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SHIPTALK'S NEWSLETTER TO A FRIEND
Dear Readers,
Welcome to this the January 2006 edition of the Shiptalk newsletter.
Welcome to this the Christmas/New Year 2005 edition of the Shiptalk newsletter. Whilst we reflect on another year almost over our thoughts go out to those at sea over the festive period away from loved ones and far from home. Fortunately they are in safe hands looked after by the Mission to Seafarer’s who this year celebrate 150 years of caring for seafarers.
To mark their 150 th anniversary they have re-launched their website we would encourage you to visit their new look site and make a donation to support the invaluable work they provide to support all at sea.
Best wishes for the festive season and a happy new year to one and all.
Shiptalk.com……reading you loud and clear
Thanks go out to Tor Olsen for this month’s featured image from ShiptalkIMages.com . Why not sell you maritime imagery on ShiptalkImages.com
LEAD ARTICLE
Chirp agree to maintain Shiptalk safety column
Shiptalk and the Confidential Hazardous Incident Reporting Programme have been linked since the launch of CHIRP in July 2003 and this, hopefully regular, column is a logical development of that relationship. Shiptalk offers a variety of subjects of interest to seafarers and CHIRP offers safety related information drawn from the experiences of seafarers and a reporting facility of use in certain circumstances.
Some of you may already be familiar with CHIRP, but I often find that it’s worth spending a little time spent explaining what the Programme is about. We all know that around 70% of accidents at sea involve human factors, but do you know how many human factors incidents are reported through your company SMS? The answer is often “not many”; in fact, in research conducted in aviation they found that only 3% of incidents reported by flight crew involved human factors. The problem then is why, when human factors contribute to the majority of accidents, do they represent a minority of the reports submitted to companies through their SMS?
As you might expect, the answer is not simple! For a start, human factors training for seafarers is not commonplace and therefore, although there is a significant amount of “common sense” involved, seafarers may not be looking for the human factors elements to begin with! Research has also shown that there are a number of real and perceived restrictions on reporting and CHIRP has encountered many of these during its first three years of operation, including:
- I almost collided with another ship and it was my fault; how can I report that to the Company?
- The hours of rest records for the engineers are being falsified, but I think the Company knows and if I report it I’ll be sacked.
- It’s always been this way and it’s been reported before and the Company are not interested in doing anything.
- It’s down to bad design, but the Company don’t have the resources to pursue it, so we’ve just fixed it onboard.
- The audit/survey was a load of rubbish, but it suits everyone to keep it quiet.
These are just a few paraphrased examples of the reports CHIRP has received and they also illustrate why reports are not made through Company SMS. Seafarers are also often reluctant to report to the relevant authorities.
So we’re sometimes in a situation where important information may not be reported to and acted upon either by a Company or a Flag/Coastal State, even though these should be the seafarers’ first choices for raising safety concerns. CHIRP is intended to make sure there is an avenue for these issues to be raised, forwarded to the relevant Company and/or Flag/Coastal State and, if appropriate, dealt with; hopefully you’ll never need it, but at least you know it’s there.
Safe sailing and best wishes for 2006.
Mike Powell
SEAFARER CAREERS
The world fleet is short of 10,000 officers — 2% of requirements — according to the new edition of the most comprehensive study of the subject available.
Although the deficit is in percentage terms only half the total projected five years ago, it may be particularly noticeable on certain types of ship, particularly tankers, the sponsors said.
Broadly speaking, there is a requirement to have one cadet on every ship to maintain seafarer supplies.
BIMCO and the International Shipping Federation (ISF) have conducted a survey of the global workforce every five years since 1990. According to this year’s findings, the present supply is 466,000 officers and 721,000 ratings. Demand is estimated at 476,000 officers and 586,000 ratings.
BIMCO and ISF highlight four key issues emerging from the research:
- the continuing shift in supply from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries to the Far East , southeast Asia and eastern Europe.
- increasing overall demand for seafarers, with particular pressure on certain grades and ship types.
- the OECD officers are ageing with a lack of replacements.
- There is a need to increase training and recruitment and to reduce wastage.
We at Shiptalk recently spotted another phenomenon that may be having an effect on the shortage of young officers coming into the industry – Dubai .
Yes, Dubai is full of young Indians, Filipinos, Russians and Ukrainians…many of which may well have turned their back on the traditional jobs at sea for the chance to move to the UAE with its pavements of gold, and ski slope.
Garage forecourts and shopping malls are full of these young men, pumping gas, wiping windscreens and packing grocery bags…thousands upon thousands of them…in fact probably the 10,000 that the BIMCO study have “lost”.
If a career at sea remains less enticing than stocking shop shelves, then the 2010 BIMCO study will show an even bigger shortfall.
