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Dear Shiptalk Readers,
Welcome to this the August 2006 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.
Why not air your news views and opinions on the Shiptalk Forum at www.shiptalkforum.com
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.
This month we are featuring the work of one of ShiptalkIMAGES.com newest photographers Daniel Hormann.
Daniel has recently uploaded a portfolio of truly magnificent images that would grace the corporate pages of any companies marketing materials.
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.
WEALFARE AT SEA
Minimum Wage…and lots of sausage
Last month saw crewmembers from the "MV Stolt Australia " down tools and refuse to load the tanker in protest at plans to re-flag the vessel and replace them.
After a long and simmering dispute the two sides eventually signed a memorandum of understanding protecting the Australian’s jobs after the ship reflags and takes on a Filipino crew.
But Llew Russell from Shipping Australia Limited says it is cheaper to use foreign workers and the trend is likely to continue. "We certainly support viable and competitive Australian flagged shipping but this should not be in terms of inhibiting our overseas competitiveness," he said.
While Australians were fighting for their work lives another wage dispute was underway in the UK – this concerned the qualification of seafarers to gain the UK minimum wage.
An agreement covering foreign seafarers working on a UK-flag stand-by vessel has been in existence, but a wage dispute has finally seen the national minimum wage applied for the first time.
Unions said that the deal covering four Romanians and a Russian was a breakthrough to close a loophole allowing cheap workers to be brought into the UK and paid below the current minimum wage of £5.05 ($9.4) an hour.
The five seafarers at the centre of the dispute have been working on the stand-by vessel “Rona”, and were being paid less than £1.40 an hour while working, unions claim, 12 hours a day.
In addition to this that had actually each paid £1,000 to a crewing agent to cover fees and airfares.
The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) assumed power of attorney on behalf of the crew and threatened to have the vessel arrested.
The story didn’t stop at just wages though, there were also concerns raised concerning the standards of food and accommodation on the vessel. The MCA’s crew health and hygiene inspector, Jan Colligan, who visited the Rona said “The accommodation was not hotel-class but decent”.
Earlier claims by unions the crew were “begging for food” from the local community were dismissed as a “slight exaggeration”, adding: “They had plenty of sausages.”
“Plenty of sausages”….Bah what have they been moaning about, Shiptalk can only dream of such luxury.
LEGAL
We understand that not much exciting happens in the Namibian port of Walvis Bay – but the tranquil air was shattered last month by the case of “the disappearing ship”.
The ship in question, the “Umfolozi”, made headlines in September last year when it sank in the Walvis Bay harbour after a collision with the South African dredger “Ingwenya”.
The “Umfolozi” was refloated, repaired and then promptly detained, after the South African Ports Authority won a High Court order against the vessel.
That’s when things really got interesting – it seems that a knight in shining armour was about to ride into town to rescue the captured vessel, as the ship was bought and rechristened, the “Michael S”.
But what good is an arrested vessel I hear you ask? Surely the new owner must have a cunning scheme to liberate the shiny new purchase?
Maybe they knew something about the court case, and that the vessel was about to be released? It seems perhaps the answer was slightly more simplistic, though nonetheless daring, as in true David Blaine style they were about to make the ship vanish! Abracadabra.
According to local press reports it seems that a new crew boarded the ship under the pretence of having to offload some equipment. They then claimed they were conducting engine trials, but ended up throwing two security guards overboard as they waved adios and headed out to sea.
This is obviously a source of some annoyance and embarrassment to the great and good of Walvis Bay , and they are now treating this very much as a “criminal case," according to Acting Deputy Sheriff Andre Visser.
He added, "the operation was clearly planned. We suspect that the vessel has already entered Angolan waters. The Angolan Army and Navy are on full alert and if they should spot the ship, they will force it to turn back to Namibia . The Namibian patrol boat “Oryx” is currently in that area and can take over from there."
Despite the accusations concerning the new owners, there has also been some finger pointing closer to home. With the result that the Port Captain at Walvis Bay, Vladimir Gusev, has been suspended in the wake of the vanishing act from the harbour.
The Namibian Defence Force, who conducted an aerial search failed to spot the ship and have now abandoned the search. It is believed that the 133-metre-long ship is headed northwards, possibly to Russia .
A word to the wise, if 20 men all turn up with suitcases claiming that they need to take some “spares” to an arrested ship – they are p rob ably about to whisk it off into the night…just a word of warning for the future.
So keep your eyes peeled out there, if you spot a 133m container vessel – with no AIS on, and the name “Michael S” scrawled on the side – you may be seeing the infamous “missing” ship.
