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SHIPTALK'S NEWSLETTER TO A FRIEND
Welcome to this the November 2005 edition of the Shiptalk newsletter.
Please take your time to read what we have to say this month about issues affecting
your everyday lives at sea and do let us know if you have an opinion or comments
on any of this month's articles or other issues that you would like to air
via Shiptalk.com.
Shiptalk.com……reading you loud and clear
COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENT
Shiptalkjobs.com
We know we have been threatening it for a while, well it is nearly here… the Shiptalk jobs board. We have no doubt the jobs board will be well supported by our readers but as the old saying goes, "it takes two to tango". We would like to hear from recruiters who have vacancies they are trying to fill and would like to make use of this free online resource. With your vacancies we can float the boat that is Shiptalkjobs.com, drop us a line and you will get priority access to our new site.
Please contact 'shiptalkjobs@shiptalk.com' for more information.
SHIPTALK MEDIA SERVICES
Another service that Shiptalk can offer via Shiptalk Media Services (SMS)
is a complete
multi-media service to the marine industry, websites recently developed by
SMS include:
www.shippingjobs.com
www.rayfield-mills.co.uk
www.consultism.co.uk
www.seacurus.com
In addition to web development SMS offer a specialised design service for any and all corporate literature, marketing and advertising materials. For more information of Shiptalk Media Services contact us on: enquiries@shiptalk.com
HEADLINE ARTICLE (Advertorial)
Competitive Challenge – Gilmour Research
When Inmarsat launched their Crew Calling initiative back in 2001 established wisdom held that the people crew wanted to telephone didn't have one, they can't afford it and anyway, they knew what it would be like when they joined.
Instead of opinions, Inmarsat needed facts reliable enough to support a multi-million
pound business initiative. They turned to Gilmour Research, the dedicated maritime
business research agency. With the insight that has helped the Salvage Association,
Canada Maritime, CAST, Connexions by Boeing, Jeppesen and the UKHO as well
as Inmarsat, it was obvious that the only way of finding out what active seafarers
really wanted was to go and ask them.
Over 600 interviews later, Gilmour Research interviewers had been onboard deep-water
vessels from Southampton to Singapore. With firm instructions to wear trousers
and not look down, interviewers grabbed their clipboards, walked gangplanks,
sipped condensed-milk tea, scaled external ladders, met a man who sold flick-knives
and some women who helped-out lots of seafarers, then got arrested as stowaways
in Singapore.
Just as Inmarsat suspected, established wisdom was wrong. Crews could afford to call home. Each spent around US$90 a month doing it. Sometimes families back home didn't have a phone, so seafarers bought them a mobile and borrowed someone else's onboard.
Everyone wanted to phone home. And they did, but not using ship's equipment. The real problem was where it was - where it was supposed to be, on the bridge. Inmarsat developed a new low-cost dedicated Crew Calling solution relying on the solid information from the survey. Drawing on Gilmour Research data Inmarsat not only assessed the market but turned it around. Today, maritime voice revenue is rising and the Crew Calling initiative continues to grow.
Every business needs good information to stay in front. Smaller companies in the maritime distribution channel are often keen innovators but the scale of global operations can leave them over-stretched. To encourage this innovation, Gilmour Research developed a new package specifically for companies that need their own reliable worldwide market information. GMS, the new Global Maritime Survey from Gilmour Research uses trained interviewers calling 400 shipping companies around the world. Only live telephone interviews are used from a representative global sample, so subscribers enjoy the same access to the quality information only the biggest operators used to have.
Most survey costs are set-up expenses. But if businesses share basic information costs to subscribers plummets. Instead of fees of around $75,000, each subscriber pays just $5,750 for shared Core Data. A limited number of confidential questions are also available. Every subscriber gets a summary plus a full written report and a full set of statistical Excel tables from interviews for their own analyses.
Broadband GMS is the first in the series, launching this winter to assess the fast-changing maritime satellite communications market. Now everyone can benefit from the same access to market information only the biggest businesses have enjoyed.
For more information visit www.globalmaritimesurvey.com or call Gilmour Research on +44 7128 668800.
SEAFARER WELFARE
Business continues to slowly build at the Port of New Orleans as 14 vessels, including four container ships, were scheduled to call on the port towards the end of October. The number demonstrates steady growth in cargo operations and points to a slow return to normal after the horrific effects of Hurricane Katrina and the flooding of the city and area.
