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Shiptalk July 2010
Welcome
Dear Reader, glad you could join us again for your latest shot of maritime tittle-tattle.
Believe it or not, this issue represents the 5th Anniversary of your humble narrator providing you with all the shipping news that isn’t fit to print. Yes incredibly no-one has seen fit to stop us yet…
It’s been quite a half decade – armed only with some deeply held prejudice, an aversion to facts and a laptop, we’ve managed to keep this whole thing going when common sense and decency would have stopped mere humans.
So thank you so much for emails of support over the years, they have sustained us when things have been tough.
Shiptalk.com…………………reading you loud and clear!
SHIPTALKIMAGES.COM
ShiptalkIMAGES.com provides media companies with a helpful image resource for the design and development of online and print media projects for maritime based companies and organisations. Alternatively marine companies may be creating internal documents that would benefit from the use of good imagery, or publicists who need to bring their stories to life with relevant imagery.
We are sure we can provide you with the image you have been looking for so not why not drop us an image enquiry at enquiries@shiptalkimages.com and we will see what we can do for you.
“Little and Large” courtesy of Mark O’Connell
www.shiptalkimages.com
HEADLINE ARTICLE ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY LEGAL SECURITY GENERAL SEAGOING VACANCIES SHORE BASED VACANCIES WHAT’S ON WHERE? |
HEADLINE ARTICLE
Shiptalk Recruitment Are Proud To Announce The Launch Of – ShiptalkJOBSASHORE.com
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Shipping professionals want all the benefits of mainstream recruitment websites, but they want them to provide specialised and focused access to shorebased marine jobs. That was the message which came loud and clear from research into the recruitment demands of over 52,000 maritime professionals. The study conducted by Shiptalk Recruitment found that not unsurprisingly people want the best jobs, and need the fastest, quickest |
So having taken heed of the needs of their subscribers, and after the success of their online seagoing jobs system, Shiptalk Recruitment is proud to announce the launch of the much awaited shore based recruitment website www.shiptalkjobsashore.com.
Shiptalk Recruitment Managing Director Anneley Pickles said, “We specialise in recruitment solutions, and so we have long wanted to harness the best ways of bringing the right people and jobs together. Our subscribers want it that way, and so too do our clients. We asked our subscribers and clients what they wanted, we listened, and so here we are, welcome to Shiptalkjobsashore”
The new system is designed to be as simple, quick and effective as possible. Candidates can register their details; create their online career profile, set job preferences and search on jobs that are specific to their skills and experience.
Whilst, for recruiters, the site offers a sophisticated candidate search facility, the ability to access a candidate matching service, set candidate filters and create candidate short lists.
The site is being marketed to the 52,000 potential candidates that we have access to via the Shiptalk subscriber network, meaning the candidate database will grow very quickly post launch.
When recruiters sign up with this new service they will have a fully managed account, with job adverts uploaded as and when required, job alerts set up and sent out, and candidate filters. The service will also include the design of marketing banners to promote the vacancies via the Shiptalk family of interconnected websites.
This new website will provide marine recruiters with direct access to a pool of candidates with the skills and experience that they are looking. Alternatively recruiters not wanting the headache of searching for candidates themselves can hand over this task to the Shiptalk team who will quickly create a candidate short list matching their particular requirements.
Anneley again, “We are very excited about these technical developments as we can now provide marine industry recruiters with all of the online recruitment tools that they have become accustomed to with sites such as Monster.com. However, unlike Monster.com your job will not get lost, nor will it be viewed by thousands of unsuitable candidates, it will have instant visibility amongst the type of marine personnel that you are looking to recruit”.
When so many people clamour for an online recruitment tool such as this, it is only right that companies should listen and act. With the new www.shiptalkjobsashore.com service, there is finally a positive link between recruiters and jobseekers.
ENVIRONMENTAL
Drilling Ban Ban
We’ve always loved the work of the bug eyed comedy hero that is Marty Feldman. From Young Frankenstein when asked to give two ladies a hand with the bags, “you take the blonde and I’ll take the brunette”, through to his work with Python – yes, Feldman always delivered laughter, mayhem and one in the (boss)eye for the establishment.
How fitting then that his namesake, a federal US judge blocked the six-month ban on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico imposed by the Obama administration.
