In this issue:

STABILITY QUESTIONED

A MODEL WORLD

TRAINING REUNION

New research into the

Estonia ferry disaster
has raised fresh fears
over stability standards

A special report on the

history of ship models
and their relevance in
the modern world

As cadets from the TS

Otaio reunited last
month, we look at the
training ship role today

page 26

pages 30-31

pages 22-23

Telegraph

the journal of

Volume 41
Number 07
July 2008
2.50

QE2 masters meet up for a right royal farewell

NINE past and present QE2
masters are pictured right
meeting the Queen on her
farewell visit to the famous
liner in Southampton last
month.
The royal visit was made to
mark both the pending
departure of the ship from the
Cunard fleet and the 55th
anniversary of the Queens
coronation.
Pictured left to right with the
Queen are: back row Captains
Keith Stanley (appointed
1984), Bob Arnott (1976),
Robin Woodall (1987), Mick
Bates (2004), Ray Heath
(2001), Laurence Portet
(1977), Peter Jackson (1973),
Roland Hasell (1997); and front
row Commodore John BurtonHall (1990), Capt Ian McNaught
(2003), Capt David Perkins
(2006) and Commodore Ron
Warwick (1990).
The Queen toured the vessel
meeting many of the crew
including some who have
served on the ship ever since it

entered service in 1969, and

others who went to the
Falklands when QE2 was
requisitioned as a troop carrier.
The QE2s newest and
longest-serving female crew
members played a role during
her visit. While on the bridge,
the Queen signaled to cadet
Jennifer Haynes to sound QE2s
whistle in salute to Cunards
current flagship, Queen Mary 2.
And after disembarking, the
Queen was presented with 55
red roses one for each year
since her coronation by QE2
executive housekeeper Roz
Price Evans.
Since the Queen launched
QE2 on 20 September 1967,
the ship has travelled more
than 5.6m nm the equivalent
of 13 return trips to the Moon.
In November QE2 will sail off
to start new life as a luxury
hotel and entertainment hub in
Dubai. Nautilus UK has met the
company to discuss the
implications for officers see
page 4.

BILL OF RIGHTS ON COURSE

Nautilus UK welcomes fresh progress towards introduction of 2006 Maritime Labour Convention
NAUTILUS UK has welcomed fresh
progress towards the introduction of the
2006 Maritime Labour Convention
(MLC) the so-called bill of rights for
seafarers.
The MLC will introduce new and
improved standards to govern working
conditions at sea, and needs to be ratified
by at least 30 states representing 33% of
world gross tonnage before it comes into
effect.
So far, Liberia, the Bahamas and the
Marshall Islands have signed the treaty
but there are reports that Panama is now
on the verge of ratification. And early this
month European unions and employers

will formally sign an agreement that will

help pave the way for EU-wide implementation.
General secretary Brian Orrell chaired
a meeting of the ITF seafarers section
committee last month which considered
the latest developments on the MLC. We
are positive about the real progress that is
being made, and confident that we are on
course for the MLC to come into effect in
2010 or 2011, he said.
The ITF meeting approved an
increased priority to work on the MLC,
including the launch of a programme of
training for ITF inspectors so that they
can fit in with port state control inspec-

tions dealing with the labour aspects of

the convention, Mr Orrell added.
The importance of the convention was
stressed by ITF general secretary David
Cockroft in a speech to the International
Labour Organisations conference in
Geneva last month.
He told the meeting that the bill of
rights will be a major step forward for
shipping. The worlds first global industry now has the worlds first enforceable
international labour standard, he added.
Support for the implementation of the
new standards has come from classification societies. RINA has introduced a new
notation that covers the accommodation

standards for the convention, whilst

Lloyds Register has announced a new voluntary assessment programme to help the
industry comply with the requirements
ahead of their introduction.
LR said the bill of rights will have a
direct and positive impact on crew recruitment and retention and would help to
address such issues as fatigue, workplace
accidents and working and living conditions.
ILO development manager Roland
Ives said the convention could come into
force earlier than expected, and it was
therefore vital that owners take a proactive approach to its requirements.

