issue 232 nov/dec 2014 call to end six on/six off watchkeeping...

Issue 232 nov/dec 2014

Los artículos en español aparecen en las páginas 6 y 7

The Sea

Editor: Carly FieldsNews: David Hughes

The Sea is distributed free to seafarers through chaplains and seafarers’ centres. You can also arrange to receive it regularly at a cost of £3.50 or $5 per year (six issues). To find out more, contact:

Laura Hayes, The Sea, The Mission to Seafarers, St Michael Paternoster Royal, College Hill, London, UK EC4R 2RL

Tel: +44 20 7248 5202

Email: [email protected]

www.missiontoseafarers.org

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MOL helps in fight against Ebolapage 8

New West Africa piracy guidelinespage 2

Статьи на русском языке приводятся на стр. 6 и 7

Deal reached on EU seafarers

Seaman Guard Ohio crew face re-trial

Human Rights at Sea initiative takes wing page 3

Registered charity in England and Wales: 1123613

The Mission to Seafarers Scotland Limited,Registered charity: SC041938

SEAFARERS’ unions and employers’ representatives have reached an agreement on the issue of the exclusion of seafarers from some EU labour laws.

The agreement aims to close some legal ‘loopholes’ and ensure that seafarers are treated on an equal footing with land-based workers. Although not binding, the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) and the European Community Shipowners’ Association say the deal “may be hailed as a very positive outcome, which demonstrates the need for an active and constructive social dialogue at European level”.

EU labour laws generally apply to all workers in all sectors but, until now, certain EU directives allowed member states to exempt seafarers on the basis of the particular nature of maritime transport.

Founded in 1856, and entirely funded by voluntary donations, today’s Mission to Seafarers offers emergency assistance, practical support, and a friendly welcome to crews in 260 ports around the world. Whether caring for victims of piracy or providing a lifeline to those stranded in foreign ports, we are there for the globe’s 1.5 million merchant seafarers of all ranks, nationalities and beliefs.

The Mission to Seafarers

THE 35 crew members of the Seaman Guard Ohio are still unable to leave India.

The men, arrested over a year ago when their anti-piracy vessel allegedly strayed into Indian waters during a typhoon, were found innocent by the Indian High Court in July and freed. They were hoping to return home in early October.

However, they now face further detention and a possible re-trial after a last minute appeal was lodged to overturn the decision of the court to drop all charges.

The Mission to Seafarers has supported the crew and their families throughout and has again appealed for their release. Seafarers are urged to share the story via www.facebook.com/themissiontoseafarers

TH E U K ’s M a r i n e Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has

repeated its warnings that fatigue is causing accidents and that the six hours on, six off watchkeeping regime leads to unacceptable levels of fatigue. The MAIB initiative comes as recent research shows widespread under-reporting of working hours in the shipping industry.

Several years ago the MAIB triggered a UK attempt to change International Mar i t ime Organiza t ion (IMO) regulations to make it mandatory to have two bridge watchkeeping officers in addition to the master. That attempt failed to make any headway.

Since then the MAIB has had to investigate a succession of serious incidents, mainly groundings, caused by the watchkeeper falling asleep on watch. As a result it is once again doing its best to raise the issue.

At the recent International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) a n n u a l c o n f e r e n c e i n

London, the MAIB’s principal inspector of marine accidents, David Wheal, warned that extreme fatigue, leading to watchkeepers falling asleep, had caused several high profile accidents in recent years.

He told the shipowners’ b o d y t h a t a b r i d g e watchkeeping officer working a six hours on, six off watch pattern was at particular risk of becoming unacceptably fatigued. Mr Wheal noted that on many ships the master was one of just two bridge watchkeepers. He said increased manning could “provide the additional fix” and he raised the possibility of making it mandatory to have two bridge watchkeeping officers. The MAIB would like the UK Government to put such a proposal to IMO although there has been no confirmation that UK politicians are willing to do that.

The ICS response was that it, and its member associations, would consider any such proposal from the UK Government if and

when it was made to IMO. It pointed out that new IMO and International Labour Organization work hour rules had only just fully come into force worldwide.

An ICS spokesperson said it seemed “a bit premature” to be thinking about making further rule changes until the impact of these new regimes had been fully assessed. Instead, the ICS spokesperson raised the possibility that the situation could improve without any further rule changes.

They added: “If ships are found unable to comply with the new rules, which given the strict record keeping requirements can now be readily seen by flag states and port state control, then shipping companies will have to adjust manning levels automatically without the need for further rule changes.”

However, a new research project indicates that officers are understating their working times in official records. The research project, carried out last year at Southampton Solent University (SSU) by

deepsea pilot John Sanderson, showed that more than 80 per cent of a sample of 177 masters, mates and bridge w a t c h k e e p i n g r a t i n g s admitted to falsifying their work/rest records at some time to understate their working hours.

Capt Sanderson’s paper noted: “Falsification may appear to help a crew’s short term problem of overwork but it reduces the effectiveness of the regulations when the hours of rest are part of the w i d e r S T C W - M a n i l a (the updated Convention on Standards of Training, C e r t i f i c a t i o n a n d Watchkeeping) and Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) regulations to overhaul and improve conditions for seafarers.”

The research also reveals a cultural problem, namely that some watchkeepers worry about the reaction of colleagues if they admit to being fatigued. The ability to stay awake and work when fatigued is often seen as admirable.

Call to end six on/six off watchkeeping regimeConcerns that many watchkeepers falsify working hours records and shrug off fatigue

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DNV GL concept ship removes need for people

RESEARCHERS at classification society DNV GL think they may have solved safety issues on ships – by taking away the seafarers.

They have designed a concept-ship, the ReVolt, that does not require a crew, which, DNV GL claims, “goes a long way in tackling one of the shipping industry’s weakest links: the safety record”.

It said that with an average of 900 fatalities per year the mortality rate in shipping was 90 per cent higher than in comparable land-based industries and added: “Studies have shown that the majority of these accidents are caused by human error. Unmanned vessels take this factor out of the equation and make the operation of these ships more cost-efficient.”

Instead of using diesel fuel, the six-knot cargo vessel, intended for short sea routes of less than 100 nautical miles, is powered by a 3,000 kWh battery. This reduces operating costs

by minimising the number of high maintenance parts such as rotational components. DNV GL added that, if the energy required for such operating costs was harnessed from renewable sources, this would eliminate carbon dioxide emissions.

With no crew, there is no need for crew facilities such as a superstructure, on board the vessel. The resulting increase in loading capacity, as well as low operating and maintenance costs, mean that compared with a diesel-run ship, the ReVolt could save up to US$34 million during its estimated 30-year-lifetime.

The concept-ship is currently still being tested. “Building and operating this vessel would be possible with today’s technology,” said Hans Anton Tvete, senior researcher at DNV GL. “The ReVolt is intended to serve as inspiration for equipment makers, ship yards and shipowners to develop new solutions on the path to a safe and sustainable future.”

www.missiontoseafarers.org

DNV GL’s concept ship takes the seafarer out of the safety equation

(Photo: DNV GL)

THE Joint Shipping Initiative (JSI) has given US$1.5 million of additional funds to a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project to improve the lives of Somalis and security for seafarers. JSI is made up of major shipping companies Shell, BP, Maersk, Stena and Japanese shipping companies NYK, MOL and ‘K’ Line.

The UNDP’s Alternative Livelihoods to Piracy in Puntland and Central Regions of Somalia project aims to reduce piracy off the coast of East Africa through local economic development, job creation, training, and business development grants onshore in one of the world’s poorest countries.

“Development projects that provide an alternative livelihood to would-be pirates are a vital element of the long term solution to piracy,” said Dr Grahaeme Henderson, vice president of Shell Shipping & Maritime, adding that they “have been very encouraged by progress so far and look forward to positive results from this new phase of work”.