U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman's ruling not unsurprisingly drew praise from oil-industry officials and politicians as the drilling ban was starting to cause real concerns to not just the oil majors, but the many companies who support them. Like a gold rush frontier town when the nuggets have dried up, The GoM was in danger of becoming a shadow of its former self as the industry hitched its wagons (or more accurately its 33 deepwater rigs) and headed to the waters of Brazil, India, Africa, et al.
The story doesn’t stop there. The US Government is running very scared of the black sea monster – and they claim the moratorium is needed to determine what caused the Deepwater Horizon explosion and to improve safety amid the nation's worst oil spill.
At the moment it’s not really clear whether the ruling will instantly spur drillers back out to their US deepwater operations, and perhaps it is all the uncertainty which is ultimately going to be so damaging to the industry.
In his ruling, Feldman sided with several offshore companies that argued the government's ban was “arbitrary and capricious.”
The ban was perhaps understandable given the fact that no-one seems entirely sure what went wrong, and of course there were the fumbling, bumbling attempts to stem the flow of oil.
Surely though the ban on drilling shouldn’t have been needed, as the Government should have been willing and able to police and monitor the safety of the drilling off its coast. In granting licences and then sitting back it has to share the blame – regardless of how convenient the stooges of BP have been made to appear, or how easy to pin the blame on those damn limeys.
Talking of fall guys – it is impossible to discuss the fallout of the Deepwater Horizon disaster without looking at the fallout between the US Government and BP’s Chief Executive, Mr Tony (“I would like my life back”) Hayward.
Some people are born annoying; some have annoyance thrust upon them, while others achieve annoyance. In dear Tony it seems BP has had the misfortune of being led by someone who has the unfortunate and rare ability to juggle all three.
The capacity to say the wrong thing, the (dis)ability of never saying the right thing, all combined with an uncanny knack of being caught looking either smug, bewildered or disinterested has made the struggle to contain the US frustrations even more difficult.
The nadir of Tony’s one man offensive PR offensive came when he was allegedly photographed taking in the clean air and waters around the Isle of Wight on his yacht, the 52-foot “Bob”.
Now of course, even in the face of a disaster people at the head of the emergency response need some time off, and the head honcho should be allowed to grab a little downtime. However, given the devastation being wrought in the Gulf and the fears over the beaches and resorts around the coast it does seem a tad crass to be seen to be indulging in a spot of watersports under the media spotlight.
There are myriad activities one can indulge in which wouldn’t have got the Americans whipped into another frenzy – a meal with friends, a trip to the cinema, an afternoon spent cleaning beaches...but not for Tony. When he rubs salt into the wound, he seemingly likes it to be sea salt!
With so much at stake – the environment, thousands of jobs, the very offshore industry itself ,it is perhaps natural that the US should look for a villain, or, as President Obama put it, an “ass to kick.” Hayward not only seems to fit the bill – he seems hell bent on putting a target on it…
Even as BP tries to distance the man from the mess by replacing him at the top of the disaster response, it seems there is a certain irony in the fact Hayward has a lot in common with the oil besmirched pelicans of the Gulf. Whichever way he turns he is looking at a dirty great big bill.
News has emerged that a number of merchant ships ignored multiple distress flares and maydays from a sinking fishing vessel in the Channel last December. In what has been deemed a, “dereliction of one of the most fundamental duties of the mariner”, according to the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB).
One fisherman died as a result, leading MAIB chief executive Stephen Meyer to accuse some merchant vessels of failing to meet the longstanding legal and moral obligation to aid those in peril on the sea.
The incident saw a small crabbing vessel run down in thick fog in The Channel by a bulk carrier which did not stop and blithely carried on to its destination.
Both French and UK coastguards were alerted to reports of distress flares and issued alerts. However, MAIB reveals that poor visual lookout meant most of the major vessels within 10 miles of the sinking vessel reportedly failed to see a series of distress flares in the poor visibility.
Many of the same ships also failed to respond to the Mayday relays issued several times by the coastguard. According to MAIB, some claimed not to have heard the VHF. Some insisted that they did not receive digital selective calling distress alerts, and some masters even claimed not to understand that they have a legal and moral duty to react.