The ITF seafarers section conference

also discussed concerns about the slow
international uptake of the ILO convention 185 on seafarers identity documents.
Twelve countries have ratified the convention, although none of these are major
maritime labour supplying countries. And
a number including Australia, Finland,
Italy, Singapore and the US have
decided not to ratify it at this time.
However, Mr Orrell said there were
encouraging signs that the US which
has developed its own system of transport
worker ID will adopt that biometric bar
code systems which form a key element of
the ILO convention.

newsfront 213 letters 1618 reports 1931 international 1415 appointments 3445 crossword 32

2
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

INSTITUTE ELECTS
NEW PRESIDENT
PICTURED right is Captain Richard
Coates, who was last month elected
as the new president of the Nautical
Institute at the organisations
annual meeting in Antwerp.
Capt Coates has been a member
of the Institute for almost 30 years,
and succeeds Maersk master
Captain Nicholas Cooper in the post

CARDIFF HOSTS FATIGUE

AT SEA CONFERENCE

which he will occupy for the next

two years.
Currently operations manager at
the Humber Sea Terminal, Capt
Coates has served on a wide variety
of ship types, as well as a first class
Humber pilotage.
In his inaugural address, he
stressed the importance of the role
of the Nautical Institute. Our
opinions and experience become
ever more worthwhile in a world
where core values are easily
forgotten or overlooked, he added.

NAUTILUS UK is taking part in a special

seminar at Cardiff University early this month
to present the findings of research into seafarer
fatigue and shipboard technology.
The event which is aimed at all sections
of the shipping industry, as well as regulators
and enforcement officers is being held on
Tuesday 8 July at the School of Psychology at
Cardiff University.

Speakers will include Nautilus UK general

secretary Brian Orrell, Paul Coley, assistant
director at the Maritime & Coastguard Agency,
and Professor Andy Smith, who led the major
six-year government-industry research
programme into seafarer fatigue, which
produced a detail report on the problem last
year.
As well as presentations on the fatigue and
technology studies, the event will include time
for discussion of the issues.
Members wishing to take part in the free
seminar should register via the website:
www.seafarersfatigue.com

nautilus uk at work

Peter praised for exceptional UK PRESSED

service for seafarer welfare ON HOURS OF
NAUTILUS UK deputy general
secretary Peter McEwen is
pictured right with Captain
Paul Robinson, chairman of
the NUMAST Welfare Funds,
and Liz Richardson, director
of the Unions welfare
services, after being
presented with a prestigious
award for his work on behalf
of seafarers.
Mr McEwen is the 2008
recipient of the Merchant
Navy Welfare Boards award
for services to seafarers
welfare presented at the
Boards annual meeting at
the end of May but told the
Telegraph he is keen to share
the credit for the
achievement.
Although its a personal
award in that its given to an
individual, I see it as being for
the work that Nautilus and the
Numast Welfare Funds have
done over the years and, in
particular, pushing forward
the reviews which have taken
place since the Maritime
Charities Funding Group
(MCFG) research report that
we supported, he said. Its
important that this work
should continue.
Mr McEwen pointed to the
wide range of welfare work in

WORK RULES
Nautilus addresses UN agency

which Nautilus is involved

including running its own
extensive residential and care
facilities at Mariners Park, as
well as working through the
MNWB and with the
International Labour
Organisation and other global
bodies.
So our work with welfare
is not synonymous with
charities, as welfare is not just
charity, he added.

General secretary Brian

Orrell commented: Peter has
worked with all organisations
concerned with the welfare of
serving and former seafarers
to ensure they cooperate and
work together in the interests
of seafarers.
Actively participating in a
number of organisations, he
has fostered cooperation and
mutual support, and has
carried these principles

through his work with, for

example, the Seamens
Hospital Society, Seafarers
UK and the Mission to
Seafarers, he added. It was
with the encouragement of
Peter that the MCFG
commissioned research that
resulted in groundbreaking
work that will set the stage for
the development of maritime
welfare activities for decades
to come.

Charities to cooperate
THE UKs maritime charities have resolved
to step up levels of collaboration for the benefit of serving and retired seafarers and
their dependents.
A recent Maritime Charities Funding
Group (MCFG) seminar agreed objectives
that seek to build on recommendations in
its ground-breaking research report,
Supporting seafarers and their families:
challenges for the future.
The report, published last year, revealed
a higher incidence of such problems as
poverty, debt, ill health, isolation and
bereavement in the seafaring community
than among the general UK population. It
concluded that maritime charities need to
work collectively to maximise resources so
that seafarers get the support they require.