LEGAL
Fifteen Russian sailors have been sentenced to six months in prison after they admitted stealing 11,300 tonnes of Nigerian crude oil. The seafarers were immediately released, as they had already spent two years in custody in Nigeria .
The 15 men had pleaded guilty to reduced charges of illegal oil possession. They were initially charged with oil-smuggling and economic sabotage, which would have led to much longer prison sentences.
They were arrested aboard the Greek-owned tanker “African Pride” by security forces in October 2003 and charged with stealing the oil.
The ship and its cargo later vanished from the custody of the Nigerian navy. Two Rear Admirals were court-martialled for their involvement in the disappearance. The ship has not been recovered, though Nigerian media have reported a sighting in the Arabian Gulf .
Nigeria , the world's eighth-biggest oil exporter, is estimated to lose between 100,000 and 250,000 barrels daily to oil thieves.
IMO – Summary of 24th Assembly
The IMO recently concluded the 24 th meeting of the Assembly. There was, as ever much to discuss, and the highlights were the adoption of a number of new resolutions, and a renewed determination to get to grips with piracy.
- A resolution was adopted for a voluntary scheme for members to audit their administration and enforcement of IMO provisions.
- A resolution was adopted calling for the issue of piracy and armed robbery against ships in waters off the coast of Somalia to be brought to the attention of the United Nations Security Council.
- A resolution was adopted urging all States to respect the basic human rights of seafarers involved in maritime accidents.
- The Assembly agreed that the IMO should adopt a new legally-binding instrument on ship recycling.
The Assembly also tentatively agreed to hold a Conference in Nairobi , Kenya during 2007 to adopt a new Wreck Removal Convention.
Full details of the meeting and the results can be accessed at the IMO website – www.imo.org
MARITIME SAFETY
Ah the good old days, how we miss them…pick up the VHF, speak to the ship “off your port side” and promptly collide. None of this modern techno malarkey, just good honest collisions. You knew where you were, then along came AIS and made accidents a thing for the history books.
Well not quite…to the extent that the Australian Maritime Safety Authority have been compelled to issue a Marine Notice ( 13/2005) warning shipmasters and watch-keepers of the incorrect data spewing from some ship borne AIS units.
They state that from the numerous reports of incorrect AIS data, three broad areas of concern have apparently been identified:
- Incorrect or incomplete static data, this includes name, call sign, MMSI , IMO number etc. Often, the MMSI provided by the supplier is left unaltered. Shipmasters must ensure that correct static data is entered and transmitted at all times. Come on guys…if you can’t even put the ship’s name in – we’re all in trouble!
- Failure to input correct voyage related data. For example, incorrect or no information is entered in the destination field. In some cases, AIS units are being switched off in port. When in port, ships should comply with port regulations for the operation of AIS. D’OH!
- Even more serious is the issue of incorrect dynamic information such as position, heading, course and speed over ground. Problems stemming from analogue to digital conversion of gyrocompass information and those caused by interfacing older equipment have the potential to jeopardise safety, particularly when AIS information is used to assist in making collision avoidance decisions.
See we told you all this progress would end in tears…
As readers will be aware the EU has just released details of the “Erika III ” package of maritime safety measures – part of this new regime is the establishment of areas of refuge for stricken vessels, and the means to assist them – all in an attempt to avoid another “Prestige”.
As part of this process The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has finalised contracts for the chartering of oil recovery vessels to be stationed in four priority areas around the EU coast.
A pool of five vessels will cover the Baltic Sea under the coordination of the Finnish company Lamor Corporation. The French company Louis Dreyfus Armateurs will provide one large vessel for the Atlantic Coast and western approaches to the Channel, and the Maltese company Tankship Management will operate in the Mediterranean Sea .
The following response capacity arrangements have been contracted by the Agency:
- The Baltic Arrangement: (Tinka, Breeze, Kasla, Ophelia and Otilia)
- The Atlantic and Channel Arrangement: (Ile-de-Bréhat)
- The Mediterranean Arrangement: ( Mistra Bay )
- Operational fund (to cover accelerated mobilisation and exercises)
- Overall total: € 18,680,000 (over a period of 3 years)
The contracted vessels will, under normal circumstances, carry out their day-to-day commercial activities. In the event of a large oil spill, and following a request for assistance from a Member state, the vessel will cease its usual activity and, at short notice, will be transformed into and operate as an oil recovery vessel. The contractor is obliged to respond positively to all requests for assistance regardless of the spill location.
The network of vessels will be further strengthened in 2006 and EU Member States will be able to rely on “a reserve for disasters” which will normally be available within a maximum of 24 hours”.