According to JSI, a lack of jobs and legitimate business opportunities for young people helps Somali pirate leaders to

attract recruits for attacks on merchant shipping. By offering alternative livelihood options to the young, said JSI, they and the UNDP were working to prevent the lure of piracy.

The Somalia country director of the UNDP, George Conway, added: “Somalia has one of the world’s highest rates of youth unemployment. Nearly 67 per cent of young people are unemployed. To reverse this, we work with local authorities and community groups to identify sustainable solutions – such as infrastructure projects, livelihood training, or reintegration projects – and tailor our support to match the need.”

Initiated by Shell in 2013, JSI’s first donation of US$1 million helped expand the market building in Adado – a town in central Somalia – creating hundreds of jobs for retailers and better sales options for farmers.

The latest additional funding meets the JSI’s 2012 pledge to donate a total of US$2.5 million to the UNDP’s development efforts in Somalia. It will allow them to start work in the towns of Alula and Bargal, near the tip of the Horn of Africa, and in Balanbal in central Somalia.

2 the sea nov/dec 14

Drunk master jailed

Flag states ‘must act responsibly’INTERNATIONAL Maritime Organization (IMO) secretary general Koji Sekimizu has called on flag states to step up to their responsibilities under global regulations.

Speaking at the International Chamber of Shipping International Shipping Conference in London in September, he said he was concerned by the slow progress being made to implement crucial Conventions. He said both the Ballast Water Management Convention and the Ship Recycling Convention had “been on the agenda” for too long.

He also said that, following the Sewol ferry disaster in South Korea earlier this year, it was time to take further action to improve the safety of domestic ferries, and a major conference on the issue was being organised. It will take place in the Philippines in April 2015.

Shipping Round Table tackles rising Gulf of Guinea risks

West Africa piracy guide updated

A SCOTTISH court has jailed a master for four months after hearing he had been almost four times over the alcohol limit while in command of the 1,212 gt general cargoship Frifjord when calling at Dundee.

The pilot informed the authorities that Capt Andrejs Borodins, was unable to carry out instructions and appeared unsteady on his feet.

He later failed a breathalyser test.

He said he had been exhausted from doing back-to-back six-hour shifts and that was why he had been drinking.

decent standards of employment on ferries operating services within Europe, in order to make sure that officers and crew are covered by conditions of employment which are on a par with, or superior to, the countries which they serve. This would mean owners could no longer cut wage bills by employing seafarers from outside the EU at rates agreed by the International Bargaining Forum.

Three strikes and you’re outTHE Liberia-registered, 9,981 gt containership Vega Auriga was banned from Australian ports for three months from September when it was detained by the Australian Maritime Safety Agency (AMSA) for the third time since July 25 last year.

Problems discovered included improper payment of wages, inadequate living and working conditions, and substandard maintenance.

AMSA general manager Allan Schwartz said it was important that ships entering the country’s ports met minimum international standards, including those covering crew welfare.

Hijacked Vietnam-flagged tanker resurfaces

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‘Jones Act’ for Europe?THE general secretary of seafarers’ union Nautilus told delegates at its UK branch conference in Belfast in September that Europe needed to look to the example of the US Jones Act to protect jobs on EU shipping routes. Later, union official Micky Smyth said the union’s Fair Ferries Campaign had been launched to “address the recruitment, retention, training and, indeed, the very survival of the British officer in the ferry sector”.

According to the union, the campaign seeks to secure government support for regulations to secure

ICMA appoints general secretaryThe Very Revd Richard Kilgour has been appointed general secretary of the International Christian Maritime Association.

Presently serving as Provost of the Episcopal Cathedral in Aberdeen, Scotland, Mr Kilgour brings combined experience of a naval career and a life in ordained ministry and ecumenical mission.

He will take up the post in January 2015. Mr Kilgour has been involved in planning seafarers’ welfare ministry in Scotland with The Mission to Seafarers’ Scottish Council, and The Scottish Episcopal Church at national level.

“At a time when challenges to meet the welfare needs of seafarers are continually increasing, the ICMA membership organisations provide welfare services for seafarers and fishers at the point of need across the world,” said Mr Kilgour.

THE Vietnamese-flag tanker Sunrise 689, with a crew of 18 onboard was hijacked by an armed gang on October 2 soon after leaving Singapore for Quang Tri province in central Vietnam. She was carrying over 5,000 tonnes of gas oil.

A week later the vessel was released after about a third of her cargo as well as personal effects had been stolen.

Two of the crew were reported to have been “slightly injured” by the pirates.

The Sunrise 689 is owned by Vietnam’s Haiphong Sea Product Shipbuilding Co. This is the latest in a series of hijackings of small tankers in South East Asian waters. Vietnam worked with maritime authorities in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines to locate the ship.

THE Round Table of international shipping industry associations has published an updated version

of Guidelines for Owners, Operators and Masters for Protection against Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea Region. The Guidelines have been jointly developed by the International Chamber of Shipping, Bimco, Intertanko and Intercargo.

The associations say that piracy and armed robbery in the waters off West Africa have become established criminal activities of very serious concern to the maritime sector.

Incidents have recently occurred as far south as Angola and as far north as Sierra Leone. They warn: “These attacks have become increasingly violent, often involving firearms, and cases of kidnapping for ransom have also become more common.

The global shipping industry has

therefore acted in concert to update its existing Guidelines to take account of what has become a totally unacceptable security situation.”

The Round Table associations say that, although the nature of the attacks against shipping off West Africa differs from that of Somalia-based piracy, the basic principles of the Best Management Practices – previously developed by the industry to help protect against piracy in the Indian Ocean – are also applicable. However, the new Guidelines tailor the existing advice to address the specific threats off West Africa and provide “comprehensive advice on avoiding and deterring criminal acts and armed robbery in the region”.

The updated Guidelines also take into account new regional maritime security initiatives in West Africa, in particular, the Maritime Trade Information Sharing

Centre for the Gulf of Guinea (MTISC GOG), which is now providing a focal point for information on countering piracy and maritime crime in the region.

The Guidelines were intended to coincide with the launch of the new MTISC GOG website (www.mtisc-gog.org), which will include regional maritime security guidance and MTISC-GOG reporting procedures. This is intended to help ensure a co-ordinated approach among ships operating in the Gulf of Guinea. However, the website was still under construction in early October.

The revised industry Guidelines can be downloaded free of charge at www.bimco.org/~/media/S e c u r i t y / P i r a c y / G u l f _ o f _Guinea/2014-10-01_20_RT_agreed_GoG_anti-piracy_guidance.ashx

JSI’s US$1.5 million donation will help create onshore jobs for Somalis (Photo: Shell)

Joint initiative helps boost Somali job prospects

nov/dec 14 the sea 3

International programme seeks to better protect seafarers through greater collaboration and co-ordination

Human Rights at Sea initiative takes wing

Big fines for bad charts

ANEW flagship project for Human Rights at Sea (HRAS) will, if “modest” funding is secured,

deliver a global online index of missing seafarers over the next ten years.

HRAS founder David Hammond said: “This concept has strong support from the pastoral organisations and we hope this will be supported in due course by the entire maritime industry, governments and international civil society organisations.”

The HRAS international initiative is expanding rapidly and now has a new international head office in London. In September, the HRAS web platform and news feed, set up in April this year, were followed by individuals from 76 countries and HRAS is now represented by correspondents in 13 states.

The HRAS in i t i a t ive i s now supported by over 36 international organisations and is currently running two international investigations into the murder of seafarers on the high seas.

Mr Hammond told The Sea: “One means through which we seek to promulgate our message and underlying proposition that human rights apply

at sea as equally as they do on land is through collaboration with ‘supporting entities’ on a global basis.”

Meanwhile, HRAS has joined forces with March on Stress to provide expert psychological support for personnel in the maritime industry. The collaboration will see both organisations working together in order to help build the resilience of maritime personnel and support their psychological wellbeing.