At the seminar MCFG agreed to:

promote best use of resources among the
charities, and closer cooperation with other
relevant organisations
share data and information, including on
grant applications and, where appropriate,
on funding major projects
harmonise grant-making procedures
jointly fund projects and research of overall benefit to maritime charities
promote best practice
Working to the three-year programme,
MCFG will also review and update the findings of the Supporting seafarers report,
jointly fund agreed projects for the common
benefit of maritime charities, and annually
review the progress of recommendations.
Valerie Coleman has been appointed as

the MCFG programme manager and will

facilitate projects agreed by the members,
which include the Merchant Navy Welfare
Board, NUMAST Welfare Funds, Seafarers
UK, Trinity House, the Seamens Hospital
Society and Nautilus UK. She will also
examine services provided by other organisations that could benefit seafarers, or be
used as models by maritime charities.
The MCFG has appointed a consultant to
advise on how the services provided by maritime charities could be better publicised
within the seafaring community.
The MCFG is also undertaking a major
review of maritime charities that provide
accommodation to seafarers, to establish
whether those charities require greater capital support.

THE SPECIALIST United Nations

agency the International Labour
Organisation has asked the UK
government to provide more
information about the measures it
is taking to police seafarers hours
of work and rest rules.
The call came after Nautilus
UK appeared before the ILOs
standards committee last month
to express concerns that the UK
has failed to properly implement
and enforce ILO Convention 180
on seafarers hours of work and
the manning of ships.
Following the hearing, the
committee has expressed its regret
that the UK government had
failed to provide information on
highly technical points raised by
the committee of experts in time
for it to be properly assessed.
It urged the UK to provide full
information on further measures
taken to implement the convention in its entirety, for examination
of the committee of experts at its
next session.

The committee also stated that

it hoped the government would
take all necessary measures to
ensure that seafarers hours of
work and rest were in line with the
requirements of the Maritime
Labour Convention 2006, which
it intends to ratify in the near
future.
The standards committee of
the ILO regularly reviews the
application of its conventions, and
the TUC invited us to participate
in this committee meeting to raise
a series of technical issues,
explained general secretary Brian
Orrell.
The enforcement of the hours
of work and rest measures in the
UK are of immense importance to
us and our work on fatigue, and
this will remain a priority issue, he
added. We hope this will also tie in
with the progress being made
towards the ratification and
implementation of the ILO
Maritime Labour Convention by
the UK.

BRUSSELS REBUKE OVER

EU CERTIFICATE RULES
THE EUROPEAN Commission
has warned the UK that it is facing
possible legal proceedings for failing to implement EU rules of seafarers certificates.
Brussels has announced that it
has sent reasoned opinions to the
UK, Cyprus and the Czech
Republic for failure to adopt as
agreed national legislation on the
mutual recognition of seafarers
certificates issued by the member
states.
Sending a reasoned opinion
is the last step before the
Commission lodges a formal com-

plaint to the Court of Justice in

Luxembourg.
The Commission said it had
decided to act against the UK,
Cyprus and the Czech Republic for
failure to transpose fully into
national law a 2005 directive on
certificate recognition that seeks
to foster professional mobility of
seafarers within the EU.
Under the agreement reached
when the European Parliament
and the Council adopted the
directive, member states had until
20 October 2007 to write it into
national law.

JULY 2008
Nautilus UK Telegraph
3

TANKER FOUND TO
HAVE COCKROACH
INFESTATION
A MALAYSIAN-registered
chemical tanker suffering a
serious infestation of
cockroaches was one of seven
substandard foreign flagged ships
detained in the UK during May.
The 18,453gt Kvarven was

held in the port of Eastham after

inspectors found cockroaches in
the store rooms, galley and crew
accommodation. Surveyors said
food was stored in unhygienic
conditions, with signs of flour
weevils in the dry store rooms.
The Maritime & Coastguard
Agency also detained the Dutchflagged general cargoship CFL
Performer in Grimsby after
discovering that while the
4,106gt vessel was certified as
an ECDIS ship, with no paper

SPEARHEADING RECRUITMENT DRIVE

charts, the officers were unable

to verify that they had received
any ECDIS training.
Other ships detained after
failing port state control checks
included the Panama-registered
cargoship Elvita 1, which was
detained after complaints from
ITF ship inspectors and found to
have problems including fewer
crew than required, an
inoperative 15ppm alarm, and
incomplete maintenance see
report on back page.