One of the major difficulties in establishing areas of refuge has been the protest of locals, crying out against damaged vessels being brought to their “back yard”. In light of this EMSA have not released details of specific “refuge” locations – but if you plot the operational areas of these vessels and draw a rhumb line to the nearest sheltered bay –our guess is that you may not be far from discovering whether your beachfront villa overlooks a potential “old tanker’s” graveyard. Watch those property prices tumble!
Full details of the EMSA scheme can be found at EMSA Pollution Response
Erika III what’s it all about?
The European Commission has instigated its 3rd maritime safety package. The new set of measures, hailed imaginatively as, “Erika III ”, are aimed at boosting shipping and adding to the safety of EU waters.
The EU instruments aim to improve current rules, such as those on port State inspections, the provision of ports/areas of refuge and a drive to reward “quality” vessels by improving conditions for their competitiveness i.e. bothering them less.
At the moment, EU member states are only obliged to inspect 25 percent of the ships docking at their ports. Some countries, citing lack of time or staff, check only "easy vessels", usually new and in good shape, to meet their quotas. This is obviously a waste of time and resources, and actually discriminates against “good” ships.
The commission's goal is to try to inspect them all, with a special focus on ships carrying dangerous cargo or vessels flying flags of convenience from countries whose regulations are considered a risk to shipping.
The second part of the package, unveiled by EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot, is aimed at reducing waiting times in ports for "quality" vessels.
Other elements include the careful tracking of maritime traffic, including a request that member states establish safe areas of refuge where vessels in trouble will be able to seek shelter or be taken in times of distress.
The new draft rules, and seven directives, still need approval by the EU Council of Ministers and Parliament before they become law, a process that usually takes about two years.
Full details of these new EU measures can be found at the European Maritime Safety Agency site /www.emsa.eu.int
A U.S. Coast Guard plane and Bahamian naval boats have been used in the search for a missing Canadian woman, who is believed to have fallen overboard from a cruise ship off the Bahamas .
Jill Begora, 59, was reported missing on December 11 th by her husband as the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Jewel of the Seas pulled into Nassau , the Bahamian capital, U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Dana Warr said.
The ship's crew filed a missing person's report with the Coast Guard after a search of the vessel turned up no sign of Begora. "They did a full ship search and there was no evidence that she had left the ship in Nassau ," leading authorities to believe she may have fallen overboard.
A Coast Guard C-130 plane conducted an overhead search about 40 kilometres northeast of Nassau , the area where the ship was when Begora was first reported missing.
The U-S Coast Guard spokesman said that despite searching for most of the weekend, rescuers have found no sign of Begora, and that the Coast Guard has no plans to continue the search.
The cruise ship arrived early Sunday 12 th December into Fort Lauderdale , where Coast Guard officials conducted an onboard investigation. The findings will be turned over to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This worrying trend of passengers being lost over the side is becoming a thorny issue for the cruise industry. As the number of such losses reaches 14 in a two-year period, many bereaved families are starting to pursue legal claims for compensation. The issue has also gained the interest of the US Government, and a Senate commission has commenced an investigation.
Shiptalk believes that the cruise companies, need to attack this problem in three different ways. They need to stop it happening…very difficult we realise. They need to have means of alerting the officers immediately someone falls overboard…the technology exists, but at a cost. They also need to be more compassionate in dealing with the bereaved – there are too many stories emerging of relatives being abandoned ashore with no support from the departed vessel or company.
It’s a big ask, but its surely the least they can do!
MARITIME SECURITY
Suez Canal raises security levels and wider implications
Press reports from the Middle East have warned that the Suez Canal and ships transiting the area have been identified as targets for a terrorist attack.
Egyptian Canal officials and security sources stated that the warnings came from Egypt 's embassy in Denmark . "The Egyptian Embassy in Copenhagen sent warnings to the Suez Canal Authority saying it had received information about possibilities of al-Qaeda carrying out terrorist attacks inside the canal waterway against passing ships," one authority official was quoted as saying.
As a result the Egyptian government has put its installations along the Suez Canal on high alert. Egyptian security forces barred fishermen from the waterway and closed some roads leading to the canal, especially in the area between Ismailia and the northern entrance of Port Said .
Security measures have been intensified along the patrol roads parallel to the canal, though Suez Canal officials have stated that shipping in the canal, has not been affected by the measures.
This is an interesting challenge now for the ISPS Code provisions within ships and flag States – what will be the response?
Put simply the ships transiting the Canal, are under a “heightened” threat of attack…and as such vessels should be ordered to initiate the response within the ISPS Code, which means that flag States should ensure that their vessels in the vicinity of the Suez Canal move to “ Security Level 2 ”.
