s dedication. 

‘Her efforts have assisted 

many members — she will be 

missed.’ 

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Christmas Eve will mark the end of a long NHS career for Irene Bonnici, 

including 20 years with the Dreadnought team PICTURE: ANDREW WIARD 

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

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

www.seatax.ltd.uk 

Seatax 16 x 4.indd 1 22/10/08 09:20:23


The unkindest cut? 

training 

THE SHIPPING industry must resist the 

easy easy pressure pressure to slash seafarer training 

budgets, maritime unions and employers 

told a top-level conference last month… 

NAUTILUS has urged shipowners 

and managers not to use the global 

recession as an excuse to cut back 

on investment in maritime skills. 

Senior national secretary 

Allan Graveson was among a 

series of industry experts speaking 

at a high-level conference on 

shipping industry human relations 

and crew development, 

staged in London last month. 

Mr Graveson told the ACIorganised 

conference that the 

companies least likely to find 

themselves suffering from the 

worldwide shortage of experienced 

officers are those with farsighted 

policies on training and 

development. 

Marine Training 

Developing loyalty through 

such policies was Mr Graveson’s 

theme: ‘It’s an investment, and I 

would argue that it shouldn’t be a 

one-off, it should be continuous.’ 

One benefit would be reduced 

ship losses, he argued. P&I clubs 

last year recorded some record 

losses, and lack of knowledge and 

experience have been shown to 

be critical factors in many incidents. 

Setting out a clear career 

development path for seafarers is 

vital for retention, Mr Graveson 

argued. ‘I would say here we are 

looking at a career in shipping, 

not necessarily a career at sea. 

But if we are looking at people to 

have a clear career progression, 

up to senior management, this 

will invariably involve continuous 

professional development of 

training, retraining and further 

education.’ 

He urged employers to adopt a 

long-term strategic manning 

plan, and not be frightened about 

giving people greater training 

opportunities. ‘They’re more 

likely to stay with you if you give 

them more than the minimum, 

because then they’ll have the 

reassurance that in later life, they 

could move on with ease,’ he 

added. 

The ethos of long-term continuous 

development should be 

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Boxing clever: even if world seaborne trade remains in the doldrums for a few years, its need for a new generation of highly skilled 

seafarers will remain acute, Nautilus UK has warned the industry 

communicated within companies 

and beyond, Mr Graveson 

suggested. ‘Promote the benefits 

of communicating what you do 

as an organisation — yes, we 

don’t just recruit, we don’t just 

put them through the STCW 

minimum, we take an interest in 

them, we’re willing to send them 

on additional courses, to see 

them develop as individuals. 

You’re more likely to retain such 

people, and to save a lot of money 

in that you won’t lose people. 

They’re more likely to stay as a 

consequence of that training. It 

adds to the image of the company, 

the image of shipping, the wellbeing 

of your company, the wellbeing 

of your staff, and ultimately, 

the profitability. It makes good 

business sense.’ 

Jan Morten Eskilt, chairman 

of the OSM offshore manning 

group, cited 2005 Bimco/ISF figures 

of an estimated 10,000 

worldwide shortfall of officers — 

and warned that the deficit is 

likely to be even greater because 

of the number of newbuildings 

coming into service. 

He suggested the shortage 

could actually total as much as 

34,000 this year — and as many 

as 50,000 to 60,000 more officers 

will be needed to operate all 

the ships due for delivery by 

2012. 

‘There is no quick fix: it takes 

eight to 12 years — quick — to get 

a captain. It takes about the same 

time to become a captain of an 

Airbus, and you can ask yourself, 

what is his status in society?’ Mr 

Eskilt did not spare his language. 

‘We treat our seafarers like shit.’ 

Companies that trained would 

win, he argued. OSM had a 

return rate of more than 98% for 

its cadets. ‘They’re not leaving for 

$100, they’re not even leaving 

for 500, they stay with us because 

we have proven that we have 

invested in them. That’s the only 

way to do it, and we have treated 

the people onboard as decent 

employees.’ 

David Dearsley, secretary 

general of the International 

Maritime Employers Committee, 

pointed to the way the shipping 

industry had reacted to previous 

recessions — with huge surpluses 

of seafarers and cadestships 

being terminated in mid-course. 

‘We go from boom to bust economically 

in inverse proportion 

to the number of seafarers we’ve 

got available,’ he stressed. ‘What 

do we do about it?’ 

There is a big risk that the 

industry is going to get itself ‘into 

another big mess’, he warned, 

with demands to slash training 

budgets in the recession. ‘When 

you come under pressure next 

year, as you surely will, to reduce 

your intake of trainees, we believe 

it’s got to be maintained at the 

same level,’ Mr Dearsley added. 

‘It doesn’t mean just doing the 

same thing, it means the system 

has got to be made more effective 

to produce people in the number 

and of the quality that you need 

to cut out the wastage.’ 

Peter Aylott, director of professional 

development at the 

Nautical Institute, told delegates 

that continuous professional 

development was essential in a 

technological age, where ship- 

ping strives to be very professional 

and to deliver requirements 

with zero accidents. ‘We 

operate in an environment that is 

hugely dangerous, on the surface 

of a liquid with all the various 

environments that could affect it. 

Hugely challenging, and yet we 

don’t, really, look at how we 

develop our people.’ 

Mr Aylott said the NI is preparing 

to launch a web-based 

system called the Nautical 

Institute CPD next year. It will 

include a career planning facility 

aimed at the individual seafarer, 

informing them where the training 

is and which companies provide 

it. 

‘A second engineer or third 

mate, they’re not going to know 

what they want to do in 20 years 

time,’ he explained. ‘This is a link 

that enables them to follow a 

journey — maybe they don’t want 

to stay at sea, maybe they want to 

stay at sea the rest of their career; 

whichever they choose at that 

moment they want to do, this system 

will enable them to think 

about how they want to achieve 

that.’ 

He said employers need to 

think of the big picture. ‘It is a 

fact that we train people, and 

they aren’t necessarily going to be 

with us for the rest of their 

careers. At the same time, you’re 

going to get someone that was 

trained by someone else. So it is a 

global contribution here. I go 

back to what Allan said, it is 

essential that we train people to 

be maritime professionals, and 

not think about the minimum we 

can invest in.’

RN in the front line 

special report: piracy 

WHAT is the Royal Navy doing to protect against piracy? The 

commander of Middle East force tells all to the Telegraph... 

AS COMMANDER of the Royal 

Navy and RFA ships operating in 

the Middle East, Commodore 

Tim Lowe says he his acutely conscious 

of the concerns expressed 

by merchant seafarers. 

‘The brotherhood of the sea is 

a strong one, and I can fully 

understand why there are some 

very worried masters out there,’ 

he told the Telegraph. 

However, he adds, it is his job 

— as deputy commander of the 

Coalition Maritime Force in the 

region — to provide not just protection, 

but also reassurance to 

such seafarers. 

Cdre Lowe took over that job 

early in October — inheriting 

responsibilities that include 

working with the more than 20 

nations forming the coalition and 

providing tasking and logistical 

support to RN and RFA ships in 

an operational area that covers 

some 2.5m sq miles of sea area, 

stretching from the Suez to India 

and from the Gulf to the east 

coast of Africa. 

In October, the UK Maritime 

Component Command included 

three RFA ship, two RN frigates 

and four mine counter-measure 

ships. 

Cdre Lowe doesn’t find it too 

strange to be fighting piracy in 

the way that the Royal Navy did 

more than two centuries ago. ‘I 

did my thesis on modern piracy at 

a staff course about 10 years’ 

back,’ he says. ‘In those days, the 

Malacca Straits were the problem 

area — it seems that piracy is 

always there in the background.’ 

But he stresses the fact that 

piracy is just one of many tasks 

facing the coalition naval forces 

in the region. Terrorism, drug 

and people smuggling, providing 

humanitarian assistance and 

assisting ships in distress are 

among the many demands on the 

task force. 

And he also urges seafarers to 

look at the problem from a broad 

perspective. ‘This is a busy shipping 

route, and the fact is that the 

number of ships being attacked 

are a tiny minority of the total 

passing through the Gulf of Aden.’ 

He rejects accusations from 

the shipowners’ organisations 

ICS and ISF that the pirates are 

‘acting with impunity’. Since the 

MSPA was put into place at the 

end of August, the coalition forces 

have prevented around 14 attacks, 

he says. ‘And that’s just the ones 

we know about because we have 

seen them. What we don’t know 

is how many other cases there are 

in which the pirates have been 

deterred by our presence.’ 

However, he argues, there is 

‘We are buying time’ — Commodore Tim Lowe heads the UK coalition naval force 

only so much that can be done at 

sea. A pirate dhow or skiff will 

only be able to spot a warship 

within a range of six or seven 

miles — meaning that hundreds 

of naval ships would be needed to 

fully cover the region. 

‘The answer to this problem 

lies ashore, he adds. ‘The way to 

do this is for the international 

community to work with Somalia 

to help them overcome their 

problems and establish the rule 

of law.’ 

Cdre Lowe describes as ‘red 

herrings’ the repeated press reports 

that RN ships will not arrest pirates 

because of concerns about their 

human rights or that they might 

claim asylum in the UK. 

But he says Britain is working 

hard to establish memorandums 

of understanding with countries 

in the area so that pirates can be 

put on trial in the region. 

And, he adds, ‘if we come 

across an act of piracy taking 

place, we can be very robust in 

dealing with it. We will intervene, 

and use force if necessary, to deal 

with an attack.’ 

However, he says, the RN faces 

legal constraints under the UN 

Convention on the Law of Sea 

and under UK legislation. Until 

Parliament approves a new Bill 

(probably early in 2009) powers 

to apprehend pirates are limited. 

‘And proving someone is a 

pirate is a very difficult thing to 

do,’ he stresses. ‘It’s not unusual 

for a fishing vessel in the region to 

have an AK47 onboard.’ 

Cdre Lowe acknowledges that 

France has been particularly 

tough in dealing with piracy incidents 

involving its vessels. 

‘However, this has been in 

response to very specific circumstances,’ 

he adds. 

Whilst UNCLOS means that 

naval ships are ‘duty bound’ to 

intervene if they come across an 

act of piracy, a different strategy 

comes into place once a crew is 

taken hostage — one that seeks to 

avoid a bloodbath. 

He doesn’t buy the idea that 

pirates in the dysfunctional state 

of Somalia are part of a wider terrorist 

network, raising money 

through ransoms. ‘It is an opportunistic 

set of tribes that have 

converted from fishing to what is 

in their eyes a more lucrative 

activity,’ he suggests. 

Cdre Lowe reckons there is 

much that seafarers can do to 

lessen the risk of attack. Use the 

UKMTO and US Marlo reporting 

schemes, practice your drills, 

activate fire hoses, and go through 

the most dangerous areas at 

night. If attacked, take evasive 

manoeuvres — something that he 

describes as ‘a remarkably effective 

technique’ which has been 

shown to be a success. 

He’s also pleased to see more 

shipping companies fitting security 

equipment to their vessels — 

pointing to pictures of barbed 

wire running around potential 

boarding points on one ship. 

And by taking the MSPA transit 

corridor, ships increase their 

chances of naval support. ‘It is an 

advisory route, and we cannot 

guarantee security as it is a huge 

area — 205,000 sq miles in the 

Gulf of Aden alone — that we have 

few assets with which to patrol.’ 

Although France has established 

a form of convoy system, 

Cdre Lowe doubts whether such 

an operation could be mounted 

for all shipping passing through 

the Gulf of Aden. ‘We simply don’t 

have the assets to do it, and it 

would be incredibly inefficient 

anyway as it would delay shipping 

considerably.’ 

Cmdre Lowe says he’s not worried 

about the private security 

firms who are talking of sending 

in armed vessels to protect merchant 

ships. ‘As long as they stick 

to the rule of law, it could be a 

good thing,’ he adds. ‘Having an 

armed sentry on the deck is quite 

a good deterrent factor.’ 

Arming seafarers is a different 

matter, he says. ‘It would be a 

huge burden to ensure that they 

are properly trained — it just 

wouldn’t be cost-effective.’ 

He says he’s ‘absolutely 

delighted’ that the issue of piracy 

has finally risen up the international 

agenda, and that other 

countries are deploying warships 

in the region. NATO is sending a 

force to protect World Food 

Programme relief ships, the 

European Union has announced 

its own naval initiative, and 

around half a dozen other countries 

have deployed — or signalled 

their intentions to deploy — naval 

assets. 

With two United Nations’ resolutions 

on the issue, Cdre Lowe 

says it is clear that the international 

community has been galvanised 

into action to tackle the 

threat of piracy. 

‘But we need to maintain this 

momentum, and don’t get fooled 

into thinking that by deterring 

attacks the problem has gone 

away,’ he concludes. ‘We are buying 

time. The solution to the 

problem lies ashore in Somalia.’ 


Two pirate skiffs on fire after an encounter with coalition maritime forces in the Gulf 

of Aden PICTURE: ROYAL NAVY 

NAVAL COALITION SEEKS 

TO SUPPORT SHIPPING 

THE UK is among some 22 different countries that make up 

the combined maritime forces in the Middle East, operating to 

support ‘security and stability’ in the region. 

The coalition operates three key task forces: 

CTF 150 — operating in the Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, the 

Arabian Sea, Red Sea and the Indian Ocean 

CTF 152 — operating in the south and central Arabian Gulf 

CTF 158 — operating in the north Arabian Gulf, with the primary 

mission of maintaining security around the Al Basrah and 

Khawr Al Amaya terminals 

All three CTFs are tasked with a wide range of maritime security 

functions, including: 

✪ ensuring security and safety for commercial shipping in 

international waters 

✪ countering the insurgent threat, at sea and ashore 

✪ intercepting vessels suspected of links to terrorist activity 

✪ protecting key infrastructure nodes in the region 

✪ repression of piracy 

✪ assisting mariners in distress 

✪ providing humanitarian assistance 

NW Kent College 10 x 3.indd 1 22/10/08 09:16:54


UKMTO: someone to watch over yo 


We like to arm 

seafarers 

with the 

knowledge 

that they 

need, rather 

than arming 

them with 

weapons 

UKMTO team 

member 

A SMALL Royal Navy team is providing a vital service 

for ships at risk of attack in the Middle East. ANDREW 

LININGTON watched them at work last month… 

IT’S 0730 hours and one of the phones in the UK 

Maritime Trade Operations office starts ringing. A worried 

master is reporting a pirate attack on his vessel off 

the coast of Yemen. 

But this time it’s a false alarm. The ‘pirates’ were 

Yemeni fishing vessels, hunting tuna. 

And so another day begins for the staff of the 

UKMTO, who run an increasingly vital and increasingly 

busy 24/7 advice and support service to ships and seafarers 

in the Middle East. 

Established in 2001, UKMTO was originally formed 

to provide advice and assistance to British shipping 

interests in the area following the 9/11 attacks and, over 

the past year, its prime focus has shifted from the Gulf to 

the Gulf of Aden. 

Funded by the Royal Navy, UKMTO runs under the 

banner of the Enduring Freedom campaign and aims to 

support maritime security and stability along some of 

the world’s most important shipping routes — through 

which pass more than half the world’s oil, bulk and container 

cargoes. 

It operates across the three Combined Task Forces 

— covering a sea area of some 2.5m sq miles, coastline 

of more than 6,500 miles, and providing a direct link 

between merchant ships and the command centre for 

coalition naval forces in the area. 

‘We are the arrow that carries the information on 

commercial shipping to the UK MCC in Bahrain, and 

we liaise with the maritime industry to reassure them 

with information on what the grey funnel line is doing to 

support them,’ explains one UKMTO team member. 

‘We like to arm them with the knowledge they need, 

rather than arming them with weapons,’ he adds. 

‘It is important for seafarers to know that they are not 

on their own, and that there is someone looking out for 

them, and from my point of view, as a merchant seafarer 

myself, I feel very strongly about what I am doing here.’ 

Presently running with just four Royal Navy staff, the 

operation has over the last 18 months benefited from 

the officer-in-charge having had a Merchant Navy background 

and it is now recognised that future OiCs should 

also have a MN pedigree. 

The team’s work includes regular security presentations 

to shipping companies in the region and briefings 

to the masters and officers of visiting ‘British-interest’ 

ships (a term that includes UK registration, ownership, 

management or crewing, and also covers vessels flying 

with ‘red ensign group’ flags). 