This includes the two organisations working together to provide a bespoke package of Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) for the maritime industry. TRiM is a peer-support system which seeks to build resilience by keeping employees functioning after traumatic events by providing support and education for those who require it. By training practitioners at an operational level throughout an organisation, TRiM aims to identify those who are not coping after potentially traumatising events and to ensure they are signposted to professional sources of help.

Professor Neil Greenberg, clinical and managing director of March on Stress, said that while “only about three per cent

of the UK population are likely to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), personnel working in high-risk or trauma-exposed organisations experience much higher rates of PTSD”.

Mr Hammond said that “the HRAS partnership with March on Stress is yet another step forward in further developing the expanding scope of HRAS support services within the maritime environment and specifically for seafarers who have been the victims of abuse during their employment. This new service also prepares maritime businesses in identifying, training for and dealing with emerging psychological issues”.

Mr Hammond also said that HRAS is assisting the UK Home Office in its anti-slavery Bill campaign and sits on the ethics committee of Seafish UK and as such “is involved in investigating the Thai fishing industry scandal and subsequent development of best practice for anti-slavery amongst global fishing communities”.

An introductory film about HRAS can be viewed online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vct-BSHxW7I

THE Chinese second mate and master of the Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier Bulk Ingenuity were fined A$85,000 and A$40,000 (US$35,000) respective-ly in July by an Austral-ian court for failing to carry relevant nautical charts and publications.

The Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait Vessel Traffic Service (REEFVTS) detected the ship sailing outside a Designated Shipping Area (DSA) on July 21. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) then carried out a Port State Control (PSC) inspection, which identi-fied several deficiencies.

AMSA said the defi-ciencies were evidence of the failure of the ship’s safety manage-ment system with regards to the safety of navigation. AMSA’s chief executive officer, Mick Kinley, said the vessel had relied on photocop-ied charts for navigation and had failed to carry out proper passage planning.

Loading bulkers safelyTHE UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has re-pub-lished guidance on the safe loading and unloading of bulk carriers.

The guidance implements EU rules aimed at improving the safety of bulk carri-ers calling at terminals in the EU, by reducing the risks of excessive stresses and physical damage to the ship’s structure during load-ing or unloading.

The guidance can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/safe-loading-and-unload-ing-of-bulk-carriers

Tankers ‘not ready for ECDIS’THE UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has warned tanker owners and operators that they must comply with new International Maritime Organization rules requiring ECDIS (electronic charts systems) to be fitted and operational on tankers by July 1, 2015.

The majority of ships in the global tanker fleet have yet to adopt ECDIS, according to data published by UKHO. The new rules will apply to some 8,500 tankers of over 3,000 gross tonnage. With less than ten months to go, UKHO says 58 per cent of these ships do not yet use an electronic navigational chart service.

UKHO warned that owners and operators of tankers needed a plan in place to adopt ECDIS in a “thorough and diligent manner”. The chart provider emphasised that: “Whether it is the physical installation of ECDIS on board, the delivery of type-specific training for crew or the necessary revisions to bridge policies and procedures, it is a considerable undertaking.”

Enclosed spaces videoTHE offshore industry body, the International Marine Contractors Association, (IMCA) has reinforced its warnings on the dangers of en-closed spaces in a new training DVD.

The video, Working in Confined Spaces, gives examples of dangerous enclosed spaces and helps seafarers and offshore workers identify similar risks.

IMCA says there are more deaths and injuries in enclosed spaces than from any other cause on board. Available in ten languages, the video costs £20 plus VAT and is available from www.imca-int.com

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MAJOR Japanese ship-owner Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has announced what it says is the world’s first use on a merchant vessel of the highly ductile steel plate, Nsafe-Hull.

The new material has been developed by Nippon Steel and Sum-itomo Metal Corpora-tion, and is being used, among other things, to protect areas around bunker tanks. Plates made of this new steel will deform considerably under pressure or if hit by an external force, before cracking.

According to MOL the highly ductile steel absorbs side impact to the hull three times more effectively than conventional steel plate, reducing the risk of cracks in the hull and significantly increasing the safety of the vessel.

Construction of the new bulker required a total of about 3,000 tonnes of the special steel for sections such as the side plates of cargo holds and fuel tanks, where hull strength is especially critical. The 206,600 dwt ship was launched on August 2.

New steel offers better protection

Little comfort from MOL Comfort report findingsA STUDY by the Japanese classification society, ClassNK, says further investigation is needed to ensure the safety of large containerships. It was unable to find out exactly why the 8,100 teu containership MOL Comfort broke in half in the Indian Ocean in June last year. However, ClassNK’s Investigative Panel on Large Containers did find that the ship’s double-bottom structure was less capable of dealing with lateral loads than those of similar vessels.

The crew abandoned the vessel safely and the two parts of the ship eventually sank in deep water.

The report found that it was “actually possible that the load of the vertical bending moment exceeded the hull girder ultimate strength at the time of the accident when the effects of the deviations of the uncertainty factors were taken into account, although the overlap between the strength and the load was very narrow”.

It concluded: “To prevent similar fracture accidents, it is necessary to assess the hull girder ultimate strength in proper consideration of the effects of the lateral loads, and to assess the buckling strength of stiffened bottom panels in the middle part of the loads.” There are still more questions than answers over the containership casualty

IMO approves safe use of gas marine fuel rulesTHE International Maritime Organization (IMO) has agreed new rules to ensure the safe use of gases as marine fuels.

IMO’s Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers has approved a draft International Code of Safety for Ships using Gases or other Low Flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code) as well as proposed amendments to make the Code mandatory under the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention.

According to an IMO statement, the basic philosophy of the IGF Code is to provide mandatory provisions for the

arrangement, installation, control and monitoring of machinery, equipment and systems using low flashpoint fuels, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), to minimise the risk to the ship, its crew and the environment.

IMO says the proposed Code addresses all areas that need special consideration for the use of low flashpoint fuels, based on a goal-based approach, with goals and functional requirements specified for each section forming the basis for the design, construction and operation of ships using this type of fuel.

The new IGF Code is expected to apply both to new ships and to existing ships converting from the use of conventional oil fuel to the use of gases or other low flashpoint fuels, on or after the date of entry into force of the Code.

The IGF Code would not apply to cargoships of less than 500 gross tonnage, but the provisions of the IGF Code could be applied to such ships on a voluntary basis.

Governments would have the right to extend the Code to such small ships flying their flags, if they chose.


NEWS MICHAEL GREY

CARLY FIELDS

Legally speaking: making sense of the law

Building a more social sea lifeCrew interaction is an increasingly rare occurrence as a lack of a common language takes the fun out of a functional career at sea. Michael Grey asks whether greater attention should be paid to socialising

SEAFARERS can face any num-ber of difficulties when at sea, many of which can lead to a

tangle of legal issues that seafarers may not appreciate or understand. Sometimes a seafarer can fall at the first hurdle in that all-important search for the most appropriate, and affordable, legal person to represent them.

Seafarers’ Rights International (SRI), an organisation launched in 2010, has worked hard to remove the shroud of mystery around the legal profession to give seafarers a chance to address problems related to contracts, unpaid or underpaid wages, abandonment, discrimina-tion, personal injuries or deaths from accidents at work, health- related issues, criminal charges, piracy, and access to shore leave, among others.

“Seafarers are an invisible work-force,” explains Deirdre Fitzpat-rick, SRI’s founder and executive director. “As mobile workers, they operate within and across different national jurisdictions and they are subject to different laws. In some cases, there may be doubt as to what, if any, law is applicable or enforceable. Generally they are ex-cluded from domestic labour laws. Yet the nature of their work means that seafarers are vulnerable to ex-ploitation and mistreatment. They

need expert advice and assistance.”SRI exists as a research centre,

undertaking research on a variety of issues that affect seafarers and using that research to produce a range of free resources available to both seafarers and those who sup-port seafarers such as missions, un-ions, NGOs and others in the field. SRI’s ultimate aim is to try to assist the seafarer – primarily by helping those who help the seafarer. “We help the people who help you,” says Ms Fitzpatrick to seafarers. SRI makes a variety of resources freely available through the internet, through printed material, and via a new Seafarers Rights app available at m.seafarersrights.org

A key SRI initiative is to provide help for seafarers looking to con-sult a lawyer. Seafarers often find it difficult to source a reputable lawyer who is knowledgeable about seafarers’ rights issues, and who is willing and able to represent them at a reasonable cost.