Woah – this is serious stuff…and it gets worse as you descend through the list of shame. “Didn’t hear a distress”….well clean your ears out and get listening. “Didn’t receive a distress”…you do know how to use all that fancy kit don’t you? Oh! Worse of all…”didn’t know to stop and help”. Incredible!
Stephen Meyer summed it up perfectly, “Even at the height of war, civilised combatants went to great lengths to save the lives of sailors from enemy vessels they had sunk. Yet here we are, in the 21st century, finding ships failing to respond to mayday messages.”
SOLAS Chapter V, regulation 33, clearly states that masters are bound to provide assistance for persons in distress at sea, regardless of the nationality or status of such persons or the circumstances in which they are found.
There can be no excuse – you have to act to save lives at sea. There are so many complications in shipping today, and it is so dreadful that we seemingly can’t even get the basics right.
Ghanaian police last month arrested two Chinese seamen for allegedly having cast three Ivorian stowaways overboard along the West African coast.
After being discovered onboard, the Chinese crew seemingly thought the quickest way to deal with the problem was to simply throw them over the side. A problem killed is a problem solved…
What the crew probably didn’t expect was for two of the stowaways to survive the incident. After spending more than 12 hours in the ocean they were rescued by a Ghanaian naval ship.
After the rescue, the lucky survivors told the police of their ordeal and of how they pleaded for their lives. It seems that the majority of the crew tried to prevent them being thrown to their presumed deaths – but as one might expect, the most violent and callous of the crew prevailed.
Ghanaian Police eventually arrested the first officer and cook of the Chinese vessel, “MS Run Ning 3”, and impounded the ship.
This is of course not a new problem – nor is the idea of chucking people over the side a new solution. It has been going on for millennia – and it would nice to think that in the 21st Century, we were above such incredibly disgraceful behaviour.
You just cannot treat people in this way – stowaways are human! No-one wants them onboard, the hassle they can cause and the fines and costs imposed can be troublesome – but no more than that.
Steven Jones, author of the upcoming Nautical Institute publication, “Stowaways by Sea” was keen to remind us, “There can be no justification for the mistreatment of stowaways – ever! While in the heat of the moment, or at times of extreme stress it may seem like simply making the problem “vanish” is the answer, it is not. It is important that companies, masters and all shipboard personnel are made fully aware of the need to treat stowaways fairly, humanely and with due regard for their human rights.” However much of a pain that may seem to be…
This isn’t the dark ages, but some crews act in this way based on fear and ignorance. They perhaps think they will get into more trouble with the company for having the stowaways onboard than they will by getting rid. Getting arrested for murder is far more “hassle” than getting told off by your Superintendent…and companies should make sure their crews know that
The Nautical Institute held its latest AGM in Ireland last month, and amongst the excitement a new President was sworn in. In taking on this prestigious role, Captain James Robinson gave a pledge to provide direct input from seafarers to debates at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and promised that the organisation will strive to counter mariners’ feelings of disenfranchisement from society.
A big ask, but a very worthy aim - Captain Robinson said there was “clear evidence” of the feelings of this disenfranchisement in the increasing trend to criminalise seafarers. He highlighted the need for the industry to counter ill-informed comment on shipping casualties by politicians, some media and general public, and indicated that the Institute will continue to work with other like-minded international bodies to ensure that abuses of the Fair Treatment Guidelines are highlighted at the IMO and in the media generally.
“The response must highlight the importance of a full and speedy casualty investigation and the need to avoid prejudging the matter until after the investigation and legal process are complete,” he said. “Above all, lessons must be learned to improve safety.” He added that increasing and expanding the Institute’s membership will amplify the voice of the mariner at the highest decision making forums.
It’s been quite a couple of years for the Nautical Institute – we at Shiptalk have long been supporters, and in fact most of the staff here are proud to be members. As such we are really pleased to see the Institute’s election as an NGO at the IMO and we really do hope that this position will indeed translate as tangible seafarer input. It would be great to think that anyone working on or with ships can spot a problem, and have a direct link to get their views expressed within the most powerful forum of all.