UKMTO’s key task is operating a voluntary reporting 

scheme — originally for British-interest shipping 

but opened up in 2003 to vessels of all flags, including 

yachts. 

The centre has always been busy, but since the ‘explosion’ 

of incidents in the Gulf of Aden since August its 

workload has soared — now handling more than 450 

ship reports a day, compared with just 70 per month in 

its early days. 

In the third week of October this year, for instance, 

UKMTO received just over 3,000 reports from more 

than 670 different ships — compared with 645 reports 

from 159 ships in the same period last year. 

Reports from merchant ships are key to the success 

of the coalition naval operations, UKMTO stresses. 

Information and feedback from masters helps to shape 

intelligence, assess activity and pinpoint trends, and 

the th data from ships is fed into its ‘Namesis’ system — 

a sophisticated program that includes information on 

owners, o managers, crew and contact details. 

Shipmasters are advised to initially contact the centre 

tr — preferably by email — when passing the ‘reporting 

gates’ g of Suez and 78E. In response, UKMTO will send a 

security report detailing the latest incidents and offering 

routeing advice. 

Vessels should then make regular position reports — 

around every eight hours is recommended — by email 

while transiting the Gulf of Aden region. 

The advice to masters is to phone UKMTO if they feel 

threatened or spot something that appears to be out of 

the ordinary. ‘Your main form of defence is a good lookout, 

and if you think you are coming under attack, call 

us — because in 10 seconds after receiving the call we 

can locate your position and the activity that is being 

reported. 

‘From our experience and historical knowledge, we 

can decide whether it is a potential attack. Resources are 

limited and we need to focus assets where they can best 

support. 

‘But if there a grounds for concern, we can go straight 

to the battle watch captain at CTF 150 — and he will 

know what, when and where to send to the scene.’ 

There are up to eight warships — plus supporting aircraft 

— in the area and the reporting system allows the 

naval forces to rapidly deploy resources to an incident. 

Masters who raise the alarm at an early stage can buy the 

time needed to get naval assets to the spot — and often 

just the presence of an aircraft or a naval vessel has been 

sufficient to deter attackers. 

Since late August, ships have been strongly advised to 

follow the 480mile transit corridor (including 180 miles 

of ‘heightened risk’) through the Maritime Security 

Patrol Area (MSPA). ‘By pushing ships through the corridor 

designated by the team at UKMTO, we can stay 

off the Yemeni and Somali coasts and lessen the risk of 

attack.’ 

In the two months since the MSPA was established — 

as a temporary measure, UKMTO stresses — 14 attacks 

were thwarted in the Gulf of Aden by the Coalition and 

just seven resulted in vessels being hijacked. 

In fact, say the UKMTO staff, the statistics show that 

— despite the perception of high risk — the reality is that 

fewer than 0.03% of ships passing through the Gulf of 

Aden have been attacked during 2008. 

‘We understand why seafarers are concerned and why 

they feel under threat, but it must be stressed that the 

vast majority of ships that sail through the area do so 

with no problems whatsoever,’ one UKMTO team member 

said. 

Many ships make the mistake of thinking that fishing 

boats operating up to 50 miles off Yemen are pirates, 

UKMTO says. These boats usually run in groups, at 

speeds of up to 25 knots, as they engage in long-line fishing 

for tuna. 

By contrast, a typical pirate attack will usually involve 

a large ‘support skiff ’ and two smaller skiffs, which 

approach ships from the stern and on the port quarter 

— normally seeking to board, using ladders or grappling 

hooks, around the midships. 

The vast majority of attacks in the Gulf of Aden have 

taken place in the early morning. Only one took place 

at night — and that was with a bright moon giving 95% 

luminosity. 

There are usually four or five pirates in each boat, normally 

armed with AK47s and rocket-propelled grenades. 

In all cases, they will fire at a ship as the attack begins — 

but have, so far, not used violence against crew members 

once onboard. 

As soon as the attack begins, UKMTO advises ships to 

gather all crew except the bridge team in one place inside 

the vessel, away from exterior bulkheads. 

‘A good lookout is your best weapon,’ says one UKMTO 

team member. And, he adds, experience shows that evasive 

manoeuvres and fire hoses can buy a vital ‘window’ 

The Royal Navy frigate HMS Chatham keeps a close eye on the UK-flagged bulk carrier Trafalgar PICTURE: ROYAL NAVY 

of around 25 minutes — and may often prevent pirates 

from getting onto a ship. ‘Climbing up a ship’s side is 

never the easiest thing, and especially not if the ship is 

manoeuvring quite violently and not offering a lee.’ 

It’s also critically important that crew members are 

well drilled, and know exactly what to do in an incident. 

During the Telegraph’s visit to the centre, one Mayday 

was received from a vessel after an officer panicked and 

activated the ship’s GMDSS mayday without the master’s 

knowledge. 

But if the pirates board, the UKMTO advice is to 

cooperate fully and not offer resistance. In most attacks, 

the pirates will steal cash and valuables and offload these 

near the Horn of Africa, before taking the vessel down 

the coast to an anchorage while kidnap and ransom 

negotiations take place. 

The UKMTO also liaises with the teams handling 

these negotiations for the shipowners, helping to secure 

the release of crews who are typically held for six to 

eight weeks before being freed after the ransoms are 

delivered. 

‘There’s rarely a dull moment — especially in the last 

two months,’ says one of the UKMTO staff members, 

‘and we hope that our service helps to give masters and 

seafarers the information they need to get through the 

region safe and incident-free. 

‘We recognise that ships will still be taken from time 

to time,’ he adds, ‘but vigilance and information can significantly 

lessen that risk…’ 

CONTACTING UKMTO 

WHILST UKMTO’s key role is to support British shipping 

interests in the region, its voluntary reporting 

scheme is open to all vessels — irrespective of flag, ownership, 

management, crew or vessel type. 

Ships using such systems as Amos Connect or Globe 

Mail are advised to register UKMTO to ensure that the 

security email messages are delivered and don’t bounce 

back. 

Reports should be made when passing the following 

‘gateways’: 

✪ Suez, for ships entering or leaving the region via the 

Red Sea 

✪ 5S for ships entering or leaving the region via the 

Indian Ocean (S) 

✪ 78E for ships entering or leaving the region via the 

Indian Ocean (E) 

The initial report should contain the following 

information: 

✪ ship name 

✪ international radio call sign 

✪ flag state 

✪ IMO number 

✪ maritime mobile service identity 

✪ Inmarsat telephone number, including satellite prefix 

✪ telex and fact numbers 

✪ email address 

✪ name of company with day-to-day management 

✪ type of ship 

✪ date/time of current position, course and speed 

✪ itinerary in the region, with route waypoints and destination 

port(s) 

✪ British personnel onboard (if any) 

All timings are requested in UTC and the preferred 

means of communication is email. 

UKMTO can be contacted on tel: +971 50 552 3215; 

fax: +971 4306 5710; or email: ukmto@eim.a 

SECURITY BRIEFING FOR 

MSML SENIOR OFFICERS 

MASTERS and senior officers from Mideast 

Shipmanagent are pictured at a conference near Dubai 

last month which included a security briefing by the 

UKMTO team. 

MSML runs these senior officer conferences twice 

a year in Dubai, and they are each usually attended 40 

officers who may also be accompanied by their wives. 

Those attending arrive on Saturday and have most of 

Sunday to themselves before attending an ‘ice-breaker 

dinner’ on Sunday during which officers from the VLCC, 

chemical and ro-ro fleets get to know each other. 

The actual conference runs from Monday through 

to Thursday with presentations and training sessions 

utilising MSML staff, outside consultants and industry 

specialists. Friday is a day off for those attending to do 

whatever they like and on Saturday they all fly home. 

RFA IS PLAYING KEY 

ROLE IN SUPPORT 

THE SHIPS and seafarers of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary 

are playing a major role in the multinational naval 

operation to protect merchant shipping in the Middle 

East. 

At present, the forward repair ship Diligence, the 

amphibious assault vessel Cardigan Bay and the tanker 

Wave Knight form the RFA presence in the coalition 

forces’ joint operating area — which stretches from 

Aden to India, and from the top of the Arabian Gulf to 

the Seychelles. 

First officer Andrew Meerza, pictured above, is ship’s 

operations officer onboard Wave Knight and says he is 

proud to be helping to protect merchant seafarers from 

attacks on their vessels. 

‘We go where we are told to, and where the work 

is, and at present that is being involved in protecting 

innocent lives and the rights of innocent passage,’ he 

told the Telegraph. 

‘Piracy has been going on for 4,000 years — but 

that’s no justification for it, and if I was on a commercial 

ship, I would be pleased to know that someone was 

looking out for me.’ 

This sort of work is nothing new for the ship’s 70 

officers and ratings, Wave Knight’s last role was 

working in the Caribbean, proving highly successful in 

operations to combat drug smuggling in the area. 

Wave Knight arrived in the area in May as part of the 

Orion task force, relieving Bayleaf as the Arabian Gulf 

ready tanker — responsible for supplying a variety of 

fuel types to coalition naval ships in the region. 

‘Compared to the previous ships we have had 

out here, we can offer much more capability,’ 

Mr Meerza said. ‘We have a flight deck and can 

embark a helicopter flight, and we have enhanced 

communications capability — so we can act as the 

UKMTO back-up ship.’ 

Cardigan Bay’s dual role in the Gulf has been 

to serve as the platform from which Iraqi Marines 

and naval personnel, together with their British and 

US training officers, conduct boarding and search 

operations on commercial shipping in the Gulf. The 

vessel is also the central point for incoming and 

outgoing mail and stores for all the coalition forces 

stationed in and around the Gulf. 

TO inform you of events that took 

place today. Situation: vessel was 

under full lockdown, with antipiracy 

lookout posted on both 

bridge wings night and day, and 

navigating in Gulf of Aden safety 

corridor. 

First attack took place at 08:00 

in posn 13-26N, 48-27E. Three high 

speed craft approached with direct 

intent from port side 45-degrees off 

the bow. 

Interesting was that two were 

the typical white type, but the centre 

and forward attack vessel was 

actually a Yemeni skiff fitted with 

large outboard engine and was 

being used as a screen to mask the 

other two craft. 

I called the company on the telephone, 

I made evasive manoeuvres, 

Mayday call on VHF, mustered all 

in our security muster station (conference 

room) and kept 3/O on the 

bridge with a helmsman. 

We came under automatic small 

arms fire targeted at the bridge. 

No damage or injuries. I was also 

sounding the air horn whilst making 

S-turns and calling Mayday on 

VHF16. After about 10 minutes the 

attackers gave up chase and stopped 

and re-grouped. We escaped. 

When I was sure the situation 

was under control, I debriefed the 

crew to calm them and assured 

them we would remain on high alert. 

The second attack was more 

serious and came at 15:00 in posn 

12-54N, 46-40E where three fast 

attack boats were seen departing 

from a mother ship fishing vessel, 

white in colour. I set off the Ship 

Security Alert System [SSAS]. The 

boats were same as in the photos 

sent out, being white and had four 

men in each. 

I immediately called Mayday on 

VHF, mustered crew in safe place 

and was again fired upon by automatic 

small arms fire but with more 

aggression — lasting about five 

minutes into the accommodation 

block. 

Fortunately, a coalition warship 

(Spanish Navy) heard my Mayday 

call and responded by sending out a 

Russian aircraft to our scene which 

was patrolling the area. I was told 

20 minutes until it arrived — but 

we were actually being fired upon 

at the time. The fire was a lot more 

intense than the morning attack. I 

maintained S-turns but was unable 

to determine visually if we had been 

boarded or not due to the amount of 

fire coming in. 

I maintained Mayday calls and 

was assured by the Spanish warship 

on VHF that 10 minutes to 

help. The attackers were then seen 

to yield, re-group then re-attack. I 

was contacted by the aircraft to tell 


you 

‘The danger is real’ 

THIS report, filed by the master of a merchant ship 

in the Gulf of Aden last month, gives a graphic 

account of the reality of piracy today… 

Pirates in the Gulf of Aden, operating from one of the typical fast boats that are used to mount 

attacks on merchant shipping in the region PICTURE: ROYAL NAVY 

me he had me in sight and would be 

there in a few minutes. 

I was very happy to see the echo 

on my radar of the inbound aircraft. 

The pirates were within 100m 

when the small fixed-wing Russian 

bomber arrived and gave a very 

low passing. The pirates yielded. 

The aircraft then proceeded to 

drop ordinance on them. The situation 

became safe very quickly with 

the bomber in attendance. About 

20 minutes later a French attack 

helicopter arrived to check our 

situation was under control and 

we alerted him as to the estimated 

position of the pirate mother ship. I 

thanked them and made communications 

with the office and UKMTO 

commanding forces to inform all 

OK and debrief. 

The danger here is absolutely 

real. I will be in Red Sea in 12 hours 

time and clear of the hazardous 

area. Except for some paint being 

damaged by gunfire, we are fine 

and have no damage or injuries at 

this time.


UK ris risk k ag agreement reement 


Nautilus welcomes Warlike 

Operations Area Committee 

declaration covering bonus 

payments and protection for 

the crews of ships transiting 

the pirate-prone Gulf of Aden 

NAUTILUS UK has welcomed 

agreement with the UK Chamber 

of Shipping defining a ‘high-risk’ 

area for seafarers serving on vessels 

transiting the Gulf of Aden. 

The settlement was reached at 

the UK Warlike Operations Area 

Committee (WOAC) last month, 

with unions and employers at the 

meeting expressing their ‘grave 

concern at the threat to innocent 

merchant shipping’ in the area. 

It sets out recommendations 

to cover CoS member ships operating 

in the Gulf of Aden between 

45°E and 53°E — an area that 

includes the eastern and western 

edges of the Maritime Security 

Patrol Area (MSPA) and north of 

a straight line connecting Cape 

Guardafui and the western tip of 

the Island of Socotra. 

It urges operators to ensure 

that their vessels remain within 

the MSPA, and that seafarers on 

ships that do not use the area 

(other than for reasons purely 

related to safety of life at sea, 

weather, navigational safety or 

military instructions) should be 

allowed not to proceed to the 

high-risk zone. 

‘Operators of ships in the zone 

should make special payments to 

all crew members of 100% of normal 

pay, payable in half-day 

increments, in respect of each day 

or half-day during which the ship 

is in the zone, in recognition of 

higher risks associated with transiting 

this area,’ the agreement 

states. 

‘However, where operators 

arrange military escorts for their 

ships, or onboard security teams 

to provide continuous monitoring 

and protection during the 

transit of the high risk zone, are 

deemed to have mitigated the 

risks such that the special payments 

need not be paid.’ 

Effective from 16 October, the 

agreement was due to be reviewed 

by WOAC by no later than 28 

November. 

WOAC members said they 

supported the recent resolutions 

by the UN Security Council, the 

European Council and the 

European Parliament — and 

urged the UK government to provide 

an international lead in 

repressing piracy in the Gulf of 

Aden and restoring ‘maritime 

order’ in this key region as quickly 

as is possible. 

Seasonal Greetings and a Prosperous New 

Year from South Tyneside College 

Looking forward to welcoming you on a course at the 

College in 2009 

The United Nations programme UNOSAT 

has produced a satellite-based map, 

above, showing the pattern of attacks 

on merchant shipping off Somalia, and 

the locations of the ships being held 

for ransom by pirate militias along 

the Somali coast. The Geneva-based 

organisation said the analysis was 

conducted in support of international 

efforts to ‘monitor and address the 

rapidly expanding threat of piracy to 

humanitarian operations in the Horn of 

Africa’ — www.unosat.org 

For further information on marine courses, 

tel: +44 (0)191 427 3772/3592/3568 | e-mail: marine@stc.ac.uk | web: www.stc.ac.uk 

South Tyneside College , St. George’s Avenue, South Shields, Tyne & Wear, NE34 6ET 

and Mill Lane, Hebburn, Tyne & Wear, NE31 2ER. 

S Tyneside 12 x 3.indd 1 23/10/08 09:44:52 

SECURITY FIRMS OFFER SERVICES 

PRIVATE security 

companies are offering a 

growing range of services to 

protect shipping in piracyprone 

parts of the world, 

such as the waters off 

Somalia. 

The UK company 

Maritime Security 

Solutions, in partnership 

with SecureScot and 

Proform Marine, says it can 

provide armed ex-Royal 

Marine personnel for 

merchant ships operating 

in these regions. 

MSS says it can also 

provide qualified ship 

security officers with armed 

capabilities as ‘singlehatted 

onboard entities’, 

along with high-velocity 

weapons ‘sufficient to 

deter the most determined 

attackers’. 