To support seafarers in this regard, SRI has embarked on a pro-ject to create a network of lawyers worldwide who have subscribed to a Charter of Good Practice for the Provision of Legal Services to Seafarers – a set of professional ethics to bind lawyers working in any jurisdiction around the world, taking into account the particular

concerns of seafarers. The Charter is unique to SRI, and seeks to pro-vide reassurance that the seafarer client will be treated in a certain way. Subscribers to the Charter are lawyers, professionally licensed to practise in their respective jurisdic-tions.

“The response to the Charter so far has been excellent and over 100 lawyers from 50 different law firms across 34 countries worldwide have committed to it,” says Ms Fitzpat-rick. The list of subscribing lawyers can be accessed via the new SRI app.

“The list is an evolving one and is being expanded to include other lawyers working in other fields that will impact on seafarers: for exam-ple in the field of criminal law, if a seafarer faces criminal charges in the course of his work,” she adds.

SRI is also keen to disseminate free information on seafarers’ legal rights and has issued a series of in-depth country specific online guides on seafarer-related subjects. Over thirty national guides are available on the SRI app and web-site. Subjects include: Using law-yers; Maritime liens for seafarers’ wages; Arrest of ships for seafarers’ wages; Abandonment of seafarers; and Personal injuries and deaths.

“These guides have been written to be of direct use to seafarers; no

Carly Fields speaks with Seafarers’ Rights International’s Deirdre Fitzpatrick about how seafarers can draw back the curtain on seemingly over-complicated legal issues

SOME say it is all about connectivity, and just as soon as seafarers have

a hot-line to home through cheap communications every-one will be falling over them-selves to get a job afloat. Oth-ers are a little more cautious, noting that life on board a ship may not be entirely improved when the outside world, in the shape of family problems, comes crowding aboard.

People in the shipping industry never stop worrying about recruitment, where the next generation of seafarers is going to come from, and how the experienced people that have been trained can be per-suaded to stay. They endlessly debate about the ‘image’ of the shipping industry and how the people who use ships can be encouraged to value them more.

But just recently, more people have been talking about the ‘sea life’ and whether this is due for some close attention in order to put rather more enjoyment into the business. And why not, if we bear in mind that for a substantial part of the year, the seafarer’s home

is the ship and perhaps it ought to be made rather more homely?

Sea life should be about more than working, eating and sleeping and somehow there needs to be a social dimension to it. There have been some outside observers taking trips on commercial vessels and this should be welcomed, even though the picture they paint is not one that should make people in the industry ashore complacent. The author and journalist, Rose George, who voyaged to the east on a large containership, pictured this perfectly: she wrote of the tiny, multinational crew rattling around in their huge vessel, with almost no social life aboard ship at all.

A cadet, who sailed on a big ship where almost nobody spoke his own language, said that being at sea “must be what it is like in prison” and found the loneliness unbear-able. Others have spoken about their experience aboard these multinationally manned ships as “living in a bubble”, with no particular friends, no conversation at the meal table

and much of the work being undertaken in a solitary state. Off watch, people just shut their cabin doors and, it is said, live on their laptops, between

Shipping cuts Green House Gas emissions

AN ETHANE carrier using boil-off gas as fuel could be sailing within two years according to a new Lloyd’s Register (LR) report on the technology required for very large ethane carriers (VLECs).

LR says that a new trade in ethane is emerging as a result of increased US gas production. Its report says that, as with LNG, the cargo can be used

to power an ethane carrier’s engine but there are specific risks that must be addressed.

LR and engine manufacturer MAN Diesel have worked together on an ethane engine project and LR has already issued an ‘approval in principle’ for the ME-GI engine burning ethane. MAN Diesel will supply the machinery for the first ship

late next year, with delivery in June 2016.

Ethane is isolated on an industrial scale from LNG for use by the petrochemical industry. LR says US ethane production capability, as a by-product of total increased US gas production, is under-used. It says potential annual US exports of ethane could be as high as one million tonnes.

Mess rooms are not the social hub they once were





TOTAL Green House Gas (GHG) emissions from global maritime transport were 20 per cent lower in 2012 than in 2007, the global shipping industry’s trade association, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), told the United Nations Climate Summit in New York in September. GHG emissions are widely accepted as being a major factor in global climate change.

The ICS expects emissions to be cut further as new International Maritime Organization (IMO) rules come into effect. The ICS secretary general, Peter Hinchliffe, said: “The shipping industry fully recognises that governments expect even greater CO2 efficiency improvements in the future. Given the very high cost of fuel, which is soon set to increase by around 50 per cent due to separate new rules on sulphur, the industry already has every incentive to deliver this.”

The global shipping industry, which transports around 90 per cent of all world trade, is thought to have produced only about 2.2 per cent of the world’s total GHG emissions, mainly carbon dioxide (CO2), during 2012 compared with 2.8 per cent in 2007.

The estimates are contained in the latest

comprehensive study of the shipping industry’s GHG emissions, which was prepared by IMO for consideration by its Marine Environment Protection Committee in October.

Mr Hinchliffe said: “The latest IMO study, which uses satellite tracking, suggests there’s been a significant reduction in absolute CO2 emissions from ships due to the introduction of operational efficiency measures across the whole fleet. This includes operating at slower speeds, combined with more fuel efficient designs on board the large number of new build vessels that have recently entered the market.”

He added: “The reduction in CO2 per tonne of cargo carried per kilometre by ships is even more impressive than the headline IMO figure for absolute GHG reduction because cargo moved by sea has continued to grow since 2009.”

The ICS said the shipping industry is committed to delivering further CO2 emission reductions, but points out that shipping is already the only industrial sector to have mandatory global regulations in place to reduce its CO2 emissions. The regulations entered into force worldwide in 2013.

Ethane carriers ‘within two years’

THE use of flowmeters when taking bunkers is set to become a familiar routine for engine room staff, as the deadline for the mandatory use of such equipment in Singapore came into effect on January 21, 2014.

ExxonMobil Fuels said it had already delivered more than one million tonnes of fuel

in Singapore since June 2012 using a Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) approved mass flowmetering system.

ExxonMobi l sa id mass f l o w m e t e r i n g s a v e d a n estimated three hours and up to US$7,000 per delivery. It added that the majority of ExxonMobil marine fuel in

Singapore is now delivered via a mass flowmetering system.

According to ExxonMobil, the onboard mass flowmetering system delivers a more efficient, simplified and accurate refuelling process for vessel operators. It said: “Mass flowmetering is a proven technology that considerably enhances quantity transparency.”

Bunkering flowmeters gain ground

Engine room staff need to be ready for routine flowmeter use (Photo: ExxonMobil)


Legally speaking: making sense of the law

Building a more social sea lifeCrew interaction is an increasingly rare occurrence as a lack of a common language takes the fun out of a functional career at sea. Michael Grey asks whether greater attention should be paid to socialising

concerns of seafarers. The Charter is unique to SRI, and seeks to pro-vide reassurance that the seafarer client will be treated in a certain way. Subscribers to the Charter are lawyers, professionally licensed to practise in their respective jurisdic-tions.

“The response to the Charter so far has been excellent and over 100 lawyers from 50 different law firms across 34 countries worldwide have committed to it,” says Ms Fitzpat-rick. The list of subscribing lawyers can be accessed via the new SRI app.

“The list is an evolving one and is being expanded to include other lawyers working in other fields that will impact on seafarers: for exam-ple in the field of criminal law, if a seafarer faces criminal charges in the course of his work,” she adds.