PICTURED left is David Scales, who was last month appointed to

spearhead the increased efforts to boost British seafarer training.
Mr Scales who has extensive experience in careers guidance
has taken up the post of full-time careers coordinator with the
Merchant Navy Training Board and will attend careers events across
the country, along with secondary school, further and higher
education college and Careers Service/Connexions visits
promoting onboard and shore-based opportunities within the
Merchant Navy and the wider maritime sector.
His appointment comes on the back of several years growth in
MNTB careers activity since the introduction of foundation degrees.

nautilus uk at work

briefly...
Emrys Williams: Nautilus UK official Garry Elliott attended a

packed service of celebration for the life of former seafarer

Emrys Williams, held at St Michaels church, Widnes,
Liverpool, last month. Emrys joined the Merchant Navy as a
rating in the second world war and served in various ranks for
more than 20 years. He represented the MN and Nautilus UK
at numerous commemorative events, including those for the
Battle of the Atlantic and Arctic convoys.
Ballast probe: investigations have been launched into the

death last month of a Filipino seafarer onboard the Bahamasflagged cruiseship Saga Rose in the port of Southampton.
Joselito Zordilla died in a ballast tanks on the vessel, and a
second seafarer was taken to hospital after being rescued by
fire crews. Investigators are said to be focussing on whether
the crew members were wearing breathing apparatus.
Delegates at the 34th annual assembly of the International Federation of Shipmasters Associations in Bremen

Stowaway deaths: an investigation was launched last

MASTERS MEET ON
CRUCIAL CONCERNS
IFSMA conference discusses piracy, fatigue, and mega boxships
SHIPMASTERS from around the
world have endorsed a Nautilus
Federation report on piracy and
security and called for government and industry action to cut
the number of attacks on merchant shipping.
A motion backing the campaign for measures to reduce the
unacceptable threat to the worlds
seafarers was passed by delegates
from 22 countries attending the
34th annual general assembly
of the International Federation
of Shipmasters Associations
(IFSMA).
It was adopted following a
presentation by Nautilus UK
assistant general secretary Mark
Dickinson, in which he described
the findings of a survey of British
and Dutch members on their
experiences of piracy and security.
Mr Dickinson said the results
had highlighted both the scale of
the attacks, the negative impact of

security restrictions on seafarers,

and the workload issues arising
from the post of shipboard security officer.
We urge IFSMA to use the
results to campaign for the long
sought-after action that is necessary to reduce this unacceptable
threat to the worlds seafarers, he
added.
The piracy motion was one of
five adopted by the IFSMA conference which was also
attended by Nautilus UK senior
national secretary Allan Graveson
and Nautilus NL international
secretary Ed Sarton.
Delegates representing 18
member associations discussed a
series of papers addressing a wide
range of professional issues,
including crowd and crisis management on passenger ships, davit
and lifeboat servicing, and the
STCW Convention.
A paper on fatigue presented

by IFSMA president Christer

Lindvall outlined the organisations campaign to secure goalbased standards for manning
levels and the work being done to
revise the STCW Convention
rules.
But, he added, it is frustrating
that governments are not taking
into account research that shows
small ships with small crews are
over-represented in collisions and
groundings where watchkeepers
have fallen asleep often working excessive hours far above what
the legislation permits.
One of the motions expressed
concern at the failure by some flag
states to properly investigate ship
losses, and urged the IMO to exert
pressure to ensure that thorough
investigations are conducted and
lessons are learned.
Another motion highlighted
the need to improve mooring
arrangements on very large con-

tainer vessels (VLCs), following a

paper submitted by Captain Chris
Lefevre. He warned that the high
freeboard and highly stacked deck
cargo on many VLCs are presenting serious problems when mooring in winds above force 7.
The motion also called for discussions with the International
Association of Ports and
Harbours, and other relevant bodies, on the concerns of masters on
ship design, as well as such issues
as alternative mooring arrangements and solutions, the spacing,
quantity and strength of bollards,
and the provision of sufficient
assistance by tugs.
The IFSMA assembly noted
that
membership
of
the
Association had now reached
10,853 shipmasters from 28 associations in 25 countries, following
the affiliation of SINDMAR
which represents more than 300
Brazilian shipmasters.