Managing director Jim 

Cowling told the Telegraph: 

‘It is high time to reconsider 

the argument, maintained 

by the IMB and IMO, that 

armed response will merely 

escalate the scale of the 

pirates’ armoury. 

‘In reality this softlysoftly 

approach means 

pirates are having a field 

day. The longer it goes 

unchecked, the more 

assets they will accrue and 

any untrained mob with 

access to a couple of rusty 

old AK47s, a WW2 rocketlauncher 

and a big outboard 

motor can intimidate and 

take over a 200,000 tonne 

A UK company says it can provide armed ex-marines to protect shipping PICTURE: MSS 

tanker which can offer no 

resistance apart from a 

firehose.’ 

He acknowledged 

concern about who takes 

responsibility if a pirate 

is killed. ‘But the Somali 

government is encouraging 

foreign intervention to clear 

the country of pirates, and 

senior naval officers are 

advocating that shipping 

companies provide their 

vessels with armed 

escorts,’ he added. 

Mr Cowling claimed 

armed escorts would 

provide ‘a cost-effective 

and responsible option 

compared with surging 

insurance charges and 

unacceptable losses where 

a ship, cargo and crew are 

taken by unscrupulous 

pirates’. 

The US company 

Blackwater Worldwide has 

also offered the services 

of its security support ship, 

the McArthur, which is 

equipped with a helicopter 

deck. ‘Billions of dollars of 

goods move through the 

Gulf of Aden each year,’ 

said VP Bill Matthews. ‘We 

have been contacted by 

shipowners who say they 

need our help in making 

sure those goods get to 

their destination safely. 

The McArthur can help us 

accomplish that.’


Standing up for 

cheated crews 

SEAFARERS who worked on some of the world’s 

worst ships agree — Tommy Molloy is one in a million. 

Million dollars that is. That and more is the 

amount Mr Molloy has secured for exploited crews 

since taking up his job as Nautilus UK/ 

International Transport Workers’ Federation 

inspector in May 2005. 

Between then and the end of October this year, 

Mr Molloy — who is based at the Union’s Wallasey 

office, covering inspections at Liverpool and ports 

in the north west — has managed to recover some 

$1,025,467 in backpay for the crews of visiting flag 

of convenience ships. 

Some of the biggest settlements have included 

the Panamanian-flagged vessels Armonikos 

($100, 723), Evangelistria ($159,383), Marybelle 

($95,997), and Stoikos ($128,584). This year 

alone, he has made 11 successful owed wages 

claims totalling $236,544. 

Shipping companies often find ingenious — 

and disingenuous — ways to cheat crews. Mr 

Molloy recently inspected two vessels which had 

‘cadets’ among the crew, but they were not cadets 

at all, he discovered. 

Although they were onboard working as part of 

the deck crew, the ‘cadets’ were all over the age of 

21 and were receiving basic allowances between 

$270 and $325 per month instead of the $1,200plus 

salary of an ordinary seaman or even the 

$1,000-plus salary of a deck boy. 

By such means, says Mr Molloy, some ship 

operators are hiring labour very cheaply while 

pretending to responsibly address the global 

shortage of officers by training cadets. ‘Those concerned 

did not want to complain for fear of losing 

their change of promotion to a “proper” job,’ he 

says. 

THE rotten food supplies, pictured left and 

right, are just one of the many shocking 

sights that have greeted one of Nautilus 

UK’s ITF ship inspectors who has now 

passed a US$1m milestone in his work… 

On another ship — the Marshall Islandsflagged 

Coal Pride — operated by a company from 

which he recovered $360,000 from five ships last 

year’, Mr Molloy recently came across a new 

twist. 

‘Alarm bells started ringing on discovery that 

the company were selling $660 worth of scratch 

Almost $42,000 in unpaid wages was recovered for the crew of the Panama-flagged bulker Smart 

Tommy Molloy with the stranded crew of the Bodo Installer. He helped to ensure the men were fed after their company folded, 

and secured almost $16,000 in unpaid wages for them 

cards to its crew in one month,’ Mr Molloy explains. 

‘This showed up in the deductions column on the 

wages accounts. Some crew onboard this vessel 

were spending $80 per month on these. It’s not for 

me to say what any adult should choose to spend 

his or her salary on, but the company knows its 

employees are a captive audience. 

‘It is one thing to go ashore with $20 or $30 in 

your pocket and buy a couple of dollars worth of 

scratch cards. It is quite different for the company 

to provide an endless source of them on credit so 

that crew members run up gambling debts that 

are deducted by the company each month.’ 

Mr Molloy adds: ‘It is my belief that the practice 

should be discouraged.’ He has raised the matter 

with the ITF, which has issued a circular to its 

inspectors worldwide asking if anyone else has 

come across this practice. 

As Christmas approaches, Mr Molloy and fellow 

Nautilus UK/ITF inspector Chris Jones will 

continue their struggle on behalf of crews working 

for these scrooge shipping outfits. 

Reflecting on breaking through the $1m barrier, 

Mr Molloy adds: ‘It is good in one way that we 

have recovered so much outstanding wages, but 

on the other hand it is awful that this level of 

cheating crews of their wages still flourishes.’ 


FROM TOP: some of the many cases dealt with by Tommy 

Molloy in the last three years: crew on the Panama-flagged 

bulker Marybelle, who received almost $100,000 owed 

wages; almost $3,000 recovered in a case involving the 

Panama-flagged Bellflower; substandard condiditions 

on the Cyprus-flagged ferry Celtic Mist; and $6,500 owed 

wages recovered for crew on the Celtic Mist


A life of change 

nautilus members 

DAVE WOODS 

OO S 

has retired 

following following an 

eventful life at 

sea, in which 

he served 

on some 

50 50 ships 

and made a 

major career 

change... g 

WITH A career spanning four of 

the most dramatic decades in the 

history of the Merchant Navy, 

Dave Woods has witnessed 

sweeping changes in the industry. 

And his time at sea has mirrored 

many of those changes — 

moving from radio officer work to 

cable engineering and switching 

between a wide variety of ship 

types. 

‘Over the years, I have done 

one-off voyages with such companies 

as Texaco, Burma, Esso, 

NERC, Caledonia MacBrayne, 

and the IOM Steam Packet. I 

have been on 50 different ships, 

visited most countries with a 

coastline and sailed with almost 

every nationality,’ he says. 

Dave, who has just retired, was 

brought up in a village near 

Sheffield, where he still lives. His 

father had been out in India with 

the RAF during world war two, 

and on his return established 

himself as a watchmaker, but he 

had an unfulfilled ambition to go 

to sea. 

GLASGO GL SGOW W COLLEGE COLLEGE 

OF NAUTIC NAUTICAL 

AL STUDIES STUDIES 

Maritime 

STCW 

Engineering 

Courses 

Contact the Faculty Secretary, 

Faculty of Engineering 

0141 565 2650 

engineering@gcns.ac.uk 

Contact the Faculty Secretary, 

Faculty of Maritime Studies 

0141 565 2700 

maritime@gcns.ac.uk 

21 Thistle Street Glasgow G5 9XB Tel 0141 565 2500 Fax 0141 565 2599 www.gcns.ac.uk 

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER A Scottish Charity No SC021195 RefNUMAST 4/08 Certificate No FS 30811 

BS EN ISO 9001: 2000 

However, Dave’s grandmother 

had put a stop to that. The family 

had emigrated to Canada, before 

Dave was born, only staying three 

years. ‘Grandfather paid for the 

voyage by being a headsman on a 

cattle boat and living with the cattle 

below decks. Life onboard 

must have tainted Grandma’s 

view of the British merchant seaman 

as she thought they were all 

loud-mouthed drunkards, which 

is why she put the block on father 

from entering the Merchant 

Navy.’ 

But, Dave reflects: ‘It was 

probably fortunate Grandma put 

her foot down, as he would have 

been on the convoys in world war 

two.’ 

After leaving school, Dave enlisted 

at radio school in Grimsby 

in 1964. Qualifying in 1967 with 

a second class PMG certificate, 

he applied to the Marconi 

International Marine Company. 

His first ship was the Ben Line 

general cargo vessel Ben Nevis, 

bound for the Far East from 

London with some passengers 

widening horizons 

Glasgow College 16 x 4.indd 1 22/10/08 09:06:16 

Left: Dave Woods at the helm of a narrowboat, crossing the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct 

Centre: his first PMG certificate, issued by the Home Department in 1967 

Right: cutting the cake at his retirement celebration onboard the cable ship Wave Venture 

aboard. ‘On arrival onboard, I 

found out that the ship was strikebound 

and could not fully load 

before sailing. The strike leader 

was Jack Dash who was trying to 

stop the containerisation of the 

London docks.’ 

Dave recalls: ‘Most junior ROs 

followed the same path; their second 

voyage being a coastal job on 

one of the many colliers which 

were supplying the coastal power 

stations around the UK cost. I 

was no exception and joined 

Stephenson Clarke’s Lancing plying 

from Goole to Shoreham.’ 

In August 1968, at the company’s 

East Ham depot, he met 

the local representative of the 

REOU radio officers’ union — 

one of Nautilus’ forerunners — 

and was persuaded to join up. He 

remained a Union member from 

that date, and Nautilus industrial 

officer Jonathan Havard comments: 

‘Dave was never a rep, but 

he was one of the more active 

members, regularly in contact 

with me with useful information. 

His input was always much 

appreciated.’ 

Dave worked for British India 

for three years before T&J 

Harrison took him on, initially 

working on general cargoships, 

then small bulkers. ‘The company 

bought a Redifon sat nav which 

was fitted in London prior to a 

voyage across the Atlantic and up 

the Great Lakes. The unit took up 

the best part of the chart table, 

and required re-programming on 

a regular basis,’ he recalls. 

What Dave calls ‘pier head 

jumps’ have been part of his life. 

‘In March 1980 I had a phone call 

asking if I could get to Barrow for 

breakfast the following morning 

and join the Pacific Swan. 

Apparently Fishers were not too 

happy with the radio company 

they were using, and the first RO 

to arrive would get the contract 

for their particular radio company. 

This was where I came face 

to face with the first sat com — a 

Magnavox which did not take too 

kindly to tropical heat’. 

He then spent the majority of 

the 80s on the Kingsnorth Fisher 

carrying heavy lifts around the 

UK and continent. From 1988 

he began working on contract 

from Marconi Marine on Cable 

& Wireless cable ships — ‘the 

best kept secret in the British 

Merchant Navy’. 

He worked aboard Cable 

Venture for several years. ‘The 

Venture carried two ROs on the 

long-distance cable lays due to 

the high volume of traffic generated 

by the cable owner representatives, 

and the large laying 

crew of up to 130. Traffic was 

mainly sent via fax, which in the 

early days was very problematical 

at the best of times, and the old 

Sat A charges astronomical.’ 

In 1999, with the fleet fitted 

with GMDSS equipment, the 

company decided to dispense 

with the services of ROs and Dave 

took up an option to retrain in 

cable engineering. 

Within a few years, the fleet 

was operated by Global Marine 

and Dave passed the company’s 

advanced cable engineering 

course, securing an appointment 

to CS Iris, based in Cochin, as acting 

chief cable engineer. 

So, what now for Dave? ‘If I 

start getting the urge, I’ll find 

something to do, but I certainly 

won’t go back to sea.’ 

But he adds: ‘I made right the 

decision. If I had to do it again I 

would do exactly the same all over 

again.’

nautilus members 

Pushing the 

boat out... 

A LOT of people claim they’re going to do something 

amazing with their lives, but when it comes down to 

it, nothing much actually happens. So some of 

Captain Roger Bell’s MN colleagues in the 1970s 

and 1980s must have wondered whether he would 

ever actually realise his dream of sailing a yacht 

around the world. 

But Roger and his wife Dawn are not ones to be 

daunted by the size of a project like this. Following 

Roger’s early retirement in 1993, the pair set about 

planning the voyage, and eventually set off quietly 

from Dover in 1997. In September this year, they 

finally returned from their odyssey, having spent the 

best part of 11 years on their yacht Katrilli. 

Roger has been involved in maritime pursuits 

since he was a boy. ‘My father had spent time at sea 

during the war, and wanted to share that with us,’ he 

explains. ‘We weren’t wealthy people, but we were 

able to learn to sail a dinghy.’ 

He joined Blue Star Line as a cadet in 1957, aged 

16. ‘I think it was then that my father encouraged me 

to join the MNAOA,’ he recalls — a proud record of 

Union membership that he has maintained to this 

day. Having remained with Blue Star until after he 

had gained his master’s certificate, Roger served 

briefly in coastal tankers and ashore as a salesman, 

before joining Sealink Ferries at Dover in 1971. On 

his retirement in 1993, he was senior master of the 

Stena Fantasia. 

Although an ardent supporter of the Merchant 

Navy, Roger has never accepted that there should be 

a ‘them and us’ division between MN seafarers and 

yachties, and has always kept up his own involvement 

in yachting. In 1975, the Bells remortgaged 

their house so they could buy a modest yacht and 

teach their own three children to sail. ‘That was an 

unusual step to take in the 70s,’ Roger notes. ‘We 

spent all our holidays on the boat, and our children 

were the only ones writing about that kind of thing 

when they went back to school.’ 

In the 1980s, concerned that technical developments 

on superyachts were leaving some of these 

vessels inadequately crewed, he lent his expertise to 

initiatives by the Royal Yachting Association and 

the Nautical Institute to formalise yachting and 

sail-training qualifications. ‘We wanted to get rid of 

the cowboys,’ he smiles. He therefore welcomes 

Nautilus UK’s recent partnership with the 

Professional Yachtsmen’s Association as a way of 

supporting skilled yacht crew and protecting their 

certification. 

So what did Dawn think about all the sailing, and 

especially the circumnavigation plan? Well, the 

couple have been together for 48 years, so it would 

be fair to say that she’s known about Roger’s dream 

for a long time. ‘I have wanted to sail around the 

world since I was 15 years old,’ he says, ‘and I always 

RETIREMENT opened up a new 

life at sea for former ferry master 

Roger Bell and his wife, Dawn — 

a round-the-world sailing trip 

Left: Western Pacific SE Trade Wind bound for Bundaberg, Queensland, Dawn’s home town 

Right: the Royal Suva Yacht Club, Fiji. Roger was last there in 1957 when serving onboard 

Wellington Star as first trip cadet PICTURES: ROGER AND DAWN BELL 

Roger and Dawn Bell on their yacht Katrilli in Marlborough Sounds, South Island, New Zealand 

say I found my crew and married her!’ Dawn does 

not have a seafaring background herself, but gamely 

learned the yachting skills needed to keep up with 

Roger. And when the time came to plan the route for 

the circumnavigation, the most important destination 

was Queensland, Australia, where Dawn grew 

up and still has many family members. 

When the big leaving day arrived in 1997, the pair 

tried to treat it like any other sailing trip, focussing 

on the immediate next stage all the time. ‘When you 

set off on the first long passage, each big blue bit 

seems formidable, whether it’s the Bay of Biscay or 

crossing to the Canaries,’ explains Roger, ‘but you 

get used to it. In fact, ocean cruising isn’t difficult 

— it’s actually the organisation that’s the hard part; 

extracting yourself from the commitments and 

responsibilities of daily life and finding something 

to do with your house.’ 

That doesn’t mean that experienced sailors like 

the Bells were complacent, of course. ‘It’s important 

always to be a little apprehensive,’ stresses Roger. 

‘Never underestimate the power of the sea. If you 

think something needs checking, check it!’ 

Their level-headed approach meant that the couple 

only ran into serious difficulties once in their 11 

years away, when they were hove-to for 36 hours at 

a 30-degree angle in the Tasman Sea. They credit 

their strong Christian faith with helping them to 

make good decisions and stay safe — as well as 

cementing their relationship when alone together 

at sea for long periods. 

And being churchgoers proved useful in the periods 

when they decided to moor up and live in port 

for a while. They could easily make friends by joining 

a local church, and are still in touch with this 

worldwide community. 

The circumnavigation also brought them closer 

to their own children, as it was a stylish way to visit 

their two daughters, who now live in Australia and 

New Zealand. Their son Warwick is based in the 

UK, having followed his father into the Merchant 

Navy; he currently works as a Bristol Channel pilot. 

But he was also part of the epic voyage, joining Dawn 

and Roger on their passage across the Atlantic. 