SAFETY
One crewman died and two others were in a critical condition last month after an exercise aboard a bulk carrier 400 miles south west of Ireland went tragically wrong.
The Polish Steamship Company vessel “Isa” requested urgent medical treatment, to assist the severely injured crewmen.
It appears, according to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency: “the vessel had stopped for repairs and an exercise had been held which had not gone well, and the subsequent injuries to the three crew include back, leg, head, spinal and chest trauma.”
Despite calm and clear weather conditions with little swell, it appears that the three injured crewmen somehow ended up in the water and had to be recovered on board. This has led the MCA to suggest that an accident occurred during a lifeboat drill.
One of the injured crewmen who suffered extensive injuries, died a few hours after the accident.
There is an inherent irony to the sheer number of deaths and injuries caused by testing such a primary piece of “lifesaving” apparatus – there are moves to protect crews, but these have often caused even more confusion.
It has been reported that many companies have seemingly misinterpreted the new rules, leading to compromised safety and a risk that vessels will face detention.
It seems the new rules have led many to believe that they are no longer required to be in a lifeboat during any stage of the lifeboat drill.
There appears to have been a degree of over simplification of the new regulations in various safety notices. One flag state told its fleet: "Emergency training and drill lifeboats shall be launched and manoeuvred in the water by the assigned crew. This crew is no longer required to be in the lifeboat while launching." While one P&I club told its members: "Under lifeboat drills, no crew is needed in the lifeboats during launching."
The UK Maritime and Coastguard Safety Agency (MCA) has stated, however, that as far as the three-monthly safety drill is concerned (excluding free-fall lifeboats), the lifeboat should only be empty during an initial lowering. The lifeboat should first be lowered but not allowed to touch water while empty, to ensure its safety, and then returned.
After that, only the assigned operating crew should board the lifeboat before it is lowered into and then tested in the water.
The exact wording of the MCA's safety notice is: "Before placing persons on a lifeboat, it is recommended that the boat is first recovered without persons onboard to ascertain that the arrangement functions comply. It should then be lowered into the water with only the persons onboard needed to operate the boat."
The new regulations, which were drawn up in response to a series of fatal accidents that took place during drills, has applied from July this year.
On the flipside ships that have failed to conduct lifeboat drills without an assigned operating crew onboard could face port-state control inspection for a breach of SOLAS.
So it seems you’re damned if you don’t and in danger if you do.
An Officer of the Watch (OOW) was text messaging with his mobile phone for 40 minutes, as his ship overran its alter course position and grounded on a Baltic bank in January 2006.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch report into the grounding involving the containership “Berit” also found that the night lookout had been stood down and the watch alarm had been turned off as the Ukrainian 2nd officer concentrated on his phone.
The MAIB report was critical of navigational practices on the vessel, with too great a reliance being placed on the basic information provided by the electronic chart system which was not fully functioning, and no regular fixes of the ship’s position by other means.
“In this accident,” noted the report, “with little demanded of the OOW, he became easily distracted and missed the scheduled alteration of course.”
It was also noted that while the master was aware of the use of mobile phones, this was not “actively managed” by the master.
The vessel was damaged, but refloated and able to sail to Rotterdam for temporary repairs.
The report noted that this incident was one of a number where watchkeeper distraction or officers falling asleep had been an issue and contributed to serious casualties.
A recommendation has been made to the managers of “Berit” to review their ISM system to ensure that navigational practices, training with ECS and the use of mobile telephones and other personal electronic equipment are addressed.
That all sounds sensible, but with the prevalence of hand-held entertainment equipment – are we just seeing the start of Playstation assisted collisions?
An article in Lloyd’s List suggested that the life of a modern OOW consists of “standing around like a lemon watching dials and only intervening if things go wrong” and pointed out that this is “not a stimulating career”. Heck it’s not even a stimulating four hours…
The OOW role has changed – from originally being the central processor of navigational information; the watchkeeper is now “a mere overlooker” to the electronic navigation systems. It seems that boredom, and perhaps temptation, have begun to creep in.
A life onboard ship with little social interaction is bad enough, but with ships that, for the most part seemingly navigate with or without you. This “sense of detachment” can only lead to bad things!
A few mobile phone calls, some text messages, a few matches on “Pro Evolution Soccer” to break the watchkeeping monotony...what could possibly go wrong? BANG!