month after two stowaways were found dead in the hold of a

ship that had arrived in the Scottish port of Ayr. The two men
were thought to have got onboard the general cargoship
Pascal in the Tunisian port of Sfax, where a cargo of phosphate
had been loaded.
Oily fine: the German shipping company Reederei Karl

Schluter has been fined US$1.2m after admitting falsifying

records in an oily-water separator case in the US earlier this
year. The company will also serve three years probation and
must implement an environmental compliance plan.
Maersk pool: Maersk Tankers is to head a new pool of very
large gas carriers which is being established through a
partnership with Zodiac Maritime Agencies and Transpetrol
Maritime Services. The operation will control 14 VLGCs by
2011, making it the second largest fleet of its kind.
Grounding probe: authorities in Greece are investigating the
causes of a grounding involving the Maltese-flagged vessel
easyCruise Life last month. The vessel was carrying more than
450 people when it grounded near the port of Syros. No
injuries or damage were reported.
Livingstone honoured: David Livingstone, chairman of the

Clyde Group, has been awarded an OBE in the Queens

birthday honours list. The award was made in recognition of
his services to the shipping industry, maritime training and to
the community in Glasgow.
Cork link: the Icelandic shortsea operator Samskip is
launching a new service linking the Irish port of Cork with
Zeebrugge and Rotterdam, using two 805TEU vessels,
Samskip Express and Samskip Pioneer.
Falmouth praised: Nautilus UK assistant general secretary

praised the work of the Falmouth Mission to Seafarers

following a visit last month.

4
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

NAUTILUS CLAIMS
5.5% FOR IMT
TALKS opened last month on a
claim for an across-the-board
5.5% pay increase for members
serving with International Marine
Transportation (IMT).
Industrial officer Jonathan
Havard said the submission had
been put together in response to
feedback from members.

NILE ADDITION TO
SAFMARINE FLEET

The company has responded

by offering a general wage
increase worth 2%, together with
a 3.5% contractual increment for
those below the midpoint and
2% for those on midpoint to
maximum. The nine masters and
chief engineers on the maximum
will just receive the general
increase.
Mr Havard said the Union will
consult members on the offer,
although it is not recommending
acceptance of the package.

SAFMARINE has continued its

newbuilding programme with a
series of vessel namings
including the ceremony for the
2,474TEU boxship Safmarine
Nile. Pictured, left to right, at
the event are: chief officer Brian
Rowland; electrical engineer
Marcin Wiacek; Captain Joseph

Birtles; the ships Godmother

Gerthy Laham; chief engineer
Richard Kaese; and second
engineer Alrick Steyn.
Safmarine Nile is the third in
a series of five sisterships built
by Volkswerft in Germany, and
will join Safmarine Ngami and
Nyassa on the South Africa/USA
AMEX service. Safmarine is
midway through an extensive
fleet expansion programme, and
Nile is the fifth vessel the
company has named this year.

nautilus uk at work

briefly...
CalMac claim: Nautilus UK is planning to conduct a
consultation with members on new proposals for a single
agreement with Caledonian MacBrayne. Partnership and
liaison forums have discussed issues including new tonnage
and progression. Industrial officer Gary Leech said the Union
is now awaiting a response to its pay and conditions claim.
BAS boost: following talks on this years pay and conditions
claim for members serving on the NERC British Antarctic
Survey ships, Nautilus UK has received a two-year pay offer
giving 3% increases this year and next year. Industrial officer
Jonathan Havard said members will be consulted once the
Union receives details on proposals to increase leave.
PNTL pay: members serving with Pacific Nuclear Transport
have been consulted on the companys final 4.1% pay offer.
Results were due as the Telegraph went to press. The Union
has also met management to discuss members concerns over
the smoking policy, and improvements to smoking room
facilities have been put forward.
MDHC meeting: Nautilus UK has received a formal offer of a

4.2% pay rise for members employed by Mersey Docks &

Harbour Company. The Union is also involved in talks on
proposals to change the shift patterns of VTS officers.
UECC deal: members serving with UECC (Guernsey) have

accepted the companys full and final 4% offer. The company

has also awarded a bonus worth 8.7% and has amended the
incremental system.
SFPA submission: members serving with the Scottish
Fisheries Protection Agency have been asked to submit views
on the contents of the forthcoming pay and conditions claim.
Lothian pressure: Nautilus UK is stepping up its pressure for
Lothian Shipping to table an improved pay offer following the
overwhelming rejection by members of a 4% package.
Westminster consult: members serving with Westminster
Dredging are being consulted on a two-year pay offer.
Nautilus UK has recommended acceptance.