Now they’ve been around the world, what next for 

the Bells? Despite all the exciting places they’ve visited, 

they say that they’ve seen nothing to beat the 

British countryside, and they always kept up their 

links with the UK through regular flights home. As 

the years pass, they accept that they will become less 

able to cope with the physical effort of ocean sailing 

and yacht maintenance, so they now plan to sell the 

Katrilli and buy a narrowboat for exploring the 

British canal network. ‘We like boat living,’ says 

Roger simply. ‘We wouldn’t want to be always 

hemmed in by four walls.’ 


Roger and Dawn Bell: back in the UK after 11 years sailing around the world 

AROUND THE 

WORLD IN 

11 YEARS 

September 1997: 

Dep. Dover and Falmouth for Spain, 

Portugal and Las Palmas. 

Jan to Mar 98: 

Antigua to Panama. 

Apr to Oct 98: 

Galapagos, French Polynesia, Tonga, 

New Zealand. 

1999 to 2000: 

New Zealand, Australia (Queensland & 

New South Wales), New Zealand. 

2001 & 2002: 

Major refit of boat in Nelson, NZ. 

2002 to 2003: 

NZ, Fiji, New Caledonia, Australia (QLD, 

NSW & Tasmania), NZ. 

2004: 

Circumnavigation of South Island of 

New Zealand. 

2005: 

Crew returned to UK for medical 

treatment. 

2006: 

New Zealand to Australia, NSW & QLD. 

2007: 

QLD Australia, Darwin, Ashore 

Reef, Christmas Is., Cocos Keeling, 

Rodregues, Mauritius, Reunion, South 

Africa; Richards Bay to Simon’s Town. 

2008: 

South Africa, Namibia; Luderitz and 

Walvis Bay, St Helena, Ascension, 

Azores and Isles of Scilly. 

September 2008: 

Returned to Dover after 48,724 miles.


CAO-onderhandelingen 

Holland Amerika Lijn van 

start! 

MET een rondje e-mailen met de collega’s aan 

boord en een ledenvergadering voor de 

verlofgangers, zijn de CAO onderhandelingen met 

de Holland Amerika Lijn van start gegaan. Dat 

goede raad ook nu best duur is, bleek bij het 

opstellen van de voorstellenbrief. Enerzijds worden 

er voor de cruisesector slappe tijden verwacht 

vanwege de kredietcrisis, anderzijds rechtvaardigt 

netherlands news 

het enorme tekort aan officieren een behoorlijke 

gageverhoging. 

Conform het Nederlandse loon- en 

arbeidsvoorwaardenbeleid is besloten in te zetten 

op een algehele gageverhoging van 3,5% voor de 

Nederlandse officieren en 5,2% voor de Engelse 

officieren. Het verschil in inflatie van 1,7% tussen 

Engeland en Nederland rechtvaardigt deze 

verschillende percentages. Daarnaast moet een 

nieuwe afspraak worden gemaakt over 

anciënniteitverhogingen, waarbij de gedachte 

uitgaat naar de volgende staffel: 

4% when performance exceeds expected level 

2% when performance reaches expected level 

0% when performance is below expected level 

Verder zal extra aandacht worden gevraagd voor 

de inkomenspositie van de senior officieren en 

Nautilus NL zal voorstellen voor deze officieren wat 

extra’s te doen. In de afgelopen CAO zijn zij immers 

procenten achtergebleven in vergelijking met de 

‘mid’ en ‘junior’ officieren. 

Voor ‘mid’ officieren moet de mogelijkheid 

gecreëerd worden om op vrijwillige basis en 

loonkostenneutraal 3 op 3 af te varen. Verder wordt 

nogmaals aangedrongen bij de rederij om nu 

eindelijk eens werk te maken van een gedegen, 

Offshore sector: call for improved 

social security 

The social security of offshore personnel 

in The Netherlands was 

recently discussed at the European 

Committee. The reason for the action 

is due to the Committee seeing the 

situation as insufficient with regards 

to the Dutch part of the Continental 

Shelf (CS). 

It is now suggested that The 

Netherlands Minister of Labour and 

Social Security would need to alter the 

present laws to avoid a European procedure. 

The Minister is now considering 

an integral insurance obligation 

suggested by Nautilus NL, the FNV 

Bongenoten (the largest trade union in 

The Netherlands), and other relevant 

organisations. 

Nautilus NL believes an insurance 

obligation in this sector is definitely 

required. During the meetings with 

the Minister and employer organisations, 

Nautilus NL and the FNV 

Bondgenoten will lobby for improved 

social security standards that would 

essentially pave the way for a better 

position with regards to offshore 

workers on the Dutch CS. 

Negotiations with HAL begin 

A new collective agreement between 

Nautilus NL and Holland America 

Line has begun with an email conference 

and a meeting for members who 

had been on leave. The meeting 

proved challenging, since considerations 

had to be made with regards to 

a possible slump in the cruise market 

due to the ongoing credit crisis and a 

major shortage of officers who have 

‘adequate’ salary expectations. 

extern en professioneel 

functiewaarderingsonderzoek, aangezien het 

laatste onderzoek dateert uit de jaren 70 van de 

vorige eeuw! Dat er sindsdien het nodige is 

veranderd aan boord kan toch ook de zeewerkgever 

niet zijn ontgaan. Tot slot zal worden aangedrongen 

op het goedkoper maken van internetgebruik aan 

boord. 

Bij het verschijnen van dit nummer van Nautilus 

NL zijn de eerste gesprekken met de maatschappij 

inmiddels gevoerd. De leden in dienst van Holland 

Amerika Lijn zullen daarover separaat per circulaire 

worden geïnformeerd. 

Protocol inzake doorvaarregeling in de Golf van Aden van kracht 

OOK in dit nummer van Nautilus NL valt er weer veel te vertellen over 

de gebieden waar zeevarenden bijzondere risico’s lopen tijdens de 

uitoefening van hun beroep. Het slechte nieuws is dat de gevaarlijke 

gebieden onveranderd gevaarlijk blijven, maar er is zeker ook goed 

nieuws te melden: gaandeweg komen de tegenmaatregelen overal op 

gang. 

Nationaal zitten we al aardig op koers want op 17 oktober jl. bereikte 

Nautilus met een grote groep Nederlandse reders overeenstemming 

over een protocol inzake een doorvaarregeling voor de Golf van Aden. 

Het protocol is breed van opzet en geldt voor alle opvarenden aan boord 

van alle schepen van de deelnemende rederijen. Naast een vrijwilligheidregeling 

onder voorwaarden en een financiële regeling, omvat 

het protocol afspraken over te nemen veiligheidsmaatregelen, 

informatieverstrekking én het gezamenlijk aandringen van 

de ondertekenaars bij de Nederlandse overheid op verdere 

bescherming van Nederlandse schepen door de Nederlandse marine. 

De tekst van het protocol vindt u zowel in de Nederlandse als Engelse 

taal terug op onze website: www.nautilusnl.org. 

Stevige lobby 

Helemaal in lijn met de afgemaakte afspraak in het protocol, is de politiek 

inmiddels intensief door Nautilus NL en de reders benaderd. 

Tijdens een ronde tafelgesprek op 9 oktober jl. werden de leden van de 

vaste Kamercommissie van Verkeer en Waterstaat uitvoerig geïnformeerd 

over de gevaren waaraan u en uw collega’s blootstaan in de 

gevarengebieden. Nadrukkelijk werd hier gevraagd om bescherming 

door de Nederlandse marine. Ook verzochten we de parlementariërs 

om er bij de bewindslieden op aan te dringen dat zij een leidende rol 

gaan spelen bij het vinden van oplossingen in het internationale 

speelveld. Aan dat laatste schort het namelijk nogal. Natuurlijk zijn we 

DE SOCIALE verzekeringspositie van offshore 

medewerkers op het Nederlandse continentaal plat 

blijkt onvoldoende gewaarborgd. Voor de Europese 

Commissie was dit een goede reden om Nederland als 

lidstaat op het matje te roepen. De Minister van 

Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid (SZW) moet de 

wetgeving aanpassen om een Europese procedure te 

voorkomen. In dat kader heeft de minister advies 

ingewonnen bij Nautilus NL, FNV Bondgenoten en de 

betrokken brancheorganisaties. Na een eerste 

beleidsverkenning heeft de minister voorlopig voor 

een integrale sociale verzekeringsplicht gekozen. 

Op het Nederlandse continentaal plat (Ncp) gelden 

afwijkende sociale zekerheidsregels omdat het geen 

Nederlands grondgebied is. Tot Nederlands grondgebied 

behoort alleen het vaste land en een strook zeegebied tot 

12 zeemijl gemeten vanaf de laagwaterlijn, de zogeheten 

Nederlandse territoriale zee. Het Ncp betreft dat gedeelte 

van de zeebodem dat buiten de territoriale zee onder de 

Noordzee ligt. Op dit deel mag het Koninkrijk der 

Nederlanden, op grond van het internationale recht, 

soevereine rechten uitoefenen ten behoeve van de 

exploratie en exploitatie van natuurlijke rijkdommen. 

Onverzekerd 

In de praktijk komt het nog veel te vaak voor dat zowel 

Nederlandse als buitenlandse werknemers op het Ncp 

sociaal onverzekerd zijn. Hierbij gaat het voornamelijk om 

medewerkers die werkzaam zijn op productieplatforms en 

boorinstallaties die niet worden aangemerkt als 

zeeschepen. Hetzelfde geldt ook voor werknemers op 

hulpschepen zoals kraanschepen, pijpenleggers, 

bevoorradingsschepen en hydrografievaartuigen. Een 

groep mensen die een bijzondere positie inneemt op de 

productieplatforms, zijn de mensen die catering verzorgen. 

Samen vertegenwoordigen zij maar liefst zo’n 75% van de 

werknemers aan de onderkant van de arbeidsmarkt op het 

Ncp en veelal hebben zij een verblijfsvergunning nodig om 

in Nederland hun verlof door te brengen. Offshore 

medewerkers met een Nederlandse arbeidsovereenkomst 

die niet in Nederland of een andere EU-lidstaat tegen 

ziekte en ziektekosten verzekerd zijn, hebben in de Wet 

Arbeid Mijnbouw Noordzee (WAMN) een voorziening voor 

loonderving. Deze moet wel door de werkgever in de 

blij met alle nationale en internationale aandacht voor het probleem; 

tegelijkertijd moeten we vaststellen dat het vooralsnog veelal bij 

praten blijft. Neem nu eens het voorbeeld van de berechting van 

vastgenomen piraten. Praktisch geen enkele natie weet hiervoor een 

oplossing te bedenken. Sterker: men ziet vaak af van het arresteren 

van de piraten of laat ze na korte gevangenschap weer vrij. In de aanloop 

van het Algemeen Overleg inzake piraterij op 30 oktober jl., voerden 

Nautilus en de reders een stevige lobby richting de betrokken 

Tweede Kamerleden. De lobby sloeg aan en tijdens het Algemeen 

Overleg bestookten diverse Tweede Kamerleden minister Van 

Middelkoop van Defensie en staatssecretaris Huizinga van Verkeer en 

Waterstaat met vragen. 

Fanfaregeschal stilgevallen 

Zo prijzenswaardig de inzet van de Kamerleden was, zo teleurstellend 

MINISTER VAN SZW KIEST VOOR INTEGRALE VERZEKERINGSPLICHT 

particuliere sfeer worden getroffen. Helaas is de sociale 

zekerheidspositie van de medewerkers op het Ncp hiermee 

nog onvoldoende afgedekt. 

Integrale verzekeringsplicht 

Nu heeft de minister van Sociale Zaken besloten voorlopig 

een integrale sociale verzekeringsplicht in te stellen. De 

brancheorganisaties zijn hier echter op tegen omdat zij 

vinden dat de integrale sociale verzekeringsplicht zich 

vooral richt op vermeende beperkingen en hindernissen 

voor bedrijven. Daarom willen FNV Bondgenoten en 

Nautilus NL in een gezamenlijk overleg met de 

brancheorganisaties en de minister naar praktische 

oplossingen zoeken en deze al dan niet vermeende 

beperkingen uit de weg helpen. FNV Bondgenoten en 

Nautilus NL zijn van mening dat een goede werkgever er 

natuurlijk voor zorgt dat zijn werknemers goed verzekerd 

zijn. Het maakt niet uit of het om werknemers aan de 

onderkant van de arbeidsmarkt gaat of dat het 

werknemers in de hogere loonschalen betreft. Het komt 

namelijk ook voor dat werknemers uit de hogere 

salarisgroepen de verzekering voor ‘eigen rekening 

nemen’ en er vervolgens voor kiezen onverzekerd rond te 

lopen. Iedere werknemer, ook in de hogere salarisschalen, 

moet tegen zichzelf in bescherming worden genomen. In 

dit kader is een verzekeringsplicht op zijn plaats. 

De exploratie en productie van de kleine velden zijn 

zowel nu als in de nabije toekomst waardevol voor de 

industrie. Volgens FNV Bondgenoten en Nautilus NL moet 

zorgvuldig in de gaten worden gehouden dat de belangen 

van de werknemers niet ondergesneeuwd raken door het 

economisch belang op deze velden. Tegelijkertijd moet 

het huidige werkzame personeel zonder veel barrières een 

tewerkstellingsvergunning kunnen krijgen en zal het 

financieel aantrekkelijk moeten blijven om op het Ncp te 

werken. 

Waarborgen positie 

Nautilus NL en FNV Bondgenoten zullen in het overleg met 

de werkgeversorganisaties in de branche en het 

ministerie van Sociale Zaken aansturen op een integrale 

verzekeringsplicht voor offshore medewerkers op het Ncp 

om zo hun positie in de sociale zekerheid zoveel mogelijk 

te kunnen waarborgen. 

waren de antwoorden van de bewindslieden. Huizinga moest na enig 

aandringen toegeven dat het Draaiboek Piraterij nog niet werkt zoals 

beloofd en ook kon zij nog niet aangeven hoe gearresteerde piraten 

eventueel kunnen worden berecht. Ook Van Middelkoop wist weinig 

positiefs aan de discussie toe te voegen. Hij verwees hoofdzakelijk naar 

de eigen verantwoordelijkheid van de reders en blonk verder uit in het 

niet beantwoorden van vragen en het verwijzen naar de beperkte middelen 

van de Nederlandse strijdkrachten. Concluderend kan worden 

gezegd dat u van de Nederlandse overheid niet direct hulp hoeft te 

verwachten. Van Middelkoop belooft (pas) volgend jaar te komen met 

een rapportage en Huizinga gaat de vraag over de berechting van 

piraten voorleggen aan haar collega van Justitie. Voor wat betreft dit 

laatste zou je toch mogen verwachten dat men in het met veel fanfaregeschal 

geïntroduceerde Draaiboek Piraterij, daar al lang rekening 

mee heeft gehouden! 

Permanente regeling 

Na de Haagse deceptie maar weer terug naar de onderhandelingstafel 

met de reders. Daar wordt door Nautilus serieus onderhandeld over een 

regeling met een meer permanent karakter voor gevarengebieden in het 

algemeen. De Golf van Aden krijgt momenteel weer eens alle aandacht 

maar heeft helaas niet alléén het predikaat van gevarengebied. De nog 

overeen te komen regeling moet duidelijkheid brengen over het begrip 

gevarengebied en over de daarmee samenhangende afspraken. Een 

welkome aanvulling op de reeds bestaande oorlogsregeling. 

Deelnemende rederijen aan het ‘protocol inzake een doorvaarregeling 

voor de Golf van Aden’. 

Jo tankers BV, Kahn Crew Services B.V., Maersk Ship Management 

B.V., B.V. Kustvaartbedrijf Moerman, Rederij Chr. Kornet & Zn. B.V., 

Seatrade B.V., Spliethoff Groep, Vroon B.V., Koninklijke Wagenborg N.V. 

Nautilus opted to press for a raise 

of 3,5 % for the Dutch and 5,2% for 

the British officers — a 1,7% difference 

in inflation between the two 

countries justifies the difference. 

Nautilus has also called for improvements 

to the income of senior officers, 

and also insisted on more 

affordable use of online services 

onboard. 

The first series of meetings took 

place during October. Nautilus plans 

to send circulars to members 

employed by HAL, confirming the 

agreements. 