So good luck to President Robinson, and here’s hoping the human face of shipping can finally be represented and served. So just a few things - please stop criminalisation, force companies to take cadets onboard, and oh, make ship “admin officers” mandatory. Think that’s all for now…thanks
While the Civil Servants of the UK Government refuse to budge on the issue of ransoms, the poor British couple, Paul and Rachel Chandler are still left to rot in Somalia at the hands of their violent, drugged up, psychopathic captors.
Every so often some bleeding heart British newspaper will remember that they are in trouble and interview them, before sending them back to their day-to-day existence of terror, loneliness, frustration and fear…
One might expect there to be protests on the streets of Britain, perhaps in their home town – but instead, we were shocked to hear that hundreds of people gathered in Somalia to protest against the ongoing imprisonment of the hostages. The local residents took to the streets of Adado, a town in central Somalia, to make their voices heard and to get the captives freed.
The demonstrators came together in a park in the centre of the town, where the district commissioner addressed to the protestors. He called on the captors to release the hostages immediately without conditions and delay.
The couple were kidnapped last October while sailing towards Tanzania after leaving the Seychelles islands in East Africa. Despite occasional false hopes, they remain in captivity in the central Somalia bush – sources say they continue to be treated "cruelly."
It is heart warming to think that even the local populace, who are struggling with a fairly hellish existence themselves can find the time to act – so why can’t we in the supposed, civilised Western world? The Chandlers are living in the crosshairs, and before too long the trigger will be squeezed – who will have done enough to help? There are mechanisms for governments to fund “friendly” terror groups, there are ways of flying prisoners secretly to be tortured…surely there exists some way of freeing a pair of terrified pensioners?
As the old regime of the last British Government is washed away- and with a new dynamic, innovative and engaging leadership we can only hope that some means can be found to free the Chandlers. Call your Member of Parliament today – tell them something has to be done. Free the Chandlers NOW…however it has to happen, it just has to happen.
http://www.savethechandlers.com/
As we have seen through the all too many piracy stories – there aren’t too many heroes to emerge.
It seems though we may have finally found a Somali idol, as stories have emerged of a pirate cook who smuggled food to terrified hostages, bought them cell phone cards, and when the pirates started talking about harvesting their organs for cash, he sneaked them guns.
The tale began when pirates hijacked the “MV Rim”, a Libyan-owned, North Korean-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden. During the first two months of captivity, the pirates gave food and water to the crew. But when talks about the $300,000 ransom went nowhere, the pirates grew impatient and the crew got little food or water.
Various pirate groups bought and sold the ship and crew. But the negotiations were not going well. Eventually Ahmed told the crew that the pirates had decided to kill them and harvest their organs to get some money. Ahmed secretly passed the crew three Kalashnikovs. That's when "all hell broke loose," according to the Romanian crew member.
The crew then started their engines and steamed away, pursued by more pirates in another hijacked vessel. They escaped, but after the rescue, Ahmed was nowhere to be found, but he is not forgotten, "Ahmed was an angel sent by God. Without his intervention, without his courage, we would have been dead."
Despite pleas for information the EU Naval Force won't say if he was set ashore in Somalia — where he faced execution by pirates.
It seems a real shame that someone who has done something good, a shining beacon of humanity in this slurry of greed and violence should be made to suffer. "Sending him back to (Somalia's) shore would be putting him to death for his compassion," said John S. Burnett, the author of "Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terrorism on the High Seas." "This smacks of a bureaucratic bungle ... it's a line in the sand. No Somali pirate will ever risk showing any modicum of compassion again if he knows he's not going to get any help from the authorities."
We hope that Ahmed is alive and well. His goat chops may not have been up to much, but he is a true hero.
Given the hell unleashed on the seas throughout the Gaza Blockade flotilla debacle it is perhaps hard to find anything vaguely humorous in the way in which the Palestinians and Israelis have taken their bitter squabbles off the land and out into the blue seas of the Mediterranean,
However, anyone who has seen Monty Pythons Life of Brian, and laughed as the Judean People's Front crack suicide squad launch an audacious bid to kill themselves instead of freeing Brian, will recognise a certain degree of pathos in one story to emerge last month.
Israeli forces reportedly killed four Palestinian divers that they claimed were heavily armed and preparing to carry out a terrorist attack. The Israel Defence Forces said its navy spotted several men in diving suits off the coast of the Gaza Strip. IDF officials say they had information the men intended to carry out a terror attack on Israel, just a few kilometres to the north.