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RECOGNITION
DEAL IS WON
FOR WESTERN
FERRIES FLEET
FOLLOWING months of negotiations and positive feedback from
members serving with the company, Nautilus UK has secured a
recognition agreement with
Gourock-Dunoon ferry operator
Western Ferries.
The single union agreement
covers the terms and conditions of
more than 50 officers and ratings,
as well as general shore-based staff
working for the company.
It was reached after discussions with the company and a ballot organised through the
Advisory Conciliation Arbitration
Service (ACAS) which revealed a
majority of more than 70% of
those voting to be in favour of
recognition.
National secretary Ronnie
Cunningham commented: We
are delighted with the outcome of
the ballot particularly because
the majority figure achieved is well
in excess of the minimum numbers required.
We will now be meeting with
management to discuss the procedures for progressing the recognition agreement, and we are also
inviting members to identify the
issues they want us to raise, he
added.
We want to be able to provide
the opportunity for members to
have those issues discussed and to
identify the priorities in terms of
short, medium and long-term
objectives, Mr Cunningham said.

Nautilus UK steps up contact

with members at colleges
NAUTILUS UK officials Garry
Elliott and Steve Doran are pictured with two cadet members
during a visit to South Tyneside
college last month one of a
series of meetings held as part of
an improved programme of liaison with members in training
around the UK.
The Nautilus UK recruitment
team is now embarking on an
extended schedule of meetings
and induction forums at the four
main colleges Fleetwood,
Glasgow, Warsash and South
Tyneside and is also aiming to
visit all the other colleges and uni-

versities offering maritime training courses.

National secretary Garry
Elliott said the new initiatives
have been taken as part of a drive
by the Unions recruitment team
to maximise contact with existing
and potential members.
The team has already visited
Banff and Buchan college and
John Moores University in
Liverpool, and further meetings
are lined up at Plymouth and in
Shetland and the Orkney Isles.
We are also continuing our
dialogue with North West Kent,
Cork and Lowestoft, and we will

also be extending our visits to

included meetings with members
on short courses, cadets in their
later phases, and those undergoing yacht training, Mr Elliott
added.
Nautilus UK has begun a series
of induction meetings for overseas
students starting last month at
John Moores and from this
September the Union will reestablish its cadet workshops at
colleges.
Members or academic institutions wanting more information
should contact Garry Elliott or
Steve Doran at the Wallasey office.

Nautilus UK seeks assurances on jobs

after QE2s withdrawal from service
MEMBERS concerns over the
potential impact of the
withdrawal of the QE2 from
service later this year have
been raised with Carnival UK
by Nautilus UK.
Officers onboard the vessel
are pictured right meeting the
Queen during her farewell visit
to the ship in Southampton
last month.
Senior national secretary
Paul Moloney said he had
useful discussions with
management on the issues,
and has been given important
assurances on behalf of
officers.
Particular concerns had
been raised by hotel officers,
he added, and the Union has
sought to ensure that full
information on future
rotations is provided as soon
as possible to all members.
The task has been to get
through the gap when the

fleet goes down to two ships

for a short period, Mr Moloney
explained. An important
safeguard that we have
secured is that displaced
Cunard officers will have
priority on other Cunard
vessels.
Other issues discussed

with the company included

extended tour bonus
arrangements, long-term
manning policy, cadets, and a
review of security officer
duties.
A number of similar issues
have been raised on behalf of
P&O/Princess Cruises officers

at a meeting with Fleet

Maritime Services. Mr
Moloney said the talks
covered topics including
variable tour lengths, rotation
planning, baggage
allowances, and the
forthcoming pay and
conditions review.
We were particularly
pleased with the analysis the
company had undertaken
regarding alterations to
agreed tours of duty, he
added, and we believe the
company is serious about its
intentions to reduce the
number of times when they
have to unilaterally alter tour
lengths.
Mr Moloney said the
company had shown it had
met the required
establishment numbers,
which should help to ensure
that tours of duty are
honoured.