Danger zones: piracy 

The issue of piracy is not something 

which can be tackled quickly with 

ease. Again, this became clear during 

a parliamentary meeting with the 

Dutch Minister of Defence and 

Minister of Transport relating to 

‘high-risk’ zones. Nautilus NL does 

not have positive feedback with 

regards to expanding government 

support, though the Union continues 

to lobby government for increased 

protection by the Dutch Royal Navy 

for ships flying the Dutch flag. 

The increased protection has 

already been discussed on 17 October 

2008 between Nautilus NL and several 

major shipping companies. A voluntary 

arrangement and financial 

compensation for employees sailing 

through the Gulf of Aden served as 

the starting point for the discussion. 

Other subjects were improved safety 

measurements and the provision of 

information. The agreements were 

tied up in a protocol and signed by the 

nine companies involved.

life at sea competition 

£1,500 TO BE 

WON FOR TOP 

PHOTOS 

ENTRIES for the latest Nautilus/Endsleigh 

Insurance Services ‘life at sea’ photographic 

competition are flowing in — and here’s one of 

the best received in the past month. 

Taken by Nautilus member David Britton, 

it powerfully captures one aspect of the 

working lives of those at sea. 

Do you think you can do better? The hunt 

is now on to find the best images portraying 

life at sea today. And Nautilus and Endsleigh 

are offering prize money totalling £1,500 for 

three lucky winners. Judges will be looking for 

photographs that are not just technically 

good, but also capture the rich variety of life 

at sea — the good and the bad. 

You can submit your shots in colour or 

black and white, and as prints, slides or 

emailed JPEG electronic images (preferred 

resolution of 300dpi). 

Closing date for entries is Wednesday 1 

April, and the prizes will be presented at 

Nautilus UK’s Biennial General Meeting in 

May 2009, where an exhibition of the best 

entries will be on show. 

First prize is £750, second prize is £500, 

and there’s £250 for the third-placed entry. 

All you have to do is fill in the form, right, 

and send it to the Telegraph, Ocean-air 

House, 750-760 High Road, Leytonstone, 

London E11 3BB, or email your entries to: 

telegraph@nautilusuk.org. 

If posting entries, please don’t forget to 

say if you want us to return your pictures. 


Nautilus UK / 

Endsleigh Insurance 

Services 

Photo Competition 2009 

Name: ........................................................................ 

Address: .................................................................... 

..................................................................................... 

..................................................................................... 

..................................................................................... 

Home tel: .................................................................. 

Email: ......................................................................... 

Mem no.: ................................................................... 

Photos to be returned: YES / NO 

Inmarsat 19 x 6.indd 1 22/10/08 09:53:23


50 YEARS AGO 

SEAFARING and dockers’ 

unions affiliated to the ITF have 

been giving searching attention 

to the campaign against flags of 

convenience. Earlier this year, a 

conference convened by the 

United Nations to consider the 

international Law of the Sea 

determined that a genuine link 

should exist between the ship 

and the state of registry. This is a 

ships of the past 

fundamental requirement, but is 

of little use unless there is the 

necessary machinery for its 

enforcement. In the absence of 

governmental action, this 

Association and others affiliated 

to the ITF have decided that 

there is no alternative but for our 

organisations to take steps to 

protect the interests of seafarers, 

including a boycott of ships with 

no valid collective agreements 

— MN Journal, December 1958 

25 YEARS AGO 

BRITISH shipowners have 

embarked on a remarkably public 

campaign against the 

Norwegians — accusing them of 

dumping their surplus tonnage in 

the UK sector of the North Sea, 

to the detriment of British ships. 

The General Council of British 

Shipping has called for action to 

end what it describes as ‘this 

unfair practice’. The owners cited 

Shaw’s sad end 

✪by BOB WILSON 

THE CLAN SHAW was a general 

cargo liner with accommodation 

to carry 12 passengers, and was 

the first of four sisterships — the 

others being Clan Sinclair, Clan 

Sutherland and Clan Stewart. 

There were five large cargo 

holds, with upper and lower 

tweendecks forming 15 cargo 

spaces. Number two hold was 

87ft 6in long and had one pillar 

only on each side, making it 

suitable for the carrying of heavy 

machinery. 

Propelling machinery was built 

by the Parsons Marine Steam 

Turbine Company and installed by 

John G. Kincaid Ltd. It consisted 

of double reduction geared 

turbines, developing 9,400shp 

driving the single screw at 

108rpm. It was actually capable 

of developing 10,340shp, and 

operated with superheated steam 

at a pressure of 450lbs per square 

inch at a total temperature of 750 

degrees Fahrenheit. 

On trials, the Clan Shaw 

achieved a speed of about 18 

knots. She sailed on her maiden 

voyage on 25 January 1950 

towards Cape Town and Durban, 

and in 1953 represented Clan 

Line at the Spithead Coronation 

Review. 

Passenger accommodation 

was located on the bridge deck 

and consisted of eight singleberth 

cabins and two doubleberth 

cabins. An unusual feature 

for this type of ship was the 

inclusion of a passengers’ shop on 

the port side of the upper deck. A 

small laundry was also provided. 

Officer accommodation was 

fitted on all four decks, and the 

officers’ smokeroom was situated 

at the after end of the bridge deck. 

The radio officer lived in splendid 

The Quiz 

1. What percentage of world 

greenhouse gas emissions 

is estimated to come from 

international shipping? 

2. In 1978 what percentage 

of the world fleet, in gross 

tonnage terms, was Britishregistered? 

3. What percentage of the 

world’s current newbuilding 

orderbook is set to be 

registered in Panama? 

isolation in a cabin adjoining the 

radio office and chartroom on the 

navigating bridge abaft the 

wheelhouse, while 49 of the 

Indian crew, seamen and firemen 

lived in the poop deck in two 

levels (upper tween deck and 

upper deck), whilst the cooks and 

20 saloon ratings lived on the 

starboard side of the upper tween 

deck. 

I never sailed in any of these 

ships, although I worked for the 

British & Commonwealth group 

that managed them. They were 

beautiful to look at and very well 

finished inside. Although by 

today’s standards, the 

accommodation was quite poor in 

its content (only the captain and 

chief engineer had their own 

bathrooms and there was no 

air-conditioning), the general 

décor and cleanliness more than 

made up for it. 

With their huge crews, the 

ships could be maintained to the 

General details 

Year built: 1950 

Original name: CLAN SHAW 

Built by: Greenock Dockyard 

Owners: Cayzer, Irvine Ltd. 

Type: Cargo liner 

Tonnage: 8,700 gross 

Dimensions: Length 512ft 7in; Breadth 66ft 4in; Depth 28ft 

4. When and how did the 

phrase ‘coffin ship’ originate? 

5. What percentage of new 

merchant ships were built in 

European shipyards last year? 

6. What was the name of 

Cunard Line’s first ship, 

and when did she enter 

into service? 

✪ Quiz and quick crossword 

answers are on page 46. 

high standard demanded by 

Cayzer, Irvine. At mealtimes, the 

tables were always correctly laid, 

and silver service for all the 

officers was accepted as normal. 

Uniform code was strictly adhered 

to right up to the end of Clan Line. 

In 1960, the Clan Shaw was 

transferred to the newly formed 

Springbok Line and renamed 

Steenbok. A year later, she was 

transferred to Safmarine and 

re-named South African Seafarer. 

I had a chance to join this ship in 

the early 1960s, but declined 

because of the rather odd 

condition that I would have had to 

have taken my leave in South 

Africa, despite being domiciled in 

the UK. 

Shortly after, the name was 

shortened to S.A. Seafarer — a 

retrograde step, in my view! In 

1966, the S.A. Seafarer went 

ashore near the Green Point 

Lighthouse, Cape Town, when 

manoeuvring in bad weather. It 

was not long before her back was 

broken and the two halves slewed 

round. 

Several days later, I arrived in 

Cape Town aboard the Union- 

Castle flagship RMS Windsor 

Castle. A number of us went along 

to Green Point, where we became 

witness to the sad end of the S.A. 

Seafarer. Broken into three pieces 

by that time, she was relentlessly 

being pounded to pieces. To this 

day, I remember our second 

officer sadly stating: ‘I spent my 

21st birthday aboard that ship 

when she was the Clan Shaw!’ 

evidence showing that of the 151 

supply ships presently operating 

in the UK sector, 41 were 

Norwegian. Of the 72 vessels 

working in the Norwegian sector, 

however, none were British. The 

owners want the UK government 

to ask Norway to move surplus 

tonnage from the UKCS, and if 

this does not take place it should 

levy charges on foreign ships 

operating out of the UK — 

The Telegraph, December 1983 

10 YEARS AGO 

NUMAST has supported calls 

from the Marine Accident 

Investigation Branch for more to 

be done to combat seafarer 

fatigue. The MAIB’s latest safety 

digest warns that fatigue is a 

recurrent factor in many of the 

incidents it examines, and 

highlights concern over two 

emerging trends — the lack of 

proper rest between duty 

Telegraph prize crossword 

This month’s Telegraph cryptic crossword is a prize crossword! 

The winner of this month’s cryptic crossword 

competition will win a copy of the book Disasters at Sea 

by Dag Pike (reviewed on the facing page). 

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

along with your completed crossword, to: Nautilus UK 

Telegraph Crossword Competition, Oceanair House, 

QUICK CLUES 

Across 

1. Argument (11) 

9. Non-brand (7) 

10. Guaranteed (7) 

11. Bloated (9) 

12. Home (5) 

13. Drug (4) 

14. Following (10) 

16. Elderly care (10) 

19. Heavy metal (4) 

21. Weight (5) 

22. Percussion leader (4,5) 

24. Clause (7) 

25. Cut back (7) 

26. Cricket boards (11) 

Down 

1. At the same time (15) 

2. Viking (5) 

3. Performance (7) 

4. Apprentice (7) 

5. Hallucinogenic (8) 

6. A poet laureate (3,4,8) 

7. Ancient (3-3) 

8. Stick (6) 

15. Providing food (8) 

16. Gatherings (6) 

17. Solider (7) 

18. Stinging (7) 

20. Make fun of (6) 

23. Cereal (5) 

CRYPTIC CLUES 

Across 

1. Test with glasses (4-7) 

9. Feline that may strike at any 

moment (7) 

10. Small operation the newspapers 

keep on top of (7) 

11. SAS settle ragged offensive 

(failed 1 across) (9) 

12. SAS settle ragged offensive 

(couple of marks) (5) 

13. Not soft, just difficult (4) 

14. A strict potion, bitter perhaps (10) 

16. Stalls for unwilling blood donors 

(4,6) 

19. Fighters’ limbs (4) 

21. Award for Wilde (5) 

22. Judgment of Paris a pal made 

hastily (9) 

24. Ford model with payment for 

crossbar (7) 

25. He’s no dreamer, seeing Madrid 

team first (7) 

26. Sad, with pump in need of repair (11) 

Down 

1. Shares some of the blame for the 6 

(4,6,5) 

2. Overthrown in Guevara’s 

opportunist’s market (5) 

periods, and the use of 

watchkeeping time to deal with 

paperwork and other matters 

that may distract the 

watchkeeper. The report warns 

that some ships are sailing so 

shorthanded that proper rest is 

impossible. It blames the 

problems on commercial 

pressures and highlights the 

need to revise the safe manning 

certificate rules — 

The Telegraph, December 1998 

750–760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BB, 

or fax 020 8530 1015. 

Closing date is Monday 8 December 2008. 

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

answers and your contact details to 

telegraph@nautilusuk.org by the same closing date. 

Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Address: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Telephone: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Membership No.: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

3. Shredded art test (7) 

4. PR’s soon arranged a financial 

backer (7) 

5. Cheeky PM untied muddle (8) 

6. The thirties, a boom for psychiatrists 

(5,10) 

7. A change from early debit card 

days (6) 

8. Ford model in cavalcade (6) 

15. Wild boar as I’m serving the gods (8) 

16. Cool reception from Jack before end 

of the day (6) 

17. Let in again to study with a 

Cambridge college (7) 

18. Caesar was one who turned back 

representative in his own capital (7) 

20. USA let arrangement be made for 

formal greeting (6) 

23. Alas, and a shortage too (5)

ooks 

A PICTURE TRIBUTE 

TO A LEGENDARY 

PASSENGER LINER 

LAST month witnessed the end of 

an era as one of the world’s most 

iconic vessels — QE2 — left 

Southampton for a final voyage to 

begin a new life as a floating hotel 

in Dubai. Naturally, the world of 

publishing has not been slow to 

mark the retirement of such a 

legendary vessel, and one of the 

latest titles is QE2: A Photographic 

Journey, by Christopher Frame 

and Rachelle Cross. 

The journey in question is one 

around the vessel, and it is told 

over some 120 pages with a mix 

of fine photographs and 

informative text — including input 

from Commodore Ron Warwick, 

Captain Ian McNaught and chief 

engineer Paul Yeoman. 

Series seeking to set 

MN’s record straight 

FORMER Trinity House master 

Richard Woodman has carved out 

a successful second career as a 

respected writer of maritime 

fiction and non-fiction, with two 

dozen novels under his belt. 

Now he has turned his 

attention to the history of the 

Merchant Navy, and this month 

sees the publication of Neptune’s 

Trident — the first in an ambitious 

five-volume series that runs from 

1500 to the present day. 

It is a book that is written with 

passion, substance and style and 

the series is surely destined to 

become the authoritative work on 

British shipping and seafaring. 

In part, this is because 

Richard Woodman has combined 

historical analysis with personal 

experience — drawing heavily on 

contemporary accounts to bring 

to life the remarkable people that 

helped to make Britain the world’s 

dominant maritime power for so 

long. 

Spanning three centuries, 

Neptune’s Trident covers the 

truly formative period in the 

development of that power — 

addressing, for example, the 

might of the East India Company 

— and tracing the emergence of 

systematic approaches to ‘the 

recruiting and regulation of a 

seafaring population of variable 

quality along with the wider, 

supportive infrastructure that 

existed across the globe to service 

shipping and seafarers’. 

Underpinning this book — 

and, Richard Woodman hints, the 

ANYONE seeking to study British 

nautical history need only glance 

through a few pages of The 

Seaforth Bibliography to 

recognise its amazing value as a 

research tool. 

This 875-page work provides 

the most comprehensive guide 

imaginable to the books, 

dissertations, documents, articles 

and other sources of information 

— including fiction — that 

address British naval history in 

the period from 55 BC to 1815. 

Written and compiled by 

American historian Eugene L 

Rasor, it covers more than 4,000 

references and it is hard to 

perceive of a single significant 

relevant theme that has been 

omitted. 

whole series — is the theme of 

the British mercantile marine as 

the bedrock of imperial expansion 

and social advancement. 

Whilst such a role could be 

seen in a pejorative sense — not 

least on the issue of slavery — he 

takes a more agnostic approach, 

arguing eloquently for a proper 

sense of historical perspective 

that also pays due credit to 

shipping’s positive contribution to 

the making of the modern world. 

The series also seeks to set the 

record straight in claiming back 

Britain’s maritime past from 

‘naval-centric’ historians who 

have consistently failed to 

recognise the mercantile marine’s 

longer record of achievement. 

Neptune’s Trident also explores 

the roots of Britain’s ambivalent 

relationship with shipping and 

seafarers — quoting damning 

18th century descriptions of 

drunken, dissolute and violent 

seamen, and showing how 

shipowners have long had a 

reluctance to put the industry into 

the public eye. 

The British affinity for the 

Sources? They’re all here 

There is even a chapter on 

gaps in knowledge and research 

needed; for instance, on the role 

of women, about which the 

author comments, ‘…some 

progress is being made, but for 

this subject, there are always gaps 

to be filled’. 

Besides its bibliographic main 

function, Rasor’s book also serves 

as an erudite introductory history 

in its own right. His contextual 

background notes, summaries 

and comments on the sources he 

surveys provide a fascinating 

glimpse of this island’s naval 

story. 

One interesting insight it offers 

is showing how the Royal Navy, 

before it was known as such, had 

its beginnings in the merchant 

sea-life was always partial, 

Richard Woodman suggests, and 

the country proved better at 

producing officers than ratings. 

However, Neptune’s Trident does 

a magnificent job in describing 

what King Charles II called the 

‘arte and mysterie’ of seafaring 

skills. 

And, as with the best histories, 

there is so much that we can draw 

on for lessons for today — be it 

from the almost constant 

‘haphazard’ approach to meeting 

our needs for maritime skills to 

the nation’s similarly consistent 

failure to take note of its seafarers. 

If Neptune’s Trident sets the 

standard for what is to follow — 

titles called Britannia’s Realm, 

Masters Under God, More Days, 

More Dollars, and Fiddler’s 

Green — we can at least rest 

assured that there is a series that 

truly does justice to our proud 

merchant maritime past. 