Being a cruise passenger can be a hazardous occupation…there are pirates who want to rob you, crazed drug fiends who want to do rude things with you, there are the fears of fire and pestilence, and now seemingly there are over zealous officers on the Bridge being a little heavy handed with the steering.
Yes, in the wake of a rather extravagant alleged use of the auto-pilot, hundreds of holidaymakers were sent crashing across cabins and hurtling from swimming pools after a sudden heavy lurch of their 113,000-tonne cruise liner.
Nearly 100 passengers had to be taken to hospital after the "Crown Princess" vessel listed heavily to over to starboard about 11 miles off the coast of Florida .
The ship, which had been heading to New York , returned to Port Canaveral in Florida with passengers on board saying the vessel resembled a "war zone" with people walking around bleeding.
One Britsh holidaymaker, Gillian Bogush told The UK's Sun newspaper how an armchair had "flown" across the room and hit her husband on the chest. She added that he had been treated in hospital.
Marilyn Wigodsky, from the UK , said the events on the ship resembled something out of the Titanic movie "with everything sliding across the deck".
She went on: "The children in the pool were screaming. Lots of families were split up and there was panic everywhere. All the windows were smashed. The top deck looked like a hurricane had hit it."
A spokeswoman for Carnival, the Princess Cruises parent company, said that 240 passengers had been treated onboard for various injuries such as abrasions, bruises and fractures, of which 94 were transferred to local hospitals ashore for evaluation and treatment.
The U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the list, a p rob lem that appears to have happened at least 11 times since 2002 on major cruise ships. In at least six of those cases, passengers reported injuries.
Initially it was suggested that there may have been a mechanical failure, but the initial investigation findings increasingly point to the fact that the error was simply a human one.
According to an article on www.cruise-ship-report.com, Princess Cruises blamed the earlier incident on the captain. The rolling "was strictly human error, and that captain was reprimanded," spokeswoman Julie Benson said.
In addition to the concern over why the incident happened there has been questioned asked as to why so much furniture and fittings were free to move around –as many of the passenger injuries were caused by flying debris and fixtures.
While the list of 15-degrees was obviously terrifying it shouldn’t really have the dramatic effects on such a vessel. One expert has suggested that the degree of list may have actually been more severe than originally reported.
Ron Butcher, a former Coast Guard inspector who has recently published a book on cruise passenger safety said, "A 15-degree list, while serious, I don't see as consistent with the amount of damage that occurred".
Over the last several months we have explored individual human characteristics and relationships with various aspects of the ship operating environment, systems and system support. One of my favourite expressions of the moment is “Human Centred Design”; I can’t read it without smiling. It’s as if we’ve only recently realised that ships are operated by people, despite centuries of evidence and have had to come up with a “new” design concept to accommodate them! It also begs the question “What was design centred upon previously?”
This month we will take a look at the most important relationship of all and one which impacts on all the others; our relationship with other humans, or, to use an expression from the very first article, other “liveware”. Over the coming months we will examine issues such as communications, interactions, watch changeover, supervision and regulatory activities.
A search of the CHIRP database for incidents involving issues related to “communication” brought up a number of examples, this first one involving an incident caused by a different interpretation of an order involving a single word!
“Crossing a river on a strong ebb tide to lock in bow first, the officer of the watch gave the wheelman the order "Steady". The wheelman steadied on a fixed shore object ahead and this, combined with the strong ebb, contrived to give the ship a dangerously "slewed" aspect - unsuitable for entering the lock - which increased as the lock was approached.
It was later made clear when "Steady on the Compass" was required in order to keep the ship's correct aspect for making the lock this way on the ebb.
In the situation described I took command, went "full astern", avoided (narrowly) hitting the wall, and headed back to the other side to round up in a big sweep, so obtaining the aspect well before closing with the lock….”
The order was given clearly, acknowledged in the usual way, but executed based on a different understanding of what the order meant and a serious accident was narrowly averted. The giver and receiver of the order were of the same nationality, so there were no other language issues to consider. How much more complicated might matters become when we start speaking in sentences and throw in some other nationalities?
“The company employs British masters and a good, mixed crew of nine nationalities. I, as master, was the only Brit onboard. Fortunately for us Brits, English remains the language of the sea and my senior officers all spoke it to a greater or lesser degree, even some conversation, while I learned helm orders and a few other important words, like “Please” and “Thank you” etc in other languages.