SRI is also keen to disseminate free information on seafarers’ legal rights and has issued a series of in-depth country specific online guides on seafarer-related subjects. Over thirty national guides are available on the SRI app and web-site. Subjects include: Using law-yers; Maritime liens for seafarers’ wages; Arrest of ships for seafarers’ wages; Abandonment of seafarers; and Personal injuries and deaths.

“These guides have been written to be of direct use to seafarers; no

similar material exists elsewhere,” says Ms Fitzpatrick, adding that more guides are under way. SRI also produces short non-country specif-ic Fact Files on the same subjects, containing key points of advice and a checklist on each subject.

One of SRI’s other commit-ments is to education and train-ing. During 2013, SRI facilitated intensive work experience in this area for law students. During 2014, SRI organised more activities to promote knowledge in the area of seafarers’ rights among law students, welfare workers, union officials and others who work to assist seafarers. In June, SRI held a dedicated seminar on seafarers’ rights that attracted over 70 law graduates from around the world.

Seafarers facing legal problems can obtain immediate support and advice, even when they are at sea without an internet connection, through the SRI app. This con-tains information and advice for seafarers: on their rights under the Maritime Labour Convention; on how to deal with the legal prob-lems most commonly encountered by seafarers; and on how to find the right lawyer wherever they are in the world.

Explains Ms Fitzpatrick: “The app has been designed to operate offline so it can be used at those

times when there is no web con-nectivity. This means that once loaded, the information contained within the app is immediately available even when the seafarer is at sea.

In addition it contains a unique ‘Find a lawyer’ feature which is not reliant on an internet connec-tion, allowing the seafarer to seek assistance from anywhere in the world.”

SRI produces a regular e-news-letter Forward which includes up-dates about SRI’s research activities and new material for seafarers.

To subscribe please email [email protected] with your details.

Carly Fields speaks with Seafarers’ Rights International’s Deirdre Fitzpatrick about how seafarers can draw back the curtain on seemingly over-complicated legal issues

and much of the work being undertaken in a solitary state. Off watch, people just shut their cabin doors and, it is said, live on their laptops, between

sleep and work.What is going wrong here?

It is surely something to do with the ridiculously small numbers that satisfy manning

criteria. Everyone is stretched to the limit as the economic situation drives a permanent cost-saving regime. But it is also something to do with

the way that many ships are manned with no real thought about social cohesion and the fact that almost every-one on board speaks a dif-ferent language. All seafarers are supposed to understand English – the ‘language of the sea’ – but understanding is no guarantee of fluency and if you spend your days thinking in one language, you proba-bly won’t want to have long conversations with a shipmate who only has a slight idea of what you are trying to com-municate. This leads to that reluctance to stay long at the meal table and to chat in the messroom, and those closed cabin doors.

Those of a certain age will recall more generous manning levels and crews that were interested in participating in a bit of social life, even if it was just a few beers with the op-posite number at the end of a night watch or a game of cards in the messroom.

It has been suggested that more effort should be made by masters to encourage a more pleasant atmosphere, but if everyone finds it difficult

even to talk about the football results among themselves, and the master is up to his ears in perpetual paperwork, this might be asking rather too much!

Perhaps the problem is all those personal laptops that occupy seafarers’ attention, when they might otherwise be persuaded into more social activities, but you probably can’t ration laptop time in the same way that you stop five year olds watching TV.

It is quite a challenge to know what could be done to put a bit more fun into sea-faring, in such a lean, cheese-paring existence. Some still manage it through an active ship’s social club, or through some useful investment from the owners in a more comfort-able existence.

Perhaps one of the officers – although it doesn’t have to be an officer – should be appointed as the ship’s ‘social organiser’ to get people out of their cabins and doing some-thing collectively. But what happens if nobody wants to join in?

It is time we started to

think about these things, and think about some sensible solutions.

The design of modern ships does not entirely help: great towering islands, surrounded by eight high container stacks and scarcely a square metre of deck to walk about on.

You get the impression that the seafarers and their accommodation were some-thing of an afterthought, to be stuck on a bit of the ship that could not otherwise be used to generate profits. There is not even anywhere to sit in the sun on so many ships, with the accommodation itself so small that there is often no spare berth to ship a trainee. But that’s another story.

There are clever people out there who, if they put their minds to it, could come up with some ideas that would lead to a more pleasant life afloat. Couldn’t they consider the social dimension and the dividends in efficiency from a happier sea life? Would it cost so much more to have people aboard who all spoke the same language? Answers, as they say, on a postcard.

Mess rooms are not the social hub they once were





Many issues that seafarers face can call for legal assistance


JUSTICE MATTERS BY DOUGLAS STEVENSON

Young seafarers and how the MLC 2006 affects themONE of the greatest challenges for the maritime industry today is recruiting and retaining talented men and women for seagoing careers.

Historically, the maritime industry has prepared new entrants to seagoing careers through cadet and other at-sea training programmes for young people. The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 acknowledges the value of employing young people on ships, but at the same time affords them special protection.

The Convention strictly prohibits employing anyone under 16 years of age on a ship (Standard A1.1, paragraph 1), and it requires countries to regulate shipboard work for seafarers under 18 years of age. The following are MLC 2006 requirements and recommendations for young seafarers.

Night work is prohibited for seafarers under 18. However, individual countries define night for this purpose. It must be at least nine hours, starting no later than midnight and ending no earlier than 0500 hrs. Countries can make exceptions to this requirement for training purposes, or if it determines, after consultations with shipowners and unions, that the work will not be detrimental to a young person’s health and wellbeing.

The kinds of work that countries should consider hazardous for young persons are recommended in Guideline B4.3.10, paragraph 2. They include lifting, moving or carrying heavy

loads or objects; entering boilers, tanks or cofferdams; exposure to harmful noise and vibration levels; operating hoisting and other power machinery and tools, or acting as signallers to operators of such equipment; handling mooring or tow lines or anchoring equipment; rigging; work aloft or on deck in heavy weather; servicing electrical equipment; exposure to potentially harmful materials; cleaning catering machinery, and handling or taking charge of ship’s boats.

Medical certificates for seafarers under 18 years of age are valid for one year, as compared with certificates for other seafarers, which are valid for two years (Standard A1.2, paragraph 7).

Regarding hours of work, the MLC 2006 recommends that seafarers under 18 years of age work no more than 40 hours per week and that overtime is limited to work required for safety reasons. Young seafarers should be provided with sufficient time for meals, including at least one hour for the main meal of the day. They should also be given a 15-minute break after two hours of work. Exceptions, which should be recorded by the master, can be made for watchstanders and shift workers and for established training programmes (Guideline B2.3.1).

Under leave recommendation guidelines, seafarers under the age of 18 serving on foreign-going ships should be allowed leave after serving at least six months away from home,

provided that the ship will not return home for at least three months. Repatriation should be provided at no expense to the seafarer (Guideline B2.4.4, paragraph 1).

A further guideline on repatriation recommends that young seafarers under 18 years of age should be repatriated at no expense to themselves, if it becomes apparent that they are not suited to shipboard life after serving on a ship for at least four months during their first foreign-going voyage (Guideline B2.5.2, paragraph 3).

Regarding the position of ship’s cook, no seafarer under the age of 18 can be employed or work as a ship’s cook under the MLC 2006 (Standard A3.2, paragraph 8).

Each country must develop preventative laws, regulations or other measures to promote occupational health and safety on board ships. The national occupational health and safety programmes must give special attention to the health and safety of seafarers under the age of 18 (Standard A4.3, paragraph 2b).

Lastly, the MLC 2006 also recommends that the occupational health and safety provisions for seafarers under the age of 18 include provisions on medical examinations, restrictions on hazardous work, education and training on accident prevention and health on board ships, and guidance on the detrimental effects of substance abuse and HIV/AIDS.

La gente de mar joven y el CTM 2006UNO de los grandes retos actuales para el sector marítimo es contratar y conservar hombres y mujeres con talento para carreras profesionales en el mar.