✪Neptune’s Trident by Richard 

Woodman (ISBN 978 0 7524 

4814 5) costs £30 and is 

published by The History Press — 

www.thehistorypress.co.uk 

navy. ‘Navies began as 

assemblies of merchant ships 

“impressed” by the king as a 

feudal obligation,’ the book 

explains. 

There’s plenty of other 

illuminating material addressing 

such issues as life at sea, 

discipline and punishment, 

mutiny, piracy, cartography and 

maritime art and media. 

This remarkable tome must 

have taken years to compile; a 

sequel that takes us into the 

modern times would be most 

welcome. 

✪The Seaforth Bibliography by 

Eugene L. Rasor (ISBN 978 

184832 0024) costs £30, and is 

published by Seaforth Publishing 

— www.seaforthpublishing.com 

The book begins with a potted 

history, before taking the reader 

on a tour of all the public rooms 

and many ‘behind the scenes’ 

areas. Along the way, there are 

many great anecdotes (heard on a 

1998 bridge tour: Passenger: 

‘Does the ship generate its own 

electricity?’ Officer: ‘No sir, we 

have awfully long extension 

cords.’) and some fascinating 

snippets of information (QE2’s 

Queens Grill was one of the largest 

THE TENTH edition of the UK’s 

Admiralty Manual of Navigation 

Vol 1 was published by the 

Nautical Institute last month — 

100 years after the first edition 

appeared. 

Originally setting out the principles 

for RN navigational training, 

the manual now aims to 

define ‘effective practices for all 

mariners’ — including merchant 

seafarers and yacht sailors. 

Lt Cdr Alan Peacock RN has 

brought the manual into the 21st 

century, with new sections covering 

issues including the use of 

satellites and electronic equipment 

such as ECDIS. 


consumers of Beluga caviar in the 

world — second only to the 

Russian Parliament). 

This is an affectionate little 

tribute to a vessel that, as Capt 

McNaught reflects, ‘…in my 

heart, I know we will never see 

the likes of her again’. 

✪QE2: A Photographic Journey by 

Christopher Frame and Rachelle 

Cross (ISBN 978 0 7524 4803 9) 

costs £25 and is published by The 

History Press. 

Disastrous approach 

to maritime safety 

IT’S HARD to think of a more 

direct title than Disasters at Sea 

— and author Dag Pike certainly 

takes no hostages in this punchy 

analysis of the failings of the 

maritime safety regime. 

Looking at some of the most 

common accident categories — 

capsize, fire, grounding, storms 

and collisions — this book looks 

at the underlying factors and 

makes a rallying call for a better 

way of tackling the problems. 

A former merchant mariner, 

Dag Pike looks at the subject 

from the perspective of both the 

professional and the leisure seafarer, 

and argues how both sectors 

share many of the same 

safety shortcomings. 

All the recent advances in 

marine equipment and tech- 

nology, he suggests, have failed 

to bridge the growing gap in 

skills. Indeed, he argues, the 

growing complexity of systems 

and the increase in commercial 

pressures have created a situation 

in which he believes a major 

disaster is now imminent. 

Using a selection of Marine 

Accident Investigation Branch 

reports, the author points to the 

lessons that could be learned. 

Depressingly, however, he concludes 

that a ‘distinct lack of 

control and little incentive to 

improve’ leaves little room for 

optimism that accidents will be 

averted. 

✪Disasters at Sea by Dag Pike 

costs £19.99 and is published 

by Adlard Coles Nautical — 

www.adlardcoles.com 

Navigators’ manual 

gets tenth revision 

The book retains a tight focus 

on basic principles and practical 

procedures, as well as providing 

advice on the best use of new 

technologies. It also aims to be 

more ‘user-friendly’ by presenting 

text in ‘bite-sized’ chunks 

and offering an ‘intelligent index’ 

with easier access to information 

on all the technical terms being 

used. 

✪The Admiralty Manual of Navigation 

Vol 1, Tenth Edition (ISBN 

1 870077 90 3) is available 

from The Nautical Institute, 

price £90 plus p&p, with discounts 

for NI members and bulk 

purchasers. 

“The History of the Supply Ship” 

Hardback with 124 colour 

illustrations. 

£37.50 plus £3.60 P&P from 

“Ships and Oil Ltd”, 

Bon Accord House, Greyhope 

Road, Aberdeen AB11 9RD 

or from 

www.shipsandoil.com


BGM 2009 


DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUINITY 

TO TAKE A STAND FOR SHIPPING 

AND SEAFARING BY RUNNING 

FOR NAUTILUS COUNCIL 

ARE YOU concerned about the challenges that face our industry? Do 

you have ideas for helping Nautilus UK to meet them? Well, why not 

stand for election to the Union’s governing body, the Council? Time is 

running out if you want to seek a seat, so don’t miss the deadline! 

This year is a particularly exciting time to stand, since members 

will join Council just as the new transnational Union comes into 

being. 

The Council — which is also the Trustee of NUMAST Welfare Funds, 

the registered charity administered by Nautilus UK — is made up of 

serving members like yourself, each elected to serve a four-year term. 

Within the new Union, 24 of the 32 places will be for members of the 

UK branch and eight places will be for members of the Netherlands 

branch. 

Elections are held on a rolling basis, which normally means that just 

about half the Council places come up for election every two years. 

The situation is different this year, to provide for the start of the new 

Union. The table above shows the number of seats and also those vacancies 

which are for a two-year period and those for a four-year period, so 

that the rolling election system is in place for the future. 

The table also shows the split between NL and UK. 

Full paid-up members in categories for which there are vacancies 

(see box above) are entitled to stand for election. 

Nomination forms for the elections are also printed right, and copies 

have been sent to full members’ home addresses. 

First, check there is a vacancy in your category. Then fill in the top 

half of Form A and get two other full members — also in financial 

benefit and in the same category as you — to add their names, 

addresses, membership numbers, signature and date of signing in 

the appropriate space, to reach head office by 1700hrs on Wednesday 

10 December 2008. 

If you can’t personally get the signatures of your supporters (they 

may sail on different ships, for instance) fill in the top half of Form A 

yourself and send it to head office. Ask your supporters to fill in Form 

B and send it in separately — both forms must reach head office by 

1700hrs on Wednesday 10 December 2008. 

Members whose nominations are accepted will be asked to supply 

a certain amount of information about themselves for inclusion in the 

ballot paper. 

Ballot papers will be posted to eligible members by Friday 13 

February 2009, for completion and return to the scrutineer by 1700hrs 

on Thursday 7 May 2009. The results will be declared on Thursday 14 

May 2009 during the general meeting. 

The independent scrutineer appointed by the 2007 BGM for the 

conduct of this election is the Electoral Reform Society (Ballot 

Services) Ltd. 

NOMINATION PAPERS 

ALL eligible full members were sent Council and General Secretary 

election nomination papers by the deadline of 11 August 2008. 

Further copies are available from Peter McEwen at head office. 

Category 

1. Navigators, inc. Shipmasters 

one of whom will, in NL, be a 

dual certificated officer 

2. Engineers, inc. 

ETOs/Elec/RO 

3. Ratings 

4. Inland Navigation 

5. Other Particular Categories, inc. 

Hotel Services 

and Shore-based members 

Totals 

2009 Elections 2 year Vacancies in 2009 4 year Vacancies in 2009 

Agreed Number of Seats Election for 2009 - 2011 Election for 2009 - 2013 

NL 

3 

2 

1 

1 

1 

8 

UK 

11 

10 

1 

0 

FOR CANDIDATES 

nomination form A 

This form MUST be completed by the candidate and in addition 

may be used by one or more supporters. 

It MUST be returned, by 1700hrs on Wednesday 10 December 2008, to: 

Nautilus UK Head Office, 750-760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BB 

tel: 020 8989 6677 fax: 020 8530 1015 

Please complete in BLOCK CAPITALS 

TO BE COMPLETED BY THE CANDIDATE 

Electoral Category 

Name Mem No 

Address 

Postcode Tel no 

Rank Company 

I wish to stand for election in the 2009 Council elections. I declare that I am 

a full member of Nautilus UK in the above mentioned category and am in 

conformity with the rules of the Union. 

Signature Date 

TO BE COMPLETED BY SUPPORTERS 

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

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

same electoral category. 

1. Name Mem No 

Address 


Rank Company 



Address 


Rank Company 



Address 


Rank Company 


2 


2 

(incl 1 dual) 

1 

0 

1 

24 

4 12 

32 32 

0 

UK 

6 

5 

0 

0 

1 


1 

1 

1 

0 

1 

4 

UK 

5 

5 

1 

0 

1 

12 

FOR SUPPORTERS 

nomination form B 

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

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

return a Form A. Forms MUST be returned, by 1700hrs on Wednesday 10 

December 2008, to: 

Nautilus UK Head Office, 750-760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BB 

tel: 020 8989 6677 fax: 020 8530 1015 


TO BE COMPLETED BY SUPPORTERS 

Electoral Category 

Name of Candidate I wish to support 

Candidate’s address 

Postcode Candidate’s Mem No 

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

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

in the same electoral category. 

Name Mem No 

Address 


Rank Company 





Name Mem No 

Address 


Rank Company 





Name Mem No 

Address 


Rank Company 

Signature Date


BGM MOTION: 


BGM 2009 

uniting maritime professionals 

DON’T WASTE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PUT THE ISSUES THAT 

REALLY MATTER TO YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES AT THE 

HEART OF THE AGENDA FOR DEBATE AND DISCUSSION AT 

THE NEXT NAUTILUS BIENNIAL GENERAL MEETING… 

THE NAUTILUS Biennial General Meeting is the Union’s main policymaking 

forum — and it is here that new strategies and initiatives can 

be developed and old ones reviewed. 

The BGM is the place for members to come together to debate and 

discuss the issues that affect maritime professionals at work today. 

The next BGM is due to take place between 12-14 May and is being 

held at the Newcastle Gateshead Hilton Hotel. It is an open meeting, and 

full members who are in benefit are welcome to attend. 

And the way to make sure that the meeting’s agenda includes the 

issues that matter to you is to submit a motion to the conference. 

The forms on this page provide you with the chance to play a part 

in the democratic processes of your Union. 

The form below enables you to submit a motion to be considered 

To General Secretary, Nautilus UK Head Office, 750-760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BB (to arrive no later than 1700 Friday 13 

February 2009). 

We, as full members, wish to submit the following motion for discussion at the 2009 Biennial General Meeting of Nautilus UK: 

This BGM 

(Continue on separate sheet if necessary) 

1. Name Mem. No. Company 

Address Postcode 


2. Name Mem. No. Company 

Address Postcode 


by the meeting. The 2007 conference discussed a wide range of topical 

issues including training, tonnage tax, fatigue, piracy and employment. 

What’s the hot topic for you right now? Make sure it’s on the 

BGM agenda next May by completing and returning the motion proposal 

form at the foot of this page. 

The form on the right is your chance to get financial assistance to come 

to the BGM. Nautilus UK provides this support — the payment of hotel costs 

and a contribution towards travel expenses — to ensure that a broad crosssection 

of full members from across the industry attend. 

And the BGM is but one way in which you can help to shape the future 

of your Union. The forms on the left hand page are for candidates seeking to 

stand in the elections for Nautilus UK’s governing body — the Council. 

Please use these opportunities to get involved! 

FINANCIAL AID 

attendance at BGM 09 

This form should be completed and returned to Peter McEwen, 

deputy general secretary, Nautilus UK Head Office, 750-760 High Road, 

Leytonstone, London E11 3BB. 

I wish to apply to attend the 2009 BGM under the arrangements made 

by Council for full members to receive assistance towards the costs 

of attendance. 


Name 

Address (for all BGM correspondence) 

Postcode 

Tel no. 

Membership no. 

Company 

Rank 

Present ship 

Selection will be made from the categories below. Please circle the one that 

applies to you. 

FG = foreign-going; NCVA = near-coastal voyage area 

A Master FG I Purser/catering NCVA 

B Master NCVA J Radio officer FG 

C Engineer FG K Radio officer NCVA 

D Engineer NCVA L Electrical officer FG 

E Cadet (all trades) M Electrical officer NCVA 

F Deck FG N Shore staff 

G Deck NCVA O Ratings — FG 

H Purser/catering FG P Ratings — NCVA 

Please give details of involvement with Nautilus, eg as a liaison officer or 

honorary delegate, or if you have attended a Nautilus Education course or a 

previous BGM.


Institutional change 

imarest 

THESE are interesting times 

for the Institute of Marine 

Engineering, Science and 

Technology, reports policy 

and professional affairs 

director Graham Hockley… 

A SIGNIFICANT move in the long history of the 

Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and 

Technology (IMarEST) has been made with the 

decision that chief engineers and masters may 

now, once again, join as full corporate members 

(MIMarEST) rather than being associate members 

(AMIMarEST). 

This is a major forward step for our progressive 

and pragmatic institution’s policy of evolving to 

meet members’ needs. 

In recent months we have taken steps to ensure 

that the Institute has a more welcoming and less 

IMarEST began life in 1889, as the Institute of Marine Engineers PICTURE: IMAREST 

WARSASH MARITIME ACADEMY 

Certificates of Competency 

MERCHANT VESSEL ENGINEERING 

Engineer Of�cer of the Watch (EOOW) 

Specialised route to certi�cation 

Examination route to certi�cation 

- 5 January 09, 11 May 09, 7 September 09, 

4 January 10 

Chief Engineer 

Engineering Knowledge - General & Motor 

- 9 February 09, 26 May 09, 

19 October 09, 1 February 10 

Engineering Knowledge - General & Steam 

- 9 February 09, 26 May 09 

Applied Heat 

- 20 April 09, 14 September 09, 19 April 10 

Applied Mechanics 

- 20 April 09, 14 September 09,19 April 10 

Electrotechnology & Naval Architecture 

- 5 January 09, 7 September 09, 4 January 10 

2nd Engineer 

Engineering Knowledge General & Motor 

- 9 February 09, 26 May 09, 

19 October 09, 1 February 10 

Mathematics 


Engineering Drawing 


For more information: www.warsashacademy.co.uk, e-mail: wma.nautilus@solent.ac.uk 

Warsash Maritime Academy, Newtown Road, Warsash, Southampton, SO31 9ZL 

Tel: +44 (0)1489 576161 Fax: +44 (0) 1489 573988 

complicated d membership b hi structure and d applica- li 

tion process. The wheels have been set in motion 

to enhance the Institute’s ability to provide a more 

inclusive and representative structure that meets 

the needs and ambitions of those engaged in the 

marine sector today, and maintains the professional 

standing of those with appropriate qualifications. 

As IMarEST has a Royal Charter, there were a 

number of formal steps that had to be taken before 

the amended charter and byelaws could come into 

IMarEST is not just for engineers — it now maintains registers for ‘marine technologists’ PICTURE: BARBER INTERNATIONAL 

operation on 1 October. 

be called in mid-June, which resulted in the special Institute is celebrating its golden jubilee — 50 suc- 

First, an extraordinary general meeting had to resolution to amend the charter and byelaws being cessful years of operation; and we have been talking 

carried by 96.2% representing just under 25% of the with some of the early members to find out what 

Corporate members eligible to vote. 

attracted them to membership. Time after time they 

This was an unusually high response for a mem- spoke of the support they had as student members, 

bership organisation and suggests that members which led them to realise that besides getting prac- 

hold their Institute in high regard, attaching contical experience they needed to gain official qualifisiderable 

importance to its activities, and agreeing cations which have in turn led to highly successful 

firmly with the steps we were proposing. 

careers in all areas of marine engineering. There are 

The IMarest approach to membership is not similar tales to be told all around the world. 

based on academic qualifications alone; it has to Guidance and encouragement of engineers, sci- 

be balanced with practical professional experience entists and technicians remains a key objective of 

(did I hear a cheer out there?!). It demonstrates an the Institute; and that is why our global accredita- 

appreciation and acknowledgement of the practition programme encompasses universities, specialcal 

knowledge and experience of senior Merchant ist colleges and in-house training course. 

Navy officers acquired after many years of manag- It is imperative that IMarEST continues to 

ing technology, people, and complex business and encourage members of all ages to commit to a life 

regulatory relationships onboard ships and other of continuing professional development (CPD); 

marine assets, more often than not in unpredictable indeed advice and support on CPD is one of the key 

and hostile environments. 