JULY 2008
Nautilus UK Telegraph
5

UNION WELCOMES P&O

PLAN TO BRING IN NEW
TONNAGE FOR DOVER
NAUTILUS UK has welcomed P&O Ferries
announcement of a 286m plan to build two
new vessels for its Dover-Calais services.
Scheduled for delivery in 2010 and
2011, the new ferries will be built at the
Aker yard in Finland and at 49,000gt and
210m length will be the largest ever to

operate in the shortsea sector, the company

claims.
Offering double the freight capacity of the
ships they are replacing Pride of Dover
and Pride of Calais, left the new ferries
will carry up to 160 articulated lorries, 250
tourist vehicles and 1,500 freight drivers
and passengers.
These orders are long-awaited and very
welcome, said Nautilus UK industrial officer
Jonathan Havard. We will be seeking
discussions with the company about the
manning arrangements for the new tonnage
and the impact on our members.

Last months meeting of the Dover liaison

officers committee agreed to sign-off new
service-based incremental scales, which
have replaced the old page 1 and 2 rates.
Consultations with members serving on
P&Os Irish Sea ferries have shown a
substantial majority in favour of accepting a
revised offer.
Feedback from members on the North
Sea ferries showed a small majority against
being balloted for some form of industrial
action and, as a result, the companys full
and final 4.2% offer has been accepted by
the Union.

nautilus uk at work

MAERSK CONCERN briefly...

Union highlights members fears over crewing reorganisation
NAUTILUS UK has raised members concerns with Maersk management following the companys
announcement of sweeping
changes to its crewing structures.
As part of a major reorganisation, Maersk has established two
crew operations centres in
Copenhagen and Singapore
and new reporting procedures for
seafarers, according to the vessels
they are assigned to.
National
secretary
Paul
Keenan said the Union is seeking
answers from the company to a

series of questions raised by members in response to the shake-up.

Although we have been
assured that the reorganisation
will not affect terms and conditions, it has generated considerable unease, and has also raised
many practical questions about
procedures and processes, he
added.
Further discussions are scheduled for the Maersk partnership
committee meeting this month.
Senior national secretary Paul
Moloney said one of the effects of

the changes will be the need to create two pools of officers for the
Nedlloyd (Bermuda) ships.
The Union has secured an
extension of the period in which
members are being consulted on
their pool preference, and more
talks will be held with management in due course.
It is our intention to ensure
that members positions are fully
protected, and that nobody is
placed within a pool they did not
opt for, Mr Moloney stressed.
Arrangements are also being

made for a meeting in late July to

bring together all Nautilus UK
delegates to the various Maersk
partnership committees. This will
be an important opportunity for
our members to set the agenda in
relation to improved partnership
arrangements and also in relation
to the way in which the 2009 pay
and conditions review will be conducted, Mr Moloney stressed.
The Union has secured agreement from the company to bring
all containership members under
a single partnership body.

Whitship review: members serving with Whitship

Management (Jersey) have been asked for views on the issues
to be discussed at a forthcoming meeting with the company.
Although members are covered by a long-term inflationlinked pay deal, they are being asked if there are other
elements of the conditions of service that need to be reviewed.

Global meeting: Nautilus UK officials and members took part

in the latest Global Marine Services partnership meeting last
month. Subjects under discussion included the fleet
handbook, the companys business overview, recruitment
plans, manning levels, pensions and fringe benefits.
Trinity talks: Nautilus UK has met Trinity House
management to begin talks on a 5.5% pay claim. The Union
has also raised issues including a supplement for
hydrographic surveying and DP work, and a loyalty bonus
after 10 years. A formal response was awaited late last month.
NOCS offer: Nautilus UK has been offered 3% pay increases in
2008 and 2009, but industrial officer Jonathan Havard said
consultations will not take place before further discussions on
proposals to compress incremental scales for 10 years to five.

RFA meetings
NAUTILUS UK national secretary
Paul Keenan is pictured right
with members and management
at last months Royal Fleet
Auxiliary quarterly committee
meeting, and below during a
visit to meet members onboard
the Fort Victoria. Despite
pressure from the Union, he said
there is still no remit for this
years pay review and it now
seems likely a deal will not be
reached before this autumn.