"We're progressing each and every week," said Gary LaGrange, the port's president and chief executive officer. "The 14 vessels that we are handling represent about 35 percent of our pre-Katrina ship traffic. Although we continue to face many challenges, the return of these vessels to the port is good news for the Louisiana economy and the national economy."
About 380,000 total jobs in the United States and $16.9 billion in personal income are related to the Port of New Orleans maritime terminals, according to an economic study completed just before Hurricane Katrina.
To accommodate truck drivers and other port personnel wishing to return to work but who may not have a place to live, accommodation aboard Maritime Administration vessels is available free of charge. The quarters on board the ships are available to port industry workers only; family members or pets cannot stay aboard the ships.
Those interested in reserving a room can call Andy Fobes at 504-528-3339 or 504-236-1354.
CAREERS
A whole new meaning to "Computers at Sea"
A huge debate is raging in the United States, as a new initiative, called the "SeaCode programme" proposes to place hundreds of Indian IT workers off the coast of the US in an attempt to woo companies with a cheaper labour supply.
Due to be launched in early 2006, SeaCode will see a cruise ship anchored off the California coast which will house around 600 IT professionals who will execute global outsourcing projects, working in 12-hour shifts via the internet and microwave communication.
Many of these workers would not be allowed to enter the US to work, or be granted a H1B visa, but this dispenses with such requirements as they will not be operating within US territorial waters.
The advantage to the company and the workers providing the service is obvious. Despite reported skill shortages in the IT sector it is debatable whether the US unions will simply sit back and allow such a threat to their workers and trade, as the US are likely to introduce whatever measures are necessary to protect their interests and members.
The first shots in the argument have already been fired, as some unions have dubbed the scheme a "sweatshop at sea". This accusation hasn't deterred would be off-shore IT specialists, as apparently about 1000 have already applied for positions on the vessel.
For further details and debate visit the Information Technology Professionals Association of America website, at www.itpaa.org
LEGAL
Is life really cheaper than pollution?
Debate raged at the recent Maritime Manpower conference in Singapore, over the lack of consistency in criminalising seafarers. The assertion was made that, "criminalisation has been and is continuing to be applied inconsistently".
The question was posed, "is polluting taken more seriously than killing?", and two landmark cases were discussed.
In 1997 the tanker "Evoikos" collided with the "Orapin Global" spilling 28,463 tonnes of heavy fuel oil. The masters were jailed for three and two months respectively and including time on bail were in Singapore for a total of 11 months.
In 2003 the Singapore navy vessel "Courageous" collided with the containership "ANL Indonesia", killing four navy personnel. The navy officer on watch and trainee officer on watch were found guilty of causing death by navigating negligently and were let off with a fine.
So in an incident with pollution, but no deaths both masters were jailed, while the officers on watch in an incident in which four people died avoided jail. How can this be happening?
Richard Kuek, a partner in Gurbani & Co. questioned the whole concept of criminalising seafarers for simply doing their job, "In the course of carrying out their duties, mariners have to assess risks," he said. "Should their wrong assessment be treated as a crime, particularly bearing in mind the difficulties in applying the collision regulations in the heat of the moment?"
It was also questionable, he went on, whether shipowners should be the ones to take responsibility for incidents, not the seafarers, "Every ship must have a captain and every shipping company has a chief executive officer," he said. "Why is the captain subject to prosecution even when he is blameless but the chief executive is not?"
The criminalisation of seafarers was seen as a major issue for officers leaving the industry to move ashore. This is causing major concern as the shortage of skilled manpower becomes ever more acute, with many companies finding it increasingly difficult to find qualified people to replace senior officers when they retire.
For more thoughts and feedback on the Maritime Manpower Singapore 2005 conference visit www.mms-2005.com
What are you thoughts on criminalisation? Visit Shiptalkforum.com to discuss the matter on our new improved forum and bulletin board.
The chief engineer on the Panamanian-flagged "MSC Elena" could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted of the oil dumping charges with which he was accused last month.
Mani Singh, a 57-year-old Indian national, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston, USA on charges of conspiracy, obstruction, destruction of evidence, false statements and violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships in connection with the use of a secretly concealed 'magic pipe' used to discharge sludge and oil contaminated waste overboard.