The Institute also provides a valuable stepping 

benefits of membership. 

stone of knowledge and professional development WHAT DOES THE INSTITUTE OFFER? 

for those seeking to develop the next stage of their CPD and globally recognised membership and 

careers ashore or in different industries. 

qualifications are vital, but so too are other benefits, 

IMarEST continues to recognise MCA chief such as free access to the IMarEST members-only 

engineers’ tickets, through accreditation as pro- employment service; membership of a branch and/ 

viding learning equivalent to a Bachelors degree, or young members network and indeed the ability 

thereby allowing chief engineers to register as IEng to visit one of the IMarEST’s branches to attend 

with ECuk. Last, but certainly not least, the changes a lecture or just meet people if you are away from 

also brought in new registers for marine technolo- home; free access to the IMarEST’s International 

gists (deck officers) adding Registered Marine Directory of Marine Consultants; free access to 

Marine Revision (independent study option) Technologist and Marine Technician to the existing technical information through the Marine 

Availability on request 

Chartered Marine Technologist Register. 

Information Centre, which offers both traditional 

MERCHANT VESSEL OPERATIONS(DECK) 

Of�cer of the Watch (OOW) 

Examination route to certi�cation 

- 4 January 09, 5 January 09, 7 September 09 

Chief Mate and Master 

It all emphasises that a warm welcome awaits 

many whose day to day life revolves around marine 

engineering, operations, superintending, marine 

management and, importantly, going to sea. 

library facilities and a range of virtual and specialised 

electronic services; and free/reduced entrance 

fees to IMarEST events and conferences. 

Recent lectures at HQ alone give a feel for what 

HND & SQA Examination Route 

is on offer: ‘Biofuels and their effect on the ship- 

- 5 January 09, 20 April 09, 7 September 09, 

4 January 10 

Chief Mate 

Post HND Examination route to certi�cation 

- 5 January 09, 7 September 09, 20 April 09, 

GOING BACK IN TIME 

Known originally (and until 2001) as the Institute 

of Marine Engineers, our Institute was formed in 

1889 because there was an ever-increasing realisaping 

industry’; ‘The New Maritime Arctic’; and this 

month’s ‘Booming global trade — opportunities and 

threats for marine insurance’. 

There is also a range of publications — the 

4 January 10 

Post HND Level 4 route to certi�cation 

- 5 January 09, 20 April 09, 7 September 09, 

4 January 10 

Master’s MCA Oral Examination 

tion among seagoing engineers that engineroom 

engineers deserved greater recognition of their work 

and status and that this might be achieved through 

the formation of a professional institute. 

E-Marine monthly newsletter and IMarEST 

News, as well as free and reduced price subscriptions 

to MER — Marine Engineers Review (which 

from the December/January issue will incorpo- 

- 26 January 09, 5 May 09, 5 October 09, 

The inaugural meeting took place on 12 February rate an oil/gas and offshore technology section); 

25 January 10 

Revalidation of Deck Of�cers Certi�cates of 

Competency 

- Availability on request 

Deck Revision 

1889 and the first AGM was held on 29 March 1890 

at which time the membership numbered 284. 

Asplan Beldam was elected as the first president and 

expressed the hope that the Institute would become 

Shipping World & Shipbuilder (incorporating 

Maritime IT & Electronics); The Marine Scientist; 

Journal of Marine Design & Operations; Journal of 

Marine Engineering & Technology; and Journal of 

-Availability on request 

UKLAP 

- 16 February 09 

a power, not only in London, but throughout the 

world. How proud he would be to know that now 

there are 15,000 members throughout the world; 

Operational Oceanography. 

✪ Further information is available from 

www.imarest.org and from Tim Simms at the Institute 

and 51 branches, where our seagoing members are at 80 Coleman Street, London EC2R 5BJ, UK; 

welcomed whenever they have time to step ashore. Tel: +44 (0)20 7382 2600, Fax: +44 (0)20 7382 2670, 

001 

This month, the Singapore branch of the info@imarest.org 

Southampton 12 x 3.indd 1 22/10/08 09:45:51


The face of Nautilus UK: Matthew Louw, web services manager 

MATTHEW Louw began working for Nautilus UK in April 

this year. After completing his training in journalism and 

communications, Matthew worked as a health and 

lifestyle content producer for South Africa’s largest health 

and wellness website, Health24.com. 

Matthew has extensive online experience in a variety 

of sectors. After specialising in health and lifestyle, he 

moved to the maritime charity sector, then to insurance 

(including maritime reinsurance), and now to a content 

management and production role for the Union’s site. 

Telegraph 

Incorporating the merchant navy journal and ships telegraph 

ISSN 0040 2575 

staff 

editor: Andrew Linington 

production editor: June Cattini 

reporters: Sarah Robinson/Mike Gerber 

web editor: Matthew Louw 

advertising managers 

Redactive Media Group 

17 Britton Street, London EC1M 5TP 

Sales Executive: Claire Barber 

tel: +44 (0)20 7880 7668 

fax: +44 (0)20 7880 7553 

email: claire.barber@redactive.co.uk 

website: www.redactive.co.uk 

Although the Telegraph exercises care and caution before accepting 

advertisements, readers are advised to take appropriate professional advice 

before entering into any commitments such as investments (including pension 

plans). Publication of an advertisement does not imply any form of 

recommendation and Nautilus UK cannot accept any liability for the quality of 

goods and services offered in advertisements. Organisations offering financial 

services or insurance are governed by regulatory authorities and problems 

with such services should be taken up with the appropriate body. 

Published by Nautilus UK, Printed by College Hill Press Limited, 

37 Webber Street, London SE1 8QW. 

general secretary 

Brian Orrell 

head office 

Oceanair House, 750–760 High Road, 

Leytonstone, London E11 3BB 

tel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677 

fax: +44 (0)20 8530 1015 

telex: 892181 DIAL G 

(marked for the attention of Nautilus UK) 

website: www.nautilusuk.org 

northern office 

Nautilus House, Mariners’ Park, 

Wallasey CH45 7PH 

tel: +44 (0)151 639 8454 

fax: +44 (0)151 346 8801 

department e-mail addresses 

general: 

enquiries@nautilusuk.org 

membership: 

membership@nautilusuk.org 

legal: 

legal@nautilusuk.org 

Telegraph: 

telegraph@nautilusuk.org 

industrial south: 

industrialsouth@nautilusuk.org 

industrial north: 

industrialnorth@nautilusuk.org 

central services: 

centralservices@nautilusuk.org 

welfare: 

welfare@nautilusuk.org 

professional and technical: 

protech@nautilusuk.org 

In ordertobetterservethemembershipefficiently andcost-effectively, 

Nautilus UKhasstartedto compilealist of members’ emailaddresses. 

Itwouldbehelpful ifmembers withemailaddressescouldnotifythemto 

the IT Department,indicatingtheirmembership number. 

Nautilus UK also administers the NUMAST Welfare Funds 

and the J.W. Slater Fund, which are registered charities. 

He also deals with members’ website-related queries, 

and at present is heavily involved in an exciting project to 

revolutionise Nautilus UK’s online communications. ‘The 

projects taking place in the Union are incredibly exciting 

and I am honoured to be part of it,’ Matthew said. 

‘The role is incredibly varied. One minute I’m working 

closely with the communications team to make sure the 

website has up-to-date news stories; the next minute I’m 

making content changes to various areas of the website. 

It requires endless attention and a good eye-for-detail.’ 

NAUTILUS UK has always had a 

firm commitment to dialogue with its 

members and that commitment 

continues to this day, with the Union 

placing a high priority on contact 

between members and officials. 

Officials make regular visits to 

ships, and a variety of different 

meetings are held by the Union to 

encourage a healthy exchange of 

views. 

The Union also offers the chance 

for members to meet Nautilus UK 

officials when they make regular visits 

to ships in ports and nautical colleges, 

or stage specialist forums around the 

UK. These visits aim to give members 

the chance to get advice on 

employment and other problems that 

cannot easily be dealt with by letter or 

email. Times and venues for 

meetings in the next few months are: 

Born in Cape Town, Matthew relocated to the UK in 

January 2007. In his spare time, he enjoys travelling and 

the outdoors. He is also a keen supporter of the 

Springbok rugby team — particularly after they claimed 

the World Cup in 2007! 

‘The most rewarding aspect of being web services 

manager is forming good relationships with contributors 

to the website, and members,’ Matthew added. ‘And it is 

good to be part of the Union just before we join with 

Nautilus NL: these are exciting times.’ 

Nautilus UK meetings with members: diary dates 

M–Notices 

M-Notices, Marine Information 

Notes and Marine Guidance 

Notes issued by the Maritime & 

Coastguard Agency recently 

include: 

MGN 382 (M): Fire Protection of Balconies and 

Other External Areas on Passenger Ships 

Amendments to passenger ship safety regulations 

which entered into force in July are detailed in this 

M notice. These changes, to the SOLAS safety at 

sea regulations, were introduced in response to 

the balcony fire on the cruiseship Star Princess in 

March 2006. 

They apply to cabin balconies and the design 

requirements for fire detection and suppression 

systems, and to IMO guidelines for evaluating fire 

risk of other external areas on passenger vessels. 

The amendments — which include certain 

requirements applicable to ships built before, as 

well as after, 1 July 2008 — provide for: 

✪divisions between individual balconies to be of 

non-combustible material on existing and new 

ships, and to be openable on new ships to allow 

access from adjacent balconies or decks 

✪surface finishes, except on hardwood decking, 

to be of low flame spread type, and such finishes 

other than deck coverings to of limited calorific 

potential 

✪finishes, on new ships, that cannot produce 

excessive smoke and toxic products of 

combustion 

✪primary deck coverings, on new ships, that 

cannot produce smoke or toxic or explosive 

hazards 

✪all balcony furniture and furnishings must 

either comply with the specification for furniture 

and furnishings of restricted fire risk, or the fire 

detection and fire alarm and fixed pressure water 

spraying systems must be fitted. 

The relevant provisions apply from 1 July 

2008 for ships built on or after that date, and to 

the date of the first survey for existing ships after 

that date. 

Design requirements for respective systems 

are supported by IMO circulars, but it is 

recognised that some shipowners may have 

installed fire detection or extinguishing systems 

on cabin balconies before adoption by IMO of the 

relevant circulars. 

For such systems to continue to be used on 

UK ships, provided they remain effective, certain 

requirements must be satisfied. Water spraying 

COLLEGE VISITS 

Nautilus UK’s recruitment team is 

now holding regular meetings with 

trainees and members at all the UK’s 

maritime colleges. Contact Steve 

Doran or Garry Elliott at the Wallasey 

office for visiting schedules and 

further details. 

SHIP VISITS 

If you have an urgent problem on your 

ship, you should contact Nautilus UK 

(enquiries@nautilusuk.org) to ask for an 

official to visit the ship. Wherever possible, 

such requests will be acted upon 

by the Union and last year more than 

200 ships were visited by Nautilus UK 

officials as a result of contact from 

members. If you need to request a 

visit, please give your vessel’s ETA and 

as much information as possible about 

the problem needing to be discussed. 

fire extinguishing systems need to demonstrate 

effective spray coverage of the deck area of any 

balcony, and the system flow rate should be 

sufficient to simultaneously supply three or more 

adjacent balconies. 

Fire detection and alarms systems should be 

operated by heat, smoke or other product of 

combustion, or by flame, on each balcony. 

Additionally, they should be arranged to give a 

visual or audible alarm at a manned control 

station or similar manned space, the detector 

head should comply with a recognised standard, 

and be capable of being tested for correct 

operation and restored to normal surveillance 

without renewal of any component. 

MIN 340 (M+F): Certificates of Equivalent 

Competency — Amendment of Procedures 

Revised guidance on obtaining certificates of 

equivalent competency (CEC) for officers on 

merchant and fishing vessels is provided in this 

marine notice. 

The MCA says it constantly reviews 

procedures to ensure they remain relevant, and in 

reviewing the processes for obtaining CECs, it has 

streamlined a number of procedures and 

improved quality control to enhance maritime 

safety. 

This notice describes the procedures set out 

in Marine Information Note 242 (M+F) — in 

particular those relating to the application 

procedure, including: the issue of confirmation of 

receipt of applications and temporary certificates; 

medical fitness and sight test certificates; 

requirements for UK legal and administrative 

processes and English language (UKLAP); and 

acceptance and verification of CECs. 

It also includes new sections on oral 

examination requirements for holders of US 

Coastguard Chief Engineers (Limited Oceans) 

Licenses; the measures taken by the MCA to 

prevent fraud and other unlawful practices 

involving the certification process; and right of 

appeal. 

MGN 375 (M+F): Navigation — Maritime 

Safety Information (MSI) 

The GDMSS global distress and safety system 

supports two independent systems for 

broadcasting maritime safety information (MSI) 

— NAVTEX and SafetyNET. 

In the UK, the Maritime & Coastguard Agency 

is responsible for the broadcast of MSI on NAVTEX 

(also on the complementary VHF and MF), and 

this M notice gives guidance about the principal 

sources of relevant information covering 

navigational warnings and weather. 

SCOTLAND 

Members employed by companies 

based in the west of Scotland should 

contact Nautilus UK at Nautilus 

House, Mariners’ Park, Wallasey 

CH45 7PH (tel: +44 (0)151 639 

8454). Members employed in the 

offshore oil sector, or by companies 

based in the east of Scotland, should 

contact +44 (0)1224 638882. This 

is not an office address, so members 

cannot visit in person. 

Future dates and venues for Nautilus 

UK meetings of the National 

Professional & Technical and 

National Pensions Forums include: 

✪ National Professional & Technical 

Forum — deals with technical, 

safety, welfare and other professional 

topics relevant to shipmaster and 

NAVTEX radio receivers need to be 

programmed to receive information from the radio 

stations coving the area in which the ship is 

navigating, or is about to enter, or to adjacent 

NAVTEX transmission sites, and this notice 

provides details of UK station coverage area. 

MGN 373 (M+F): Radio Survey Service — 

Deregulation 

The Department for Transport, acting for the 

Maritime & Coastguard Agency, has appointed 

Selex Communications to provide a radio survey 

service for UK ships in the UK, and this M note 

gives details. 

While surveys aboard UK ships will generally 

be carried out by classification societies, the 

marine radio survey and inspection company 

Selex conducts at least a one-in-five survey on UK 

cargo and passenger ships, regardless of location. 

Selex will also: survey and certify radio 

installations on UK cargo ships, and survey the 

radio installations on UK passenger and fishing 

vessels in UK ports; survey and certify radio 

installations on non-UK ships in UK ports at the 

request of the flag administration; perform 

general inspections of radio installations on any 

UK ship of fishing vessel in UK ports; assist port 

state control inspections of foreign ships; survey 

radio installations of standby vessels under UK 

stand-by safety vessels certification procedures. 

Selex is now the first point of contact for all 

radio survey work in the UK and aboard, with 

dedicated phone (+44 (0)1268 823493/94) and 

fax (+44 (0)1268 823493/94) lines. 

✪M-Notices are available in three ways: a set 

of bound volumes, a yearly subscription, and 

individual documents. 

✪A consolidated set of all M-Notices current 

on 30 July 2007 (ISBN 0115528539) is 

published by The Stationery Office for £195 — 

www.tsoshop.co.uk/bookstore.asp 

✪Annual subscriptions and copies of 

individual notices are available from the 

official distributors: 

Mail Marketing (Scotland), MCA, PO Box 87, 

Glasgow G14 0JF. Tel: +44 (0)141 300 4906; 

fax: +44 (0)141 950 2726; 

email: mca@promo-solution.com 

✪Individual copies can be collected from MCA 

offices or downloaded from the MCA website 

— www.mcga.gov.uk — click on ‘Ships and 

Cargoes’, then ‘Ship Regulations and 

Guidance’. 

chief engineer officer members. The 

next meeting is being held at Nautilus 

UK’s head office, in Leytonstone, 

London, on Tuesday 2 December, 

starting at 1300hrs. 

✪ National Pensions Forum — 

established to provide a two-way flow 

of information and views on all 

pension matters and pension schemes 

(not just the MNOPF). This forum is 

open to all classes of Nautilus UK 

member, including associate and 

affiliate. The next meeting will be held 

in Aberdeen, on Thursday 15 

January, starting at 1100hrs at a 

venue to be announced later. 

All full members of the relevant rank 

or sector can attend and financial 

support may be available to some 

members by prior agreement. For 

further details contact head office. 