However, reporters claim one survivor said the divers were from the militant al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade group, a militant terror group. According to the commander of the al-Aqsa Martyrs, the deceased were not on any kind of mission. They were only in training.
Training to be a martyr? Maybe we’ve been reading the wrong dictionary…but if you have to practice dying, perhaps you weren’t going to be very good at it in the first place.
It does rather beg a few questions, as it’s tough to run a school for maritime suicide bombers. It must be hard to find experienced instructors for martyrs…and how do you teach someone to blow themselves up anyway?
“Watch closely. I'm only going to do this once”. BOOM!
Wherever you are in the World, (except perhaps England, France or Italy)…you will have no doubt been captivated by the festival of football, peace and harmony that has been the 2010 World Cup.
With its message of hard work, dedication, and respect between people of all nations, Africa has used the event as a showcase of how far the continent has come. You may however be surprised to learn that the World Cup’s own anthem, “Waving Flag” is performed by the one of the world’s most high profile and outspoken supporters of Somali Piracy, the US-based, Somali born rapper K’Naan Warsame.
FIFA, football's world governing body, loves to present the sport as a means of bridging cultural divides. Quite whether that understanding should extend to a rapper who believes that notorious pirates are just “misunderstood” is perhaps debatable.
K'Naan argues that the pirates have widespread sympathy because they represent a backlash against western companies illegally fishing and dumping toxic waste in the Indian Ocean.
"A lot of people don't like me for saying this but I'm in support of the pirates," K'Naan, said in a radio interview. "Massive western companies would come to Somalia and dump nuclear toxic waste containers on the shore because there was no government controlling the shorelines. So these pirates initially went into the ocean to make them pay. So they just take everything for ransom. That actually helped us clear our environment."
K'Naan has spoken out before. He claimed, "The west is completely ignoring the basis for piracy in Somalia. The pirates are in the water because there is a nationwide complaint about the illegal mass fishing going on in Somali waters. And nuclear toxic waste is illegally being dumped on our shores. People in Somalia know about this."
Guess it all comes down to perception issues- and the ends meeting the means. Whenever violence, terror and kidnapping are the answer, then there is something very, very wrong with the question.
Perhaps in bringing the world together on the football pitches, his song of unity may strike a better chord if he were to speak out once more to decry what his compatriot’s efforts have become – yes there may have been reasons to take up arms in the past, but today it is simply armed robbery.
Better still, K’Naan could donate some of his royalties to free the Chandlers…we could all sing to that!
Whatever ships get up too, there is a perception ashore that the officers and crew always know where they were going and why. Ships picking up dodgy cargo? Oooh, those swine on deck must have known all about it, etc, etc…
The sad fact is that most seafarers haven’t got the foggiest clue about their next cargoes, or where and why they are picking them up. Ships and seafarers are but pawns for those very clever broker chaps who make decisions based on expertise and keen business sense.
Well, that’s the belief, anyway – though it seems sometimes the truth may be a little far from the mark. Especially given the news of an oil futures broker who went on a weekend drinking binge during which he traded more than 7m barrels of oil.
The broker in Brent crude on the international commodities futures market had been drinking on a golf weekend, and then decided to take the Monday off and stay at home…where he drank some more, and did a little “home work”.
After texting his boss to say he had to stay home because a relative was unwell, he continued trading and executed such a high volume of trades that he gave a "false and misleading impression as to the supply, demand and price" of Brent oil which was raised to an "abnormal and artificial level".
At times he was responsible for 69% of the volume traded, and his drunken frenzy even had a knock on effect on the world’s tanker fleet, as companies jockeyed to react to this unexpected and bewildering move in the market.
He has now been banned from working in the City for at least five years by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The decision notice published by the FSA said the broker’s explanation for his trading was, “that he was drunk. He says that he drank heavily throughout the weekend and continued drinking from around midday on Monday. He claims to have limited recollection of events…and claims to have been in an alcohol-induced blackout at the time he traded in the early hours."
So if the brokers are blind drunk and the crew are kept in the dark – is it any wonder we don’t know where the industry is headed?