The engineer is charged with making false statements to the Coast Guard by denying knowledge of the existence and use of the bypass equipment. In addition, he is charged with obstructing justice by directing subordinates to lie to investigators, with concealing evidence, and with concealing the discharges in a falsified Oil Record Book.
If convicted, Singh faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison on the conspiracy charge, five years on the obstruction charge, five years on the false statements charge, 20 years on the destruction of evidence charge and five years on the violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships.
For a statement from the United States Department of Justice visit:
www.usdoj.gov/usao/ma/presspage/Oct2005/Singh-Mani-Indictment.htm
Pollution clampdown - no end in sight
The US Coast Guard has underlined its continued intention to crack down on deliberate marine pollution incidents, but has stressed that it aims to ensure that seafarers are not unfairly persecuted after genuine accidents.
Rear Admiral, Thomas Gilmour, the US Coast Guard's assistant commandant for marine safety, security and environmental protection, recently stressed that the USCG saw no reason to protect people who deliberately break the law, but emphasised that it had no interest in criminalising seafarers.
Of 27 criminal cases involving marine environmental crimes in the US between 1989 and 2004, only one could be called a marine accident, he said, and even that was resolved by a guilty plea of negligence.
He went on to add that most of these cases were "non un-intentional" (so that'll be intentional then?!?) and as such these cases were about people deliberately dumping oil.
"The coast guard remains adamant that there can be no legitimate reason to protect people who deliberately break the law or engage in orchestrated attempts to deceive and lie to the coast guard, and obstruct justice."
For a full view of the USCG stance on pollution visit www.uscg.mil
You have been warned….so do not do any non un-intentional dumping…oh
you know what they mean!
MARITIME SAFETY
Diver killed during underwater inspection
When is a Master, not a Master? That is the key question in the argument over the death of a diver, killed when inspecting the hull of a vessel.
The German captain and chief engineer of the "Verlaine", Peter Bargmann, 63, and Herman Dieter Raake, 57, are accused of causing the death of 40-year-old diver Raymond Van Beck through negligence.
The captain has asserted he was not responsible for the operations on the vessel when the accident took place. Capt. Bargmann took the stand and stated that when the accident occurred he was on the diver's launch. Therefore, responsibility for the ship's operations fell to the chief officer, "Mr Flink".
The diver had been appointed to carry out an underwater inspection of the ship's hull. The Master and diver had signed the necessary checklists after all requirements were met. Mr Flink should have signed them too, but as he was not at the meeting, gave his agreement that all was in order over the telephone.
When the Master had left the "Verlaine", the bow thruster, the part of the vessel believed to have killed Mr Van Beck, was not on. "I would have heard it and felt it if it were," Capt Bargmann said.
The captain had checked the bridge panel and the ship's main controls before going onto the barge and all the control lights were switched off. "Mr Flink switched it off and said he did not know who had switched it on", I called the chief engineer, Mr Raake but no one could give any explanation," the captain continued.
He also explained that turning on the bow thrusters was not a question of
simply flicking a switch, but was a four-step course of action.
The accused said he the boarded the diver's launch with Mr Van Beck. "We
were chatting before he jumped in the water - there was no danger."
The captain said he was watching the monitors that made audio and visual contact with the diver when suddenly both screens crackled and went off. The captain went outside the launch's cabin and saw bubbles and what seemed like pieces of Mr Van Beck's diving suit breaking the surface.
The case is continuing with all sides agreeing that a dreadful mistake occurred, but all equally eschewing any blame or responsibility.
The full story can be followed as the case continues at the Malta Independent online, www.independent.com.mt
Now you "hear her – now you don't"
Thirteen people, including ten Indians and three Ukrainians, have gone missing
after the tug that they were onboard mysteriously disappeared in the Indian
Ocean .
The tug, "Jupiter 6", has now been out of contact for over a month
after setting sail from Walvis Bay in Namibia on August 28, and was last spotted
towing a 16,000-ton bulk carrier, the "Satsung", to a scrapyard in
India and was scheduled to arrive around mid-November.