Security Level 2 is, “the level applying for as long as there is a heightened risk of a security incident”, and means the level for which appropriate additional protective security measures shall be maintained for a period of time as a result of heightened risk of a security incident.
There are obvious political and operational implications for moving to Security Level 2 – not least the fact that many vessels have yet to increase their security since July 2004 and this is the first real examination of their responses and security strategies.
Will the guidance within the Ship Security Plans be effective? It might have looked good on paper to say that the ship would double up all watches, but how will crews now cope and keep within their STCW “Hours of Rest”?
Will certain flag States be able to make effective decisions and communicate them to their vessels?
It looks like the first real test for the new maritime security regime – lets hope everything works to plan, and that the ISPS provisions don’t cause more mayhem than the terrorists they are meant to be guarding against.
Shiptalk advise that if a vessel is heading to the Suez Canal, then the Company Security Officer should contact the flag State for guidance and instructions on whether to raise the Security Level.
Somali pirates begin to think twice
Many thanks to Andrew Mwangura, from the Kenyan chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Program. Andrew wrote to inform us that the “MV Torgelow” and her crew of 9 Kenyans and a Sri Lankan master have finally been released by gunmen off the Somali coast.
It is understood that Somali merchants paid an unknown amount of money as ransom to free the vessel. The ship then proceeded to the makeshift port of El-maan to discharge 850 tons of general cargo.
The release of “MV Torgelow” leaves Thai ship “MV Laemthong Glory” laden with 14,000tons of sugar in the hands of the pirates and three Taiwanese fishing vessels in the custody of the local coast guard.
The “ MV Torgelow” was captured on October 8 by pirates while on her way to deliver supplies to another ship that had been released by pirates, the MV Semlow, which had reported mechanical problems.
Three other fishing ships captured on August 15 – “FV Zhong Yi 218”, “FV Cheng Qing Feng” and “FV Hsin Lien Feng 36” – with a total of 48 Asian crew members are also in custody, one of whom, is reported to be seriously ill.
They have been arrested by the National Volunteer Coast Guard after they were allegedly found fishing illegally. The ships' crews, however, claimed to have been given permission to fish by a local warlord, an offer the volunteer “coast guard” rejected.
The coast guards are demanding 5,000 US dollars per head as a fine for illegally fishing in Somali waters.
As regular Shiptalk readers will be aware there have been Thirty-two incidents reported along Somali waters since March 15 this year.
Andrew Mwangura, has been working tirelessly on behalf of the seafarers affected and we at Shiptalk wish him well in his continuing efforts to stamp out piracy and to support the victims of such crime.
Malaysia yet to sign on the line
Despite the renewed vigour with which governments in SE Asia have set about fighting piracy, it has emerged that one of the major stalwarts of these efforts has yet to ratify the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Anti-Piracy.
So far only Cambodia , Japan , Laos and Singapore
have ratified the agreement, and the Asian Shipowners Forum has urged
the remaining Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) members,
Malaysia , China , South Korea , India , Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to
endorse the agreement quickly.
The shipowners’ body which met in Singapore earlier this month, said
the ratification of the agreement by all the countries in the region, would
allow the establishment of the information- sharing centre, which will facilitate
communication and information exchange among the member countries on piracy
matters.
The meeting, which was attended by the Malaysian
Shipowners Association, noted that a number of issues relating to the
implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS)
Code still need to be addressed.
These include the pre-arrival information for ships, identification of officials
wishing to board a ship, and the long-range identification and tracking of
ships.
The European Commission has announced proposals aimed at managing the flood of migrants into the EU across the Mediterranean Sea .
2005 has seen a number of high profile cases, in which migrants have been injured or killed while trying to navigate into the EU across some treacherous seaways, particularly from North Africa .
With this as a backdrop November 2005, saw the European Commission publish its future tactics on migration management, with the aim of s trengthening co-operation on border security, an aim that includes proposals for a Mediterranean coastal patrol network, capable of intercepting migrants.
The Commission stresses that the patrols would only stop vessels carrying illegal immigrants, thereby “protecting legal immigration and stopping the loss of life caused by such illegal traffic”.
The recent case of a vessel full of immigrants refusing aid off Gozo before beaching onto the Sicilian coast (see Shiptalk December for details) has brought the need for effective and powerful patrols in the region into sharp focus.
While the Commission stresses only the “humanitarian” elements of saving migrants from the seas, we can see that such patrols may well adopt further anti-terror and anti-drugs roles. In fact many observers see this as a potential first step towards a “European Super Navy”, and so the step towards ever-closer co-operation between the armed forces of EU States is one that is causing much interest.
Full details of the EU proposals can be found at EU Green Paper on Migration Control
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