According to AC/DC, if your balls don’t shake it ain’t Rock and Roll…which is sage advice. However it seems for our ancient ancestors, if your balls didn’t shrivel your ship was on the right course.
Yes, strange and perhaps unlikely as it may seem, experts believe that ancient mariners used their, ahem, “special places” to find their way to, erm, special places.
A solitary foot bone found on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, suggests that humans got there at least 67,000 years ago, crossing the open sea long before we have any direct evidence that people knew how to build boats or sail them. The finding suggests that people were navigating the world’s oceans tens of thousands of years earlier than had been thought. According to some experts, they did so, truly by the seat of their pants.
The Philippine archipelago was surrounded by water even when sea levels were some 360 feet lower, at the peak of the last ice age. So how on earth did prehistoric people find what are often just specks in the world’s biggest ocean? According to Samoan meteorologist Penehuro Lefale they used their testicles...
Helmsmen, he said, would hang over the side of their rafts and trail their crown jewels in the water, using the most sensitive parts of their bodies to pick up changes in water temperature.
“If the water was becoming colder, their meat and two veg would shrink and they knew they were moving away from land,” he almost went on to add. “If the water was warmer, they knew land was near.”
So next time you hear someone say that all these new fangled electronic navigation gizmos are a load of old balls, they may be paying them a compliment.
Mind you if anyone were looking to navigate using their tool today, apparently years of wearing restrictive underwear have apparently damaged our “sensitivity” …perhaps that explains why Scottish explorers have been so successful over the years?
Our regular readers will know that we always like to end with some hilarious and uplifting animal related story…we particularly like stories about Dolphins.
Seafarers have a very special bond with these beautiful, amazing creatures. Working at sea is tough, and when you’re labouring over the horizon, far from family and friends, it’s so welcome to have your day brightened by a passing pod of dolphins.
One of the simplest pleasures for most seafarers is to grab a few peaceful stolen moments, leaning over the bow with the wind whistling, the engines just a distant, surreal hum, and to have your heart soar as a dolphin leaps in the spray – racing along. The bad times, the stress, the fatigue, the paperwork, the loneliness all melt into the distance as the dolphins make you realise how lucky you are to be on the sea, sharing the ocean with them.
Sadly this month’s animal story isn’t a happy one – but could have a positive ending.
Having watched a harrowing film, “The Cove”, we have had our eyes opened to the suffering being wrought on our favourite small cetaceans. While the Japanese penchant for murdering whales is well known and documented, the annual slaughter of thousands upon thousands of Dolphins each year has been relatively ignored.
The Cove features the efforts of a group of environmentalists to penetrate the secret cove, in which dolphins are lured – the pretty ones are taken for a life of captivity, while the rest are hacked to death – their mercury ridden meat then being sold to unsuspecting Japanese consumers. This very real Oceans XI is as distressing as you might imagine – but there is a bright side…there is a chance to help - visit www.Takepart.com/thecove
We are the dolphin’s biggest threat, but also their only hope.
SEAGOING VACANCIES
Current Seagoing Vacancies
| Jobseekers Register Here |
| 2214 | Senior Officer Technical |
Cruise Ship | Salary available on request | Start date available on request | More>> |
| 2652 | Chief Officer DP |
Offshore | $320.00 | Start date available on request | More>> |
| 2768 | Electro Technical Officer DP |
Dive Support Vessel | Salary available on request | Starts 15 Jun 2010 | More>> |
| 2745 | Chief Engineer Engine |
Crude Oil Tanker | €64500 per year | Starts 30 Apr 2010 | More>> |
| 2779 | Chief Engineer Engine |
Offshore | Salary available on request | Start date available on request | More>> |
SHOREBASED VACANCIES
Current Shorebased Vacancies
| Jobseekers Register Here | Recruitment Agencies Here |
| Company | Job Title | |
| Anglo Eastern (UK) Ltd | Marine/QHSE Superintendents | |
| Elevus Oeiras | Ship Technical Superintendent | |
| MCA | Survey Operations Policy Lead - UK, Southampton | |
| Oceanic Resources International | Marine Superintendent - Aberdeen, Scotland | |
| Oceanic Resources International | Chartering Manager – Aberdeen | |
| South Tyneside College | Various Positions - South Tyneside | |
| V Ships | Fleet Superintendent | |
| V Ships | Fleet Manager | |
| V Ships | Commercial Ship Operator | |
| V Ships | Quality Safety Coach | |
| V Ships | Operations Superintendent |
WHAT’S ON WHERE?