The "Jupiter 6", which had spent six weeks in Walvis Bay in July
being repaired, last reported her position near Cape Town on September 6. Nothing
more was heard from the tug until the "Satsang" was found drifting
on her own about 220 miles south of Port Elizabeth by the bulk carrier "Poseidon".
A lack of information from the tugs owners has lead to a frenzy in India , as concerned family members seek news or reassurance over their loved ones.
Many have voiced concern over the conduct of the owners and have blamed the
Mumbai-based managing agency, Pelmar Shipping and Engineering for not informing
the family of either the disappearance or any subsequent developments.
However, t here is now mounting speculation that "Jupiter 6", is
under the control of pirates or mutineers. The fact that the tow wire on the "Satsung" was
cut close to tug end, and the fact that many thought the "Jupiter 6" seemed
to be loaded with excess fuel and stores prior to its departure from Walvis
Bay are all fuelling the theories. Claims that the tug and her crew are safe
are rife in India , amid rumours that her owners are negotiating with "hijackers".
As ever Shiptalk.com will keep you informed of any developments in this case,
lets hope that the crew are well, and that there is a positive conclusion to
the "Jupiter 6" mystery.
Manning crisis sees recruiters hit the pub
You know the old story…you, a plumber and an electrician are all out having a laugh and a few drinks in the pub – when you decide it'd be great fun to ask them back to your ship for a quick voyage from Hull to Plymouth with a load of gravel…what could possible go wrong?
What could go wrong indeed…firstly the vessel in question, the "Torksey" lost all power off the coast of Suffolk, the Thames Coastguard were informed and the Aldeburgh lifeboat was launched to rescue it.
The lifeboat managed to place a line on the vessel and she was taken to an anchorage off Southwold. Phew, disaster averted…not quite.
Early the next day the Thames Coastguard were further alerted by a member of the public that the "Torksey" was high and dry on the beach. The vessel had taken on water and dragged its anchor, but without any power, the tide had placed it up on the sand and left it there.
An inspector from the Maritime and Coastguard agency was despatched and found that the vessel was disabled with no main engine, no working generator, no navigation lights and no VHF communication. In addition to this they were informed that some of the "crew", an electrician and a plumber, were recruited from a pub in Bridlington to make up the numbers.
It's good to know that in this the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar that the Press Gang is alive and well in Bridlington.
News of this incident emerged from the UK Maritime Coastguard Agency, www.mcga.gov.uk
Not much you can say about that really…but if any Shiptalk readers are approached in a pub and asked to sail off into the night – we suggest you just say "NO"!
MARITIME SECURITY
As the case of the "Jupiter 6" rumbles on the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) have focussed on the matter of tug hijackings, and the use of such vessels for smuggling.
The IMB has long stressed that the matter of "phantom ships" is, while not an epidemic, common enough to be a very real concern to the industry. "Phantom ships" exist when vessels are hijacked and stolen, they then reappear, trading with a new name, paint job and often false, or fraudulently obtained documentation.
The hijacking attacks are usually extremely violent, carried out by heavily armed men, and often involve the deaths of many if not all the crew of the vessel boarded.
Pirates and hijackers have in the past usually targeted smaller cargo vessels and tankers, but recently there appears to be a change in tactics. Attacks on smaller cargo vessels seem to be dropping, only to be replaced by the growth in attacks on tugs.
The high number of attacks on tugboats has raised concerns from the International Maritime Bureau over the possibility of "phantom tugs". Tugs are slow moving, they often work close to shore and are very low in the water – all ingredients that make them softer targets for pirates…add to this the perception that their paperwork isn't scrutinised as closely as cargo vessels and tankers and you start to see that tugs really are at risk.
Visit the IMB site for further details at www.icc-ccs.org
In what has been a spate of hijackings, mysterious sinkings and disappearances, the Indonesian registered vessel, "Prima Indah", was apparently hijacked on September 30th.
The ship was carrying 660mt of tin ingots, worth an estimated US$4.4-million and had left Pangkal Balam port, Indonesia when it was allegedly boarded by armed pirates. All 14 of the ship's crew were reportedly set adrift in a boat but were soon back safe in Indonesia.
At first the whereabouts of the vessel were uncertain, with the cargo owners issuing a statement regarding the lost cargo of tin ingots and the fact that they were filing an insurance claim.
The vessel has now apparently been located and sources in the region indicate that the vessel has been found sunk in shallow water more or less where it was "hijacked".