Tradicionalmente, el sector marítimo preparaba a los nuevos candidatos para carreras profesionales a través de programas de cadetes y otros planes formación en el mar para gente joven. El Convenio sobre el trabajo marítimo de 2006 reconoce el valor de contratar a personas jóvenes para el trabajo en buques, pero al mismo tiempo les brinda una protección especial.

El Convenio prohíbe estrictamente contratar a personas menores de 16 años para el trabajo en buques (Norma A1.1, apartado 1), y exige que los países regulen el trabajo a bordo de un buque para la gente de mar menor de 18 años. A continuación, se exponen los requisitos y las recomendaciones del CTM, 2006 para la gente de mar joven.

Está prohibido el trabajo nocturno para la gente de mar menor de 18 años; cada país definirá el término «noche» para este fin. Deberá comprender un período de al menos nueve horas, contado a más tardar desde la medianoche y que no podrá terminar antes de las cincohoras de la madrugada. Los países podrán hacer excepciones en cuanto a este requisito para fines de formación, o si se

determina, previa consulta con armadores y sindicatos, que el trabajo no perjudicará la salud ni el bienestar de la persona joven.

Los tipos de trabajo que los países deberían considerar peligrosos para personas jóvenes se indican en la Pauta B4.3.10, apartado 2. Dichos trabajos incluyen los que implican elevación, desplazamiento o transporte de cargas u objetos pesados; entrada en calderas, tanques y coferdanes; exposición a niveles nocivos de ruido y de vibraciones; manipulación de dispositivos de izada y de otras máquinas o herramientas motrices, o trabajos como señalero para los operadores de dicho equipo; manipulación de las estachas de amarre o de cabos de remolque o de equipo de anclaje; aparejamiento; trabajo en la arboladura o en el puente con mar gruesa; mantenimiento del equipo eléctrico; exposición a materiales potencialmente nocivos; limpieza de los aparatos de cocina; y la manipulación o la responsabilidad de las lanchas.

Los certificados médicos de marinos menores de 18 años tienen un periodo de validez de un año, en comparación con los certificados para otros marinos, que tienen una validez de dos años (Norma A1.2, apartado 7).

En cuanto a las horas de trabajo, el CTM, 2006

recomienda que la gente de mar menor de 18 años no trabaje más de 40 horas semanales y que las horas extraordinarias se limiten a trabajo necesario por razones de seguridad. También recomienda que los jóvenes marinos dispongan de suficiente tiempo para las comidas, incluyendo al menos una hora para la comida principal del día. Además, deberían disfrutar de un período de descanso de 15 minutos después de cada dos horas de trabajo ininterrumpido. Se podrán hacer excepciones —que deben ser registradas por el capitán— en el caso de jóvenes marinos asignados a turnos de vigilancia o que trabajen según un sistema de turnos preestablecido, o para fines de programas de formación establecidos (Pauta B2.3.1).

De acuerdo con las recomendaciones sobre vacaciones, los marinos menores de 18 años que trabajen en un buque con destino al extranjero deberían poder disfrutar de vacaciones después de haber cumplido al menos seis meses de servicio en un buque que no vaya a volver al país de residencia de esos marinos en el curso de los tres meses de viaje siguientes. Se debería ofrecer la repatriación a los marinos sin gastos para ellos (Pauta B2.4.4, apartado 1).

Otra de las pautas sobre repatriación recomienda que los marinos jóvenes menores

de 18 años sean repatriados, sin gastos para ellos, si resulta evidente que no son aptos para la vida en el mar después de haber prestado servicio al menos durante cuatro meses en su primer viaje al extranjero a bordo de un buque (Pauta B2.5.2, apartado 3).

En cuanto al puesto de cocinero en un buque, de acuerdo con el CTM, 2006, los marinos menores de 18 años no podrán ser empleados ni contratados ni trabajar como cocineros en un buque (Norma A3.2, apartado 8).

Cada país debe introducir leyes de prevención, reglamentos y otras medidas para promover la seguridad y salud laboral a bordo de buques. Los programas nacionales de salud y seguridad laboral deben prestar especial atención a la salud y la seguridad de la gente de mar menor de 18 años (Norma A4.3, apartado 2b).

Por último, el CTM, 2006, también recomienda que las disposiciones relativas a la salud y la seguridad laboral de la gente de mar menor de 18 años incluyan disposiciones sobre exámenes médicos, restricciones en relación con trabajos peligrosos, educación y formación para la prevención de accidentes y para la salud a bordo de los buques, y orientación sobre los efectos nocivos del consumo excesivo de ciertas sustancias y sobre el VIH/SIDA.

Молодые моряки и КТМС 2006 годаОдной из самых больших проблем для морской отрасли на сегодняшний день является проблема привлечения в нее талантливых юношей и девушек.

Исторически сложилось, что морская отрасль готовит новые кадры посредством кадетских и других практических учебных программ для молодежи. Конвенция о труде в морском судоходстве 2006 года признает значимость привлечения молодых людей к работе на судах, но в то же время обеспечивает им особую защиту.

Конвенция категорически запрещает занятость лиц моложе 16 лет на корабле (Стандарт A1.1, пункт 1), и требует от стран-участниц регламентации судовой работы для моряков в возрасте до 18 лет. Ниже приведены требования и рекомендации КТМС 2006 года для молодых моряков.

Работа в ночное время запрещена для моряков моложе 18 лет; отдельные страны в этих целях дают определение ночного времени. Это должно быть, по крайней мере, девять часов, начинающиеся не позже полуночи и заканчивающиеся не ранее, чем 05:00 часов утра. Страны-участницы могут делать исключения из этого требования для учебных целей, или в тех случаях, когда, после консультаций с судовладельцами и профсоюзами, работа признается не причиняющей вреда здоровью и благополучию юношей и девушек.

Виды работ, которые следует рассматривать как представляющие опасность для молодых людей, представлены в Положении B4.3.10, пункт 2. Они включают в себя подъем, перемещение или переноску тяжелых грузов или предметов; вход в котельные отделения, баки или коффердамы; подверженность воздействию опасных уровней шума и вибрации; работу на подъемном и другом машинном оборудовании, а также работу

в качестве сигнальщика для операторов такого оборудования; работу со швартовыми или буксирными тросами, а также с якорным оборудованием; такелаж; работу на высоте или на палубе в штормовую погоду; обслуживание электрооборудования; подверженность воздействию потенциально вредных материалов; чистку кухонного оборудования; управление или принятие на себя ответственности за судовые шлюпки.

Медицинские свидетельства для моряков в возрасте до 18 лет действительны в течение одного года, в отличие от свидетельств других моряков, являющихся действительными в течение двух лет (Стандарт A1.2, пункт 7).

В отношении рабочего времени КТМС 2006 года рекомендует морякам в возрасте до 18 лет работать не более 40 часов в неделю и ограничивать сверхурочную работу лишь соображениями безопасности. Молодым морякам должно предоставляться достаточное время для приема пищи, и не менее одного часа для основного приема пищи в день. Им также должен предоставляться 15-минутный перерыв после каждых двух часов работы. Исключения, которые должны быть записаны капитаном, могут быть сделаны для вахтенных и сменных рабочих, а также для установленных программ обучения (Руководство В2.3.1).

В соответствии с рекомендациями в отношении отпусков, моряки в возрасте до 18 лет, служащие на судах заграничного плавания, должны иметь право на отпуск после, как минимум, шести месяцев службы вдали от дома, при условии, что судно не вернется домой в течение минимум трех месяцев. Репатриация должна осуществляться без каких-либо расходов со стороны моряка (Руководство B2.4.4, пункт 1).

Дальнейшее руководство по репатриации рекомендует репатриацию моряков в возрасте до 18 лет, без каких-либо расходов с их стороны, в случае очевидности того, что они не подходят для судовой жизни, после как минимум четырехмесячной службы на судне в первом заграничном плавании (Руководство B2.5.2 , пункт 3).