Conducting the required monthly safety meetings has been interesting. The second mate and I devised a pantomime, which we would put on to the assembled crew - all hands not on duty - in the crew messroom. Many shipboard accidents are caused by thoughtlessness - leaving a bucket of water near the foot of a ladder, not changing a lamp bulb properly, not roping off newly painted or dangerous places, leaving bits of wood, shackles, all kinds of spare parts lying around the deck for people to trip over - not checking that a lifeboat is safe to lower before you lower it - and so on. ……For our pantomime audience, I came down a ladder and stepped into a bucket of water placed nearby, causing me to fall over. To my surprise several sailors gasped with horror and rushed forward to pick me up! But our panto seemed to work, got the safety message across. A ship is a potentially dangerous workplace, especially at sea - liable to move in all three dimensions without warning. If all hands realise this and THINK what they are doing, accidents become less common.”
From these two incidents it is clear that language is important and trying to “make do”, whilst possibly entertaining, may not be the best way forward. At the moment we’re only examining communications between the crew themselves; when we start trying to communicate with others outside the ship, life can be just as difficult!
What are internal communications like on your ship and what are the chances of a real misunderstanding leading to an accident? What could your Company do to help?
If you have a concern you wish to discuss in confidence, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Safe sailing,
Mike Powell
Director (Maritime) CHIRP
SECURITY
There is often much made of the fact that ports should be taking their security responsibilities a little more seriously – it seems that this is a wake-up call that hit the Philippine port of Zambonga City with a real bang last month.
Two maritime policemen and a suspected Abu Sayyaf militant were killed in a firefight inside the busy Zambonga City port, officials said.
Officials said a port security guard was also wounded in the gun battle, that erupted after policemen stopped the man for a body inspection. They found in the man's backpack a magazine for .45-caliber pistol.
"The man quickly pulled a pistol from under his shirt and shot the two policemen and one of our security guards. The assailant was later killed," said Chief Inspector Francisco Clavecillas, the port police chief.
He said aside from the magazine, they also recovered a Qur'an with Arabic text in the man's backpack.
"The man was well trained to handle his gun. He was quick and really trained to kill. He was a determined assassin and we suspect that he was a member of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group," Clavecillas said.
It was also stated that more security guards and policemen are to be deployed in the port to thwart possible retaliation.
Zamboanga has one of the busiest ports in the country, and the city had been previously bombed by the Abu Sayyaf and used by the group as a hideout and springboard for terror attacks in the region.
Now despite this actual terrorist attack on a major port did the Philippines raise their maritime security level? We have been unable to gain any advice on the subject, which is a little worrying in itself. It also seems that the attack, while making the pages of a few Filipino newspapers has had little coverage elsewhere.
Hello! Wakey wakey…terrorists have just attacked a port!
Oh what’s the point of making a fuss? It’ll only put the insurance premiums up, and make more work for the crew.
According to a report in Gulf News it seems that if you want to flag States to act – you have to see real action. With the worsening Lebanon-Israel situation “a number” of Flag-states have issued directives to raise the ISPS security levels onboard their vessels while transiting the affected region.
Read that again, note that only “a number” have decided that shelling, a naval blockade and missiles criss-crossing the air warrant an increase in security.
Urgent memo to the rest of the flag States – better tune to CNN and get those levels lifted sharpish!
While we are on the subject of ports not playing ball when it comes to security, The US Coast Guard has issued a timely statement confirming that it will not shirk from taking action against ports that do not take security seriously.
The statement surrounded the fact the USCG had been forced to shut down operations at a marine terminal when it found that there was no facility security officer present.
After receiving an anonymous tip, Coast Guard inspectors went to the Ceres Marine Terminal Inc. and found that they had been without a facility security officer at the terminal for more than a week. After discovering this, Coast Guard inspectors immediately put a halt to operations.
The terminal company rapidly sent a replacement facility security officer, so that the facility could become compliant with Marine Transportation Security Act (MTSA) regulations again. USCG inspectors then interviewed the individual to test his knowledge of facility security and the terminal resumed normal operations.
If the Coast Guard issues a notice of violation, a maximum penalty of $10,000 could be pursued.
A port facility security officer is responsible for overseeing and maintaining the security of their facility and ensuring it is in accordance with all ISPS/MTSA regulations.
Now while this is seemingly good news for port security we have seem something of a backward step last month, as The IMO issued a Circular relating to training of persons to be assigned as ship security officers.
According to the new ruling if a person holding a certificate of proficiency as a ship security officer is temporarily unavailable, the Administration may permit a seafarer having an “understanding of the ship security plan” to serve as the ship security officer until the next port of call or for a period not exceeding 30 days, whichever is greater.