The assumption had initially been that the tin cargo had been discharged and sold at a remote location by the pirates, and the vessel turned into a "phantom ship" operating under a false identity. It now seems that for some reason the pirates may have decided to sink the ship and abandon any plans to dispose of the cargo.
Due to the shallow depth it seems likely that surveys of the vessel will soon indicate whether the cargo remains onboard - watch for the excitement if it has all mysteriously vanished!
It all seems very odd to us – hijackers do not tend to simply free the crew, they certainly do not then just scuttle ships without plundering them first. We think there will be more revelations to emerge from the mysterious case of the "Prima Indah", and the gentlemen pirates.
Somali pirates steal from the starving
Once again Shiptalk's attentions have been turned to the Somalian pirate crisis –we are pleased to report the end of the long running "Semlow" saga, after many twists and turns the crew and vessel were all safely released last month.
So what happened next? Quite simply pirates took over another vessel carrying food aid to the stricken country. Six gunmen stormed the vessel, "Miltzow" last month, as its cargo of 850 tons of food aid was being offloaded in the port of Merka, 100km south-west of the capital, Mogadishu.
The hijackers then ordered the "Miltzow" out to sea with about 400 tons of cargo, including rice and maize, in the hold.
"It is scandalous that a small number of profiteers would once again hijack humanitarian food supplies destined for fellow Somalis," said Robert Hauser, the UN World Food Programme's Country Director for Somalia.
The cargo had been headed for about 78,000 people in the Jilib district, just north of Merka, which has suffered ongoing violence, flooding and a total crop failure in recent months.
The UN WFP has released further details at www.reliefweb.int
Anti-Piracy Measures - Standard Advice
The Standard P&I Club has released some guidance on the matter of anti-piracy measures. Captain Neale Rodrigues, the Director of Loss Prevention has discussed the tactics often used by pirates.
He discussed the stalking of target vessels at dusk or in conditions of restricted visibility, which allows attackers to get as close as possible to the prey without being spotted. They then seek to board undetected to maintain the element of surprise and prevent the transmission of any distress signals.
Despite the advent of ISPS and other international measures and security initiatives, the Standard Club has stressed that the onus continues to be on the individual shipowner and master to take the steps necessary to protect crew and ships alike.
The guidance stresses that vigilance is the best defence, by detecting a pirate boat during the ‘stalking' stage it will probably deter them from attacking. This is especially so in well-patrolled areas such as off the coasts of Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Captain Rodrigues went on to encourage crews to be even more vigilant during night hours, or if onboard a "high-risk vessel", including any ship with a low freeboard and easily disposable cargo.
At the end of the day no system or defence is completely infallible, and as such the observance of good seamanship, must be fostered as a primary tool in keeping any vessel safe and secure.
Visit www.standard-club.com for more information
Port security has often been viewed as the weak link in the ISPS chain, and last month the port of Dundee, UK came in for much attention after it emerged that a woman was arrested for walking along a cycle path.
Under the ports' ISPS security plan the path had been designated as "cyclists only" – the pedestrian, Ms Cameron, blithely ignored this fact and continued on her merry way, until like a scene from "Starsky and Hutch" police cars screeched up alongside her, boats sped to the scene and she was promptly arrested.
Ms Cameron claims to have been held by officers for several hours in the aftermath of the incident, though the police dispute this.
A police spokeswoman said, "Police can confirm a woman was reported for breaching Port Authority Regulations. The woman was found walking within in a restricted area without authority. She was escorted out of the area and subsequently reported under the Ship and Port Facility Security Regulations for being in a restricted area without permission and for failing to leave the area when requested to do so by the port authority".
OK, so Ms Cameron was somewhere she shouldn't have been, but it does beg some questions about the strength of the Tayside security provisions. How can cyclists offer less threat than pedestrians? How did Ms Cameron access the path? Did she vault a fence? Did she swim to it? Did she force her way past a guard?
The answer appears to be that she simply walked to the path, and then continued walking. Surely if a security guard had actually stopped her instead of just informing her she couldn't walk that route, none of this would have happened.
For more details visit The Times at www.timesonline.co.uk
Note to al Qaeda operatives...get a bike! Note to PFSO…send your security guards on assertiveness courses.
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