Quiz answers 

1. Around 2.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions 

is estimated to originate from international shipping. 

2. In 1978 some 7.6% of world merchant tonnage 

was British registered. 

3. Almost 22% of the world orderbook is set to be 

placed under the Panamanian flag. 

4. ‘Coffin ships’ was a term that originated in the 

early 19th century, to describe ships that were 

unseaworthy because they were too narrow and 

too deep. 

5. Around 17% of new ships were built in European 

yards in 2007. 

6. The Britannia, in 1840. 

Crossword answers 

QUICK ANSWERS 

Across: 1. Contretemps; 9. Generic; 10. Assured; 

11. Overeaten; 12 Abode; 13. Dope; 14. Allegiance; 

16. Geriatrics; 19. Lead; 21. Ounce; 22. Drum major; 

24. Proviso; 25. Trimmed; 26. Sightscreen. 

Down: 1. Contemporaneous; 2. Norse; 3. Recital; 

4. Trainee; 5. Mescalin; 6. Sir John Betjeman; 

7. Age-old; 8. Adhere; 15. Catering; 16. Groups; 

17. Redcoat; 18. Caustic; 20, Deride; 23. Maize. 

This month’s cryptic crossword is a prize 

competition. The answers will appear in next 

month’s Telegraph. Congratulations to the 

November crossword winner — Nautilus UK 

member Mr A.H. Clarke. 

CRYPTIC ANSWERS FROM NOVEMBER 

Across: 1. Tennis; 4. Racket; 9. Hall; 

10. Wheatstone; 11. Affair; 12. Couchant; 

13. Ecosystem; 15. Envy; 16. Tube; 17. Gibberish; 

21. Tortuous; 22. Dodger; 24. Stony broke; 25. Tate; 

26. Reefer; 27. Asthma. 

Down: 1. Traffic; 2. Nulla; 3. Inwards; 5. Artful; 

6. Kitchener; 7. Tenancy; 8. Rescue mission; 

14. Substance; 16. Trotter; 18. Badgers; 19. Spectra; 

20. Double; 23. Dutch.

Stick up for Nautilus UK’s Sea Sense campaign! 

NAUTILUS UK offers a range of free stickers to help you 

show your support for British shipping.The ever-popular 

Sea Sense car stickers have been spotted all over the world 

— why not put one in your back window? We also have 

some smaller paper Sea Sense stickers to put on 

envelopes. 

There is also the ‘delivered by ship’ selection, showing 

the variety of products that reach our shops thanks to 

merchant ships and seafarers. These are ideal for handing 

out at schools and festivals. 

1. Pay and conditions 

Nautilus UK negotiates on your behalf with an increasing 

number of British and foreign flag employers on issues 

including pay, conditions, leave, hours and pensions. The 

Union also takes part in top-level international meetings on 

the pay and conditions of seafarers in the world fleets. 

2. Legal services 

With the maritime profession under increasing risk of 

criminalisation, Nautilus UK provides specialist support, 

including a worldwide network of lawyers who can provide 

free and immediate advice to full members on employmentrelated 

matters. Members and their families also have 

access to free initial advice on non-employment issues. 

3. Certificate protection 

As a full member, you have free financial protection, worth 

up to £95,400, against loss of income if your certificate of 

Join Nautilus UK today 

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Please complete this form in BLOCK LETTERS 

I would like to join Nautilus UK 

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details of main certificate No. 

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EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES 

Nautilus 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. 

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members paying by direct debit 

Please tick membership category required: 

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Full member (Shore, salary under £23,000) £5.30 

Full member (Marine Ratings) £12.85* 

Full member (Cadet) £5.30** 

All the stickers promote Nautilus UK’s special 

campaign website www.seasense.co.uk, designed to raise 

public awareness of the need for maritime skills — and 

where you can sign an electronic petition urging the 

government to take more effective measures to support 

British shipping and seafarers. 

If you’d like some free stickers, simply contact Nautilus 

UK’s Central Services department and let them know how 

many you need. Call Central Services on +44 (0)20 8989 

6677 or email centralservices@nautilusuk.org 

competency is cancelled, suspended or downgraded 

following a formal inquiry. Full members are also entitled to 

representation during accident investigations or inquiries. 

4. Compensation 

Nautilus UK’s legal services department recovers more than 

£1m every year in compensation for members who have 

suffered work-related illness or injuries. 

5. Workplace support 

Nautilus UK officials provide expert advice on work-related 

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6. Safety and welfare 

Nautilus UK plays a vital role in national and international 

discussions on such key issues as hours of work, crewing 

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training standards. The NUMAST Welfare Funds charity runs 

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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.org 

M 

F 

a 15-acre welfare complex in Wallasey providing homes and 

care for retired seafarers, and administers welfare pensions 

and grants to seafarers in need. Nautilus UK has a major say in 

the running of the Merchant Navy Officers’ Pension Fund and 

the Pension Plan. It also launched The Maritime Stakeholder 

Plan to meet the needs of seafarers and others working in the 

shipping industry, at sea and ashore, who are unable to 

participate in the MNOPF or MNOPP. 

7. Savings 

Being a Nautilus UK member costs less than buying a 

newspaper every day and gives you peace of mind at work, 

with access to an unrivalled range of services and support. 

It’s simple to save the cost of membership — by taking 

advantage of specially-negotiated rates on a variety of 

commercial services ranging from tax advice to credit cards, 

and household, motoring, travel and specialist insurance. 


10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BE A NAUTILUS UK MEMBER… 

Please fill in the whole form including For Nautilus UK Official Use 

Only Box using a ball point pen and send it to: 

Originator’s Identification Number 

Nautilus UK 

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Name and full postal address of your Bank or Building Society 

To The Manager Bank/Building Society 

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Indicators 

THE LATEST figures from the the Office of National 

Statistics show the government’s preferred CPI rate 

of inflation stood at 5.2% in September, up from 

4.7% in August. The RPI rate, normally used as the 

basis for pay negotiations, rose to 5.0% in 

September, up from 4.8% in the previous month. 

RPIX — the all-items rate excluding mortgage 

interest payments — was 5.5% in September, up 

from 5.2% in the previous month. 

However, the ONS figures show wages growth 

8. In touch 

As a Nautilus UK member, help is never far away — wherever 

in the world you are. Officials regularly visit members 

onboard their ships and further support and advice is 

available at regular ‘surgeries’ and college visits throughout 

the UK. 

9. Your union, your voice 

Nautilus UK is the voice of some 18,000 maritime 

professionals working in all sectors of the shipping industry, 

at sea and ashore. As one of the largest and most influential 

international bodies representing maritime professionals, 

the Union campaigns tirelessly to promote your views. 

10. Get involved! 

Nautilus UK is a dynamic and democratic union, offering 

members many opportunities to be fully involved and have 

your say in our work — both at local and national level. 

Instruction to your 

Bank or Building Society 

to pay by Direct Debit 

9 5 3 3 6 4 

For Nautilus UK Official Use Only 

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Please tick instalment method required: 

Instruction to your Bank or Building Society 

Please pay Nautilus UK Direct Debits from the account detailed in this 

Instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit 

Guarantee. I understand that this Instruction may remain with 

Nautilus UK and, if so, details will be passed electronically to my 

Bank/Building Society. 

Signature(s) 

Date 

ANNUAL HALF-YEARLY 

QUARTERLY MONTHLY 

Your preferred day in the month for debit: 

2nd 9th 16th 23rd 

Banks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit Instructions from some types of account 

remaining at comparatively modest levels. The annual 

rate of growth in average earnings, excluding bonuses, 

was 3.6% in the three months to September — 

unchanged from the previous month. Including 

bonuses, it was 3.3% — down by 0.1% from the 

previous month. 

Figures released by the Labour Research 

Department last month showed economy-wide median 

pay settlements standing at 3.9% in the current pay 

round (up from 3.6% in 2006-7 and 3.3% in 2005-6). 

Average (mean) pay settlements economy-wide were 

3.84% (from 3.82% in 2007). The average private 

sector settlement was 4.29% and the average public 

sector settlement was 2.99%. 

Please retain this portion for your own records 

Direct Debit payments 

Payment 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 subscription 

changes. 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 you 

prefer. 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 Payer 

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✪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 debited or 

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 the 

amount 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.


SHIPPING ‘FACES 

A LONG SLUMP’ 

SHIPPING faces a slump that 

may last for as long as five or six 

years, owners and financiers 

warned last month. 

The slowdown in world trade 

has seen the Baltic Dry Index 

drop more than 90% from its 

peak in June this year, whilst 

containership operators have cut 

news 

RISK AGREEMENT 

FOR UK SHIPS AS 

ATTACKS MOUNT 

Industry bodies in united call for piracy action 

WITH more ships coming under 

attack in the Gulf of Aden last 

month, Nautilus UK secured a 

‘high risk’ agreement to cover 

members on UK Chamber of 

Shipping vessels operating in the 

region. 

The agreement came as the 

International Maritime Bureau 

warned that attacks are becoming 

more violent and that the number 

of seafarers being held hostage is 

rising — along with the size of ransom 

demands. 

The IMB revealed that a total 

of 199 piracy and armed attack 

incidents were recorded around 

the world in the first nine months 

of the year — 63 of them in the 

Gulf of Aden. 

More than 580 crew members 

were held hostage in the first nine 

months of the year, nine were kidnapped 

and nine killed. 

Incidents last month included 

the seizure of two more ships — 

the Bahamas-flagged general cargoship 

CEC Future and the 

Philippines-registered tanker 

Stolt Strength. 

The capture of these vessels 

brought to 12 the number of ships 

being held by Somali pirates, with 

the total crew being held hostage 

rising to more than 235. 

Around the same time, a UKmanaged, 

Saudi Arabian-flagged 

reefer was struck by bullets fired 

by pirates some 250 miles off the 

east coast of Somlia. 

Reports said the ship had been 

approached by two speedboats, 

containing pirates armed with 

semi-automatic weapons and 

rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 

but it successfully took evasive 

manoeuvres. 

In another incident, the Indian 

St Peters Street 

Lowestoft 

Suffolk 

NR32 2NB 

Phone: (0044) 1502 525025 

Fax: (0044) 1502 525106 

Website: 

www.lowestoft.ac.uk 

Enquiries and bookings: 

maritime@lowestoft.ac.uk 

capacity on Europe-Asia routes 

by as much as 25%. 

Singapore-based company 

Neptune Orient Lines last month 

began laying up ships in a bid to 

save some US$200m a year. 

Stephen Roach, regional head 

of the investment firm Morgan 

Stanley, warned a world shipping 

summit last month that even if 

the global economy picks up in 

2010, it will take at least two 

more years for trade to come 

close to 2007 levels. 

THE ITALIAN destroyer ITS Durand is pictured above escorting the 

general cargoship Victoria delivering World Food Programme aid to 

Somalia last month. The ship was the third to be escorted by a NATO 

force which began operating in the area at the end of October. 

The European Union has also launched a naval mission to protect UN 

aid shipments and commercial shipping in the region. Operation 

Atalanta — the first of its kind staged by EU member states — is being 

coordinated by the UK, and will involve at least seven ships backed by 

surveillance aircraft. PICTURE: LUIGI COTRUFO/NATO 

Navy warship INS Tabar came to 

the aid of the Indian-flagged bulk 

carrier Jar Arnav after it reported 

a potential attack in the Gulf of 

Aden and radioed for assistance. 

A number of countries have 

beefed up naval protection off the 

coast of Somalia, but the 

International Transport Workers’ 

Federation joined with leading 

shipowner bodies last month to 

urge governments to do more to 

restore the safety of navigation in 

the Gulf of Aden. 

Whilst welcoming the task 

forces being organised by the 

European Union and NATO, the 

ITF and six other global shipping 

industry organisations warned 

that ‘coordinated international 

action is the only mechanism 

likely to bring any lasting relief to 

this troubled and lawless area’. 

In a joint statement, they 

DYNAMIC POSITIONING TRAINING 

DP OPERATOR TRAINING 

DP-capable vessels are the fastestgrowing 

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We offer DP Induction and Simulator 

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simulation systems from Kongsberg 

and Alstom. 

added that ‘the current appalling 

situation is intolerable for seafarers 

under duress whilst held 

hostage and for those running the 

gauntlet of increasingly violent 

attacks in this dangerous region’. 

The organisations called for 

‘immediate and decisive action to 

strike at the very heart of the 

armed and organised gangs that 

appear to be operating in the 

region almost with impunity’. 

They urged governments to 

deploy more warships and aircraft 

in the area, and to beef up UN 

Security Council resolutions to 

include more explicit text on the 

action required against the criminal 

gangs. 

The statement also stressed the 

need for legal action to ensure that 

pirates can be arrested, brought to 

justice and punished. 

✪Special reports — pages 23-26 

We also offer manufacturer approved 

DP Maintenance training on 

Kongsberg and Alstom systems. 

2 and 3 day Familiarisation training on 

specific systems available. 

SEATRUCK FERRY 

TO SCANDINAVIA 

THE SEATRUCK Ferries’ vessel 

Moondance, pictured left, is 

switching from the Irish Sea to 

Scandinavia. 

The 5,881gt vessel is being 

used to launch a new dedicated 

ro-ro trailer service between 

Frederica in Denmark and Moss 

in Norway. 

Lowestoft College has been training DP staff for over 20 years and 

is recognised worldwide as the leading DP training establishment. 

We are able to tailor courses to the requirements of individual 

clients, and will be happy to discuss this with you. 

COURSES FOR THE MARINE & OFFSHORE INDUSTRIES 

Due to start in January, the 

service is being jointly run by 

Seatruck Ferries and the Danish 

company Frederica Shipping 

and will offer three weekly 

sailings in each direction — 

helping to take freight off 

congested roads. 

Seatruck commercial director 

Alistair Eagles said the service is 

being launched due to demand 

for a direct ro-ro trailer link from 

Oslo Fjord into the central 

industrial zone of Denmark. 

Helping to launch a new 

era of energy supply 

A NAUTILUS member is poised 

to help take the shipping industry 

into a new era of energy supply 

with a record-breaking 

cargo of liquefied natural gas 

(LNG) from Qatar. 

Captain David Carter, right, 

is master of the Marshall 

Islands-registered LNG carrier, 

Mozah, above. The 266,000 cu m 

Q-Max vessel is the largest LNG 

carrier ever built. 

At 345m loa, Mozah is the 

first of 14 Q-Max ships being 

built for the Qatar Gas 

Transport Company Ltd 

(known as ‘Nakilat’ — which 

means carriers in Arabic)— 

under a multi-billion dollar 

project to establish a total fleet 

of 54 ships. 

The ships will transport LNG 

produced from Qatar’s North 

Field — the world’s largest nonassociated 

gas field, with 

approximately 15% of the 

world’s total proven reserves — 

to global markets. 

Twenty five of the vessels will 

be managed by the UK-based 

company Shell International 

Trading and Shipping Company 

Limited (STASCo), on behalf of 

Nakilat, and with a number of 

British senior officers onboard. 

‘It’s an amazing number of 

firsts,’ Capt Carter told the 

Telegraph, ‘and I am very proud 

and excited to be there at the 

start. For Shell Shipping, this is 

the largest fleet expansion that 

we have ever managed, and the 

delivery and management of 

these ships requires the recruitment 

and training of as many as 

1,300 seafarers.’ 

By 2025, the world is likely to 

be using more gas than oil. 

Qatar is aiming to meet around 

30% of the world’s LNG needs, 

and the ships will eventually 

supply some 20% of the UK’s 

energy requirements. 

‘This is not just a big ship, it is 

essentially a 21st century supertanker,’ 

said Capt Carter. ‘What 

we are doing here is moving into 

a new generation of energy supply 

and the partnership with 

Nakilat presents excellent 

opportunities for the seafarers.’ 

Capt Carter — who has 

served with Shell since starting 

as a cadet in 1980 — volunteered 

to work in the new LNG fleet. 

‘But you could have knocked me 

down with a feather when I 

heard I had command of the 

first Q-Max! For me, it is a real 

career high, and it has been 

incredible to be there on the 

lead ship and setting up all the 

procedures.’ 

Built by Samsung Heavy 

Industries in Korea, Mozah has 

80% more capacity than conventional 

LNG carriers — with 

the resulting economies of scale 

reducing its environmental 

footprint by more than 30%. 

The Qatar LNG project is one 

of the largest commercial ship 

development programs ever, 

and the largest in the history of 

the LNG industry. 

Accredited by

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