In such circumstances, the Company should inform the competent authorities of the next port(s) of call of the arrangements in place. The amendment comes into effect on 1 January 2008 . STCW.6/Circ.9
Now let’s hope that in such an instance that all pirates, terrorists, drug smugglers and stowaways play fair and wait until a proper SSO is back on board.
As subscribers of Shiptalk will have recently read, in our “ISPS: Two Years on” special report, the effect of maritime security on shipping has been a case of the good, bad, the ugly…and the ineffective.
So after all the guessing and speculation it is interesting to start to get some tangible evidence as to whether ISPS is actually making ships and ports more secure.
This empirical evidence is in the form of the latest IMO issued a Circular summarising stowaway incidents reported to the organization during 2005. During the year, there were 96 reported stowaway cases, involving 209 stowaways.
From the information received and used for the analysis, it emerges that in most cases stowaways were found in car decks (29 cases), in cargo holds (11 cases), in containers (10 cases), in engine rooms (3 cases) in lifeboats (2 cases), in terminal buildings (3 cases) and on decks (2 cases). In 36 reports the location was not specified.
From the statistics it has emerged that:
106 were from West African countries,
47 from areas of the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the North Sea;
29 from South America, North America and the Caribbean Regions,
22 stowaways from countries of the Indian Ocean and East Africa, and
5 from regions non-stated.
From the same information, it also emerges that 1 stowaway died, 2 stowaways were hospitalized, 3 escaped, 2 were arrested and 5 requested political asylum.
Past years have seen the following number of stowaway incidents - so we can see that since the ISPS Code was implemented in 2004 there has been a steady decline.
265 cases reported in 2002
185 cases reported in 2003
146 cases reported in 2004
96 cases reported in 2005
This is a pattern of decline that is continuing as according to the IMO , as the first quarter of 2006 saw just 4 instances reported.
This continuing decline in stowaway incidents backs the anecdotal evidence reported from a number of P&I Clubs that stowaway cases are thankfully receding - and while we can debate the overall success of ISPS, there are seemingly at least some elements that are working.
GENERAL
The International Maritime Organization ( IMO ) officially launched a new, and long overdue, award for exceptional bravery at sea last month.
The award will provide “international recognition for those who, at the risk of losing their own life, perform acts of exceptional bravery, displaying outstanding courage in attempting to save life at sea or in attempting to prevent or mitigate damage to the marine environment.”
IMO Secretary General Efthimios Mitropoulos said he was sure the award would do much not only to honour ‘those who by their actions continue the great maritime traditions of self sacrifice and help for others in distress” but to raise awareness and the visibility of shipping.
Nominations are now being sought for the 2007 award with a deadline of April 15, 2007 . They will be made by UN member states, inter-governmental organisations and NGOs with consultative status at IMO .
The award is expected to focus on the degree of risk involved during the operation to human life and the environment, weather conditions and the location of the accident, skills and leadership demonstrated, and acts of exceptional courage. As if to highlight the dangers of the sea the award will also be granted posthumously.
The winner of the Award will be presented with a medal, which will be accompanied by a certificate citing the act of exceptional bravery performed. The awards will be made at a special ceremony to be held, in London or elsewhere, on the occasion of World Maritime Day or another major IMO occasion.
Seafarers have always displayed courage, and Shiptalk thinks such an award is most welcome. Anything that can boost the image of seafarers – and paint them as the brave, hardworking souls they truly are, must be good for everyone.
Now here is an exercise in p rob lem solving for you, dear readers.
You have been drinking all day in the pleasant Welsh town of Holyhead , as you await your ferry back home to Ireland . In all the excitement, however, you manage to consume one or two sherries too many and miss said ferry.
Do you a) Shrug, order more drinks and simply wait for the next ferry? Or b) Steal the nearest boat and head off into the mist to find the Emerald Isle?
I’ll give you a clue…you should do a), but it seems that in a drunken stupor b) will appear to be the quickest easiest solution.
Which brings is nicely to the fact that two Irish men who stole a fishing trawler after missing their ferry had to be rescued off the UK coast where they were going merrily round in circles.
After hours at sea, the men called what they thought was the Irish coastguard for help.
In fact, the pair were just 12 miles north of where they started in Holyhead and had called the UK Coastguard.
The men, aged 19 and 20, took the 30ft trawler, “Le Bonheur”, from Holyhead and headed into the Irish Sea at around 8pm on Saturday 15 July.
The men steered at full throttle, believing that they would soon be home, but by 10pm they realised that they were totally lost and put out a Mayday call.