30th WISTA Annual Conference Support Reflects Industry Optimism
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Leading organisations throughout the shipping industry are stepping up support for what will be one of the major events in the maritime calendar: the 30th annual conference of WISTA International (the Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association), which will be in Athens, from September 29 to October 1. Anna-Maria Monogioudi, President of WISTA Hellas, said that June and July in particular have seen further prestigious additions to the |
The 30th annual conference is continuing to receive an excellent response from all sectors of the shipping industry and companies who showed support for this event from the beginning include Hellenic Hull Management (as Diamond Sponsor), the Marshall Islands Registry (as Silver Sponsor), GAC, ABS, OSG, Thenamaris, Paragon Shipping, J.G. Roussos Shipping and Blank Rome as (as Bronze Sponsors) as well as support from Transmar and Tsavliris Salvage Group.
Conference organisers have just opened a new sponsorship category, codenamed Pearls of Wisdom (as the pearl is the emblem of a 30th anniversary) under which small companies and businesses can contribute on a modest scale.
Said Ms Monogioudi: “The success of the biennial Posidonia exhibition in June showed that the shipping industry in Greece and internationally is more resilient than many commentators had forecast. The message from Greece is that although the domestic economy may be troubled, the country’s standing as a maritime centre remains irreproachable. The enthusiasm that is building around our WISTA Conference will enable us to showcase the industry’s determination to innovate and thrive.”
Latest developments include:
- Navios Maritime Holdings has become a Platinum Sponsor of the WISTA 2010 Conference, and Chief Executive Angeliki Frangou, who is an honorary member of WISTA Hellas, will be speaking in the session: The Importance of Rules and Regulations in Achieving Sustainability – How do we cope?
- ClassNK, the world’s largest classification society in terms of tonnage covered, has become a Silver Sponsor, a noteworthy honour at a time when the society’s Chairman and President Noboru Ueda has been elected Chairman of the Council of the International Association of Classification Societies. ClassNK is currently celebrating 110 years of business.
- George D. Gourdomichalis of Conference Bronze Sponsor, G. Bros, has accepted an invitation to speak at the gathering, during the session: Teaming up for Improving Safety at Sea.
- Michael Bodouroglou, the founder and Chief Executive of Paragon Shipping, which is a Bronze Sponsor, will address the Conference on: The Social Profile of the Shipping Industry: Best Practices leading to Excellence.
- Karin Orsel will be moderator of the workshop Women on the Board. Ms Orsel is Chief Executive of Management Facilities Group BV which part-owns and manages a fleet of 50 ships. She is President of WISTA Netherlands,
- Professor Yoriko Ishida will fly in from Japan to participate in the session: Seafarer – Shipping Industry: Sailing Together. An expert on intercultural and gender questions, Ms Ishida is professor at the Oshima National College of Maritime Technology.
- Marie Kelly, a partner and expert on dispute resolution based in the Athens office of international law firm Norton Rose, will be a speaker in the session entitled Safeguarding the Environment: Innovations.
- The GAC Group, a Bronze Sponsor, has just announced its latest addition to its port agency network, by co-ordinating a Brazilian operation from Rio de Janeiro.
- Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp has agreed to become a Bronze Sponsor. The company is a Marshall Islands corporation with executive offices in Athens, and transports dry bulk cargoes on its owned and operated ships.
In addition to furthering industry debate and analysis, the WISTA Conference is a premier networking event, and one of the main attractions will be the venue, the Divani Apollon Palace & Spa, a luxury hotel and events centre on the Athenian Riviera.
There is an Early Bird registration discount available until July 20, via www.wistaconference.org and as an added incentive all registrations will go into a draw for the prize of a four-day cruise for two people kindly offered by Louis Hellenic Cruises, a loyal supporter of WISTA Hellas. The draw will be made during the Networking Dinner on Thursday September 30.
For more information please see www.wistaconference.org or email athens2010@wistaconference.gr
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