В соответствии с положениями КТМС 2006 года позицию судового повара не могут занимать лица моложе 18 лет (Стандарт A3.2, пункт 8).

Каждая страна должна разработать превентивные законы, постановления и другие меры по обеспечению безопасности и гигиены труда на борту судов. Национальные программы в области охраны и безопасности труда должны уделять особое внимание здоровью и безопасности моряков моложе 18 лет (Стандарт А4.3, пункт 2b).

В завершение, КТМС 2006 года также рекомендует, чтобы положения по охране здоровья и безопасности моряков в возрасте до 18 лет включали предписания о прохождении медицинских осмотров, об ограничениях по опасным работам, о прохождении обучения в отношении предупреждения несчастных случаев и охране здоровья на судах, а также руководство по вредным последствиям злоупотребления запрещенными веществами и ВИЧ/СПИДа.





If you have any questions about your rights as a seafarer, or if you want more information or help, you can contact:

Douglas B Stevenson, Center for Seafarers’ Rights, 118 Export Street, Port Newark, NJ 07114, USA. Tel: +1973 589 5825 Fax: +1973 817 8656 Email: [email protected] or Canon Ken Peters, The Mission to Seafarers, St Michael Paternoster Royal, College Hill, London EC4R 2RL, UK. Tel: +44 20 7248 5202 Fax: +44 20 7248 4761 Email: [email protected]


FOCUS ON FAITH BY KEN PETERS

Maintain good standards and nurture right relationships

Mantener un buen nivel y fomentar relaciones correctas

INSPECTIONS are the norm for seafarers: being examined by officials is a frequent occurrence for anyone at sea. It may be the customs official boarding the vessel on arrival at port or immigration, port health, post state control, classification, or any number of other inspectors. The list of those wanting information is seemingly endless.

For the majority of crew and ships this is routine and something to be expected. More often than not the outcome of the inspection is a ratification that it is in order, the ship complies with the applicable standards, the crew is properly trained and qualified and the ship can continue on the voy-age. If something is found to be not up to standard, the crew are tasked with putting right the deficiency.

In between inspections standards are maintained because there is a discipline about work routines, attention is paid to the job and seafarers have pride in operating a safe and seaworthy ship. It is normal to have a ‘good ship’ because seafarers are familiar with ‘good’ practices. When there is a problem it is rectified efficiently and the ship can continue on course to its destination.

That said, ensuring that the voyage continues safely does not depend just upon inspections and the examination of systems. There also need to be the right relationships on board. Respect for one another, appreciation of each other’s

contribution to the wellbeing of all on board and caring for each other is the mark of a crew that is truly in harmony. “Do to others as you would have them do to you” is one of the more often quoted texts from the Holy Bible. This should appeal to you as a standard of behaviour that should be expected and examined.

We should have inspections from time to time, but we should not be maintaining standards just because we may be inspected. We need to maintain good standards of behav-iour, nurture the right relationships with others and remain in harmony with God for no other reason than this is what God wants.

The reason for our ‘good behaviour’ should not be that we are afraid of failing an inspection; rather it should be because God has shown us the standards that we should match up to and what it is just and right to do. We should continually seek to put this into practice: “Do to others as you would have them do to you” and in so doing know that we uphold the very best standards God expects of us.

When you reflect on your own voyage through life can you say that you care for those around you? Would you be-have differently if you were being inspected? Do you main-tain God’s standards? If the answer to any of these questions is no then it is time to seek God’s help.

LAS inspecciones forman parte de la vida de la gente de mar: someterse a exámenes oficiales es algo habitual para cualquier persona que trabaje en buques. Puede tratarse de un funcionario de aduanas que sube al buque cuando llega al puerto o de un inspector de inmigración, de sanidad portuaria, de control de las autoridades portuarias, de clasificación o cualquier otro tipo de inspector. La lista de quienes buscan información es, aparente-mente, interminable.

Para la mayoría de las tripulaciones y de los barcos, esto es algo rutinario y previsible. En la mayoría de los casos, el resultado de la inspección es una confirmación de que todo está bien, que el buque cumple con las normas pertinentes, que la tripulación tiene la formación y cualificaciones adecuadas y que el buque puede continuar su viaje. Si se encuentra algo que no cumple con las normas, la tripulación debe encargarse de remediarlo.

En los periodos entre cada inspección, las normas se siguen cumpliendo porque existe disciplina en cuanto a las rutinas de trabajo, se presta atención a las labores y los marinos se enorgul-lecen de estar a cargo de un buque seguro y apto para la naveg-ación. Es normal tener un buque en buenas condiciones porque los marinos están familiarizados con las buenas prácticas. Si hay algún problema, se remedia con eficiencia y efectividad y el buque puede continuar viajando hacia su destino.

Aún así, la seguridad del viaje no depende enteramente de las inspecciones y el examen de los sistemas. También es necesario

que existan las relaciones adecuadas a bordo. El respeto mutuo, el agradecimiento por la contribución de cada quien al bienestar de todos y la preocupación por los demás son la marca de una tripulación que realmente está en armonía. Una de las frases más citadas de la Biblia es: «Trata a los demás como te gustaría que te tratasen a ti». Esto debería ser una actitud habitual, que debería ser la norma y someterse a examen.

Debemos someternos a inspecciones de vez en cuando, pero no debemos cumplir siempre las normas solo por la posibilidad de una inspección. Debemos mantener las buenas normas de conducta, fomentar las relaciones apropiadas con los demás y permanecer en armonía con Dios simplemente porque es lo que Dios quiere.

El motivo de nuestra ‘buena conducta’ no debería ser que nos preocupe no superar una inspección, sino que Dios nos ha mostrado las normas que debemos cumplir y lo que es correcto hacer. Debemos tratar de poner esto en práctica en todo momen-to: «Trata a los demás como te gustaría que te tratasen a ti» y, al hacerlo, ser conscientes de que estamos cumpliendo de la mejor forma con las normas que Dios espera de nosotros.

Al pensar en tu propio viaje por la vida, ¿podrías decir que te preocupas por quienes te rodean? ¿Te comportarías de un modo diferente si te estuviesen sometiendo a una inspección? ¿Cum-ples con las normas de Dios? Si la respuesta a alguna de estas preguntas es negativa, es el momento de buscar la ayuda de Dios.

Поддержание высоких стандартов и развивать правильные отношенияИнспекции являются нормой для моряков. Для каждого, кто выходит в море, проверки должностными лицами – привычное явление. Вас могут проверять работники таможни, сотрудники иммиграционной службы, портовой медико-санитарной службы, инспекции государства порта, или любые другие инспекторы. Список желающих получить информацию бесконечен.

Для большинства экипажей и судов это рутина, которой следует ожидать. Чаще всего исходом инспекции является подписание заключения, что все в порядке, судно отвечает действующим стандартам, экипаж имеет надлежащую подготовку и квалификацию, и корабль может продолжать рейс. Если что-то оказывается не на должном уровне, экипажу предписывается исправить недостатки.

В период между инспекциями стандарты поддерживаются там, где существует дисциплина рабочих процессов, работе уделяется должное внимание, и моряки считают делом чести заботиться о безопасности судна и его пригодности к мореплаванию. Иметь «хороший корабль» в порядке вещей, потому что моряки знакомы с «хорошими» практиками. Возникающие проблемы решаются быстро и эффективно, позволяя судну продолжать свое плавание.

Тем не менее, благополучное плавание не зависит лишь от инспекций и проверки работы систем. Необходимым условием являются также правильные отношения на борту. Уважение друг к другу, признание вклада каждого члена экипажа в общее благополучие и забота друг о друге является показателем

гармоничных отношений на борту судна. «Поступайте по отношению к другим так, как вы хотели бы, чтобы поступали с вами» – это один из наиболее часто цитируемых текстов из Библии. Он должен привлекать нас как стандарт поведения, который следует соблюдать и ожидать от других.