"They thought they were speaking to coastguards in Ireland ," said Ray Steadman, of the local lifeboat station. "They were very surprised when they realised they were talking to Holyhead. They had no experience of the sea whatever."
The men were arrested for "taking a conveyance" and released with a caution. They were then rearrested on suspicion of criminal damage after Paul Jones, the owner of the £38,000 boat, complained about the engine.
Last night Mr Jones, 38, a fisherman, said: "I am very upset. This is my livelihood. They revved the engine up to maximum and left it like that."
He estimated that the rescue, involving an RAF helicopter, the lifeboat and coastguard, had cost £25,000.
Inspector Chris Jolley, of North Wales police, said "p rob ably alcohol had a part to play" in the theft…we suspect just a touch of stupidity too.
WHAT’S ON WHERE?
ISF Manning and Training Conference 2006
The International Shipping Federation is holding its an annual one-day Manning and Training Conference in London on Wednesday 6 th September 2006 at the Royal Society of Medicine.
This event has become well-established and popular in the maritime industry and is aimed at personnel directors and senior managers from international ship operating companies, or anyone interested in maritime manpower issues. It is attended by about 240 people and viewed as a principal event for those involved in employing seafarers.
The keynote speaker this year is Mr Kari Tapiola, Executive Director at ILO. Other topics include the fatigue and safe manning, reviewing STCW 95, seafarer health checks, dealing with a blame culture and more…
Full details can be found at:
http://www.marisec.org/isfconference
or by contacting:
Mrs Shantel Ryan
ISF
12 Carthusian Street
London
EC1M 6EZ
Tel: +44 20 7417 2855
Fax: +44 20 7417 8877
Email: shantel.ryan@marisec.org
COLLISION – CONTROLLING THE CHAOS - The Master’s Role
THE NAUTICAL INSTITUTE NORTH EAST BRANCH
The Mariner and the Maritime Law
COLLISION – CONTROLLING THE CHAOS - The Master’s Role
10 – 11 November 2006 , The Hilton Newcastle Gateshead
Collisions are amongst the most traumatic accidents that happen at sea.
They should never happen, but they do. Most are caused by human error and all too often are the result of a fundamental failure of the seaman’s most basic duty – to keep a good lookout.
The aftermath of a collision is a difficult time for the ship’s master. He must demonstrate leadership, ensure the safety of life, property and the environment, look after his owners’ interests and cargo, and he must manage the investigations and inquiries that will begin as soon as his ship reaches a place of safety.
This, the fifteenth international seminar in the highly successful Mariner andthe Maritime Law series, will examine the position of the master in the aftermath of a collision. Speakers and delegates will share their experience in areas that may concern the Master such as:
- Who are all these people coming onboard my ship?
- On site – what are the surveyors doing?
- Self Help – how to keep upright and afloat after a collision
- Inside your head – how traumatic events affect our behaviour.
- Back at head office – what are your managers are doing?
- On screen – what are the media doing?
- Why aircraft don’t collide
- Who is to blame? Criminal and civil liabilities for marine casualties
Over 100 delegates from around the world are expected to attend this topical programme. Everyone with an interest in seafarers, the environment, ship management and international trade will have something to contribute and something to learn.
Please download the full programme and registration form for more details.
Alternatively, please contact:
Denise Huddleston at niseminar@nepia.com or phone +44 (0)191 232 5221
As London , and most other capitals of commerce melt into the August haze, lets turn a thought to the late lazy days of summer - September to be precise, and how divine it would be to be stood atop the deck of a mighty Tall Ship.
Yes, you can see it now can’t you… Pimms No 1 Cup in hand, while a cooling breeze gently nuzzles your neck and you laugh and chat with the fine and beautiful young people of our noble industry.
Well dream no longer my friends – as The Liverpool Maritime Graduates and Masters Association (LMGMA) invite you to do just that.
Did you study at Liverpool John Moores University , (or its predecessor Liverpool Polytechnic)? If so, then you are most welcome to attend the upcoming LMGMA summer drinks reception.
The event is to be held on the evening of September 14 th (starting at 1800) in London ’s West India Docks, aboard a very special vessel, the Jubilee Sailing Trust’s “Tenacious” - the largest wooden tall ship of her kind to be built in the UK in the last 100 years.
LMGMA is the Liverpool maritime social and networking alumni, and they are looking for more members – see www.lmgma.co.uk for more details, and to sign up for the late summer spectacular….neck nuzzles not guaranteed.
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