Проведение проверок необходимо время от времени, но мы не должны поддерживать стандарты только потому, что нас могут проверить. Мы должны поддерживать хорошие стандарты поведения, строить правильные отношения с другими людьми и оставаться в гармонии с Богом лишь по той причине, что этого желает сам Бог.

Наше «хорошее поведение» не должно проистекать из того, что мы боимся не пройти проверку. Оно должно основываться на том, что Бог явил нам стандарты, которым мы должны соответствовать, и показал, как поступать справедливо и правильно. Мы должны постоянно стремиться действовать по принципу: «Поступайте по отношению к другим так, как вы хотели бы, чтобы поступали с вами» и при этом знать, что мы придерживаемся тех стандартов, соблюдения которых Бог ожидает от нас.

Когда вы оглядываетесь назад на пройденный вами жизненный путь, можете ли вы сказать, что заботитесь о тех, кто вокруг вас? Вели бы вы себя иначе, если бы вас ожидала проверка? Поддерживаете ли вы заповеди Бога? Если ответом на любой из этих вопросов является «нет», то пора искать Божьей помощи.





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Ship groundings hit insurersSHIP groundings have overtaken fires, aviation crashes, earthquakes and storms as the big-gest cause of insurance losses, according to a new report covering the period 2009 to 2013 from business insurer, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty. The Costa Concordia incident was, however, largely respon-sible for pushing up the cost of ship-grounding losses.

So far in 2014, 80 per cent of the major re-ported losses have come from aviation incidents or from fires, particularly in the energy sector.

THE Luxembourg-flagged general cargoship Bosphorus went aground at Lytton Rocks Reach, Brisbane, Australia, after the helmsman repeatedly put the wheel to starboard instead of, as ordered, to port.

An Australian Transport Safety Bureau report into the October 29, 2013 incident says that helm orders and their application by the helmsman were not effectively monitored by the bridge team. The bridge watch was being handed over at the time and it was not clear who should have been checking the helmsman.

Bosphorus Helmsman blamed

indicating that shipown-ers continued to focus on managing costs and conserving cash in 2013.”

IF more Arctic shipping routes are to be used commercially, more capable vessels and expanded support facilities are needed, according to the insur-ance broker and risk adviser, Marsh.

Marcus Baker, chairman of the firm’s Global Marine Prac-tice, said: “Currently, the majority of ships and their crews lack adequate experience, are unprepared, and the support facilities are not yet in place for full-scale commercial voyages through the Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage.”

He added that, “in the absence of hard facts”, it was extreme-ly difficult for marine insurers to put a price on insurance for voy-ages in the Arctic, or even to cover a voyage at all.

THE major Japanese shipowner, MOL, has given US$10,000 to help Liberia cope with the rapid spread

of the Ebola virus.MOL says it has been building a

relationship with Liberia, where the MOL Group has registered its ships over the years. MOL has arranged for the Liberian ship registry company, LISCR, to allocate the donation towards much needed materials and medical equipment, such as surgical gloves, face masks, soap, chlorine and antibiotics.

Scott Bergeron, chief executive of the Liberian registry said: “We appreciate that our client, one of the world’s most powerful shipping companies, is donating resources to the critical situation in Liberia. LISCR will co-ordinate and airlift the medical supplies from the United States to Monrovia, and ensure that all materials are physically received and transferred to hospitals as directed by the Ministry of Health.”

The Ebola outbreak has been increasing sharply in West Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) projects the number

of people infected will reach 20,000 in the next six to nine months, and is appealing to the international community for support totalling US$490 million.

Meanwhile, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is taking measures to reduce the risk of an Ebola outbreak by checking any vessel arriving in Canal waters whose ten previous port calls includes an Ebola-affected country. If Ebola is diagnosed, the vessel will be placed in quarantine.

As reported in the last issue of The Sea, three global shipping organisations have issued guidance to their members on the risks posed to ships’ crews calling at countries affected by the Ebola virus. Similar alerts have been issued by P&I clubs.

The In t e rna t iona l Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Maritime Employers’ Council (IMEC) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) urgently advise that on all such vessels:

l the master should ensure that the crew are aware of the risks,

how the virus can be spread and how to reduce the risk;

l the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) requirements on ensuring that unauthorised personnel do not board the vessel should be strictly enforced throughout the duration of the vessel being in port;

l the master should give careful consideration to granting any shore leave while in impacted ports;

l the shipowner/operator should avoid making crew changes in the ports of an affected country, and

l after departure the crew should be aware of the symptoms and report any occurring symptoms immediately to the person in charge of medical care.

More information on the virus is available from the World Health Organization at www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en

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Arctic risks still too great

IN July this year, able seaman Mahesh Kumar was badly injured in a mooring accident at Port Hedland, Western Australia. Paramedics were quickly on the scene and Mahesh was air lifted by helicopter to hospital. Unfortunately doctors were unable to save Mahesh’s lower right leg.

Port Hedland’s Mission to Seafarers chaplain Garry South was at Mahesh’s bedside within three hours and also helped the ship’s master and crew deal

with the incident. Garry spent several days moving between hospital and ship, supporting both the 27-year-old seafarer and the rest of the crew. After the ship had sailed Garry continued to visit Mahesh daily until he was repatriated to India, some ten days later.

While Garry was giving ‘hands-on’ support, senior chaplain Alan Mower created a support fund for Mahesh via Facebook. This generated a massive public response, as well as a very

generous response from local port users and unions. In just one month the appeal raised A$43,000.

In September, Alan and Garry travelled to India to present the proceeds to Mahesh and his young wife, Sruthy. As well as the significant amount they presented to Mahesh, he will also receive a larger amount as compensation for the loss of the lower part of his right leg. This will enable the couple to set up a small business that should secure their future.

The Mission supports injured seafarer

MOL donation will aid fight against Ebola

Connection with national ship register prompts shipping line pledge to aid battle to contain deadly virus in Liberia

Slight increase in crew costsOWNERS paid almost the same to man their ships in 2013 as in the previous year. The international accountant and shipping consult-ant, Moore Stephens, says the firm’s ship-op-erating costs bench-marking tool, OpCost 2014, indicated a 0.2 per cent overall average rise in 2013 crew costs compared with the 2012 figure. The very small increase reversed a similar small decline in 2013.

Total annual op-erating costs in the shipping industry fell by an average of 0.3 per cent in 2013. This compares with the 1.8 per cent average fall in costs recorded for the previous year. Moore Stephens said: “Crew costs was the only category this time to show an increase over the 12 month period,

Fiction strikes a chordSHIP’S master Michael Lloyd’s latest book, Convoy Ship, will interest all those who wonder how seafarers react under extreme pressure. This fictional account, based on a real World War Two incident, fo-cuses on the people on board one of the ships in a convoy that met with disaster.

Capt Lloyd makes full use of his great knowledge of the sea and of his experience of sailing for many years with the veterans of the convoys. He brings to life the desperate days of the Battle of the Atlantic in 1941 in a way that that will strike a chord with today’s seafarer.

The shipowner’s contribution will help fight the spread of the deadly disease

THE Mitsui OSK Lines-operated, 103,022 gt LNG carrier Senshu Maru spotted and rescued three Indonesian fishermen in the Celebes Sea off Indonesia on October 6.

The survivors’ boat had been hit by a large wave and sunk. The Japan-flagged Senshu Maru then landed the men in Indonesia.

LNG carrier rescues fishermen

TRAINING company Videotel has expanded and enhanced its Ship Security Officer and its Designated Security Duties training courses to meet the latest IMO Convention on the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) regulations.

The firm’s chief executive, Nigel Cleave, explains: “The ever increasing threat to maritime security is behind the decision to enhance our security training for ship security officers and the important issue of designated security duties.

“The courses meet legislative requirements but will also help seafarers feel more confident when dealing with a security threat.”

The courses include the very latest anti-piracy measures and advice on best practices.

Videotel updates two security courses

issue 232 nov/dec 2014 call to end six on/six off watchkeeping...

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