Klyne consult: members serving with Klyne Tugs have been

consulted on an offer giving a one-year increase of 4.2% or a
two-year deal providing 4.5% increases this year and in 2009.
Results were due to be announced late last month.
Northlink talks: following feedback from members serving on
Northlink ferries, Nautilus UK is due to meet management
early this month to open talks on this years pay and conditions
claim ahead of the October review date.

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Talks seek to avert

action at Hanson
NAUTILUS UK is involved in
negotiations with Hanson Ship
Management in a bid to avert an
industrial action ballot in protest
at the companys pay offer this
year.
Members employed by the
company voted overwhelmingly
in favour of being balloted for
industrial action short of a strike.
The vote was held after management refused to improve a
3.5% pay offer that had been
rejected by a 48-3 majority in a
membership consultation exercise.
Once the result of the vote was

known, Nautilus officials Paul

Keenan and Jonathan Havard
met Hanson management. The
Union put forward a series of proposals, which the company agreed
to consider. These included an
additional 2% increase, a restructuring of the incremental scales,
and an increase in payment for
additional days worked.
Management has warned that
an improved offer may be tied to
changes in working arrangements.
Further talks which will also
involve liaison officers are due
to take place early in July.

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6
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

TAX BREAKS BID

TO BOOST OUTPUT
TAX concessions intended to
boost North Sea output were
announced by the government
last month following a meeting
with offshore operators.
Prime minister Gordon Brown
and the Chancellor Alistair
Darling met members of the Oil &
Gas UK board in Aberdeen to

FLOTEL FIRST FOR

TYNESIDE YARD

discuss the industrys longstanding concerns about the

fiscal regime affecting the sector.
Senior managers from 18
leading companies outlined ways
in which the government could
help to encourage new oil and
gas developments in the UK
continental shelf and enhance
recovery from existing fields.
Oil & Gas UK welcomed the
changes to petroleum revenue
tax, and said they could affect as
many as 30 fields.

WORK has begun at the A&P

Tyne yard on a 30m project to
convert a former Russian naval
vessel into the worlds first icebreaking flotel Ice Maiden 1,
pictured left.
Due to be completed early in
2009, the contract for the
Aberdeen-based C&M Group will

involve the fitting of some 1,400

tonnes of new accommodation
block with all the necessary
facilities, 1,900 tonnes of steel
work fabricated and fitted to
form new decks and machinery
spaces, as well as new
generating sets to power eight
thrusters that will give Ice
Maiden DP3 dynamic
positioning capability.
The 14,000gt vessel will be
capable of operating in
conditions of -40 Celsius.

news

FARSTAD VISIT

briefly...

NAUTILUS UK industrial officer

Gary Leech is pictured during a
visit to meet members serving
onboard the Far Supplier in
Aberdeen last month. The visit is
one of a series planned by Mr
Leech to discuss topical issues
with members following the
recent award of a 4.7% pay rise.
The deal also included increases
to death and disability
compensation and company
pension contribitions.

Maersk meeting: members serving on Maersk Offshores

supply vessels have been urged to attend a partnership

meeting on 1 July to discuss issues including the companys
recent internal restructuring. National secretary Paul Keenan
said it is extremely important that members take the
opportunity to get involved in the discussions which will
also cover a number of other topics at such a critical time.
Gulf negotiations: Nautilus UK has begun negotiations with

Gulf Offshore on this years pay and conditions claim. As well

as seeking a significant pay increase, the Union is seeking talks
on issues including seniority payments, bonuses, leave, travel
and communications. Industrial officer Steve Doran said a
response was awaited late last month.
Geo deal: members serving onboard the Geo Prospector have

accepted the employers offer of a 6% increase on all payments,

backdated to 1 January. Consultations with members on the
Furgo Meridian and Mercator were drawing to a close as the
Telegraph went to press.

DISASTER WAS A
TURNING POINT

Swire bid: members serving with Swire Pacific are set to

receive an RPI plus 0.5% pay award in July in the final stage of
a three-year deal. Industrial officer Gary Leech said the
company had refused to reopen negotiations on the package.
Viking blaze: a major fire-fighting operation was mounted in

Leith docks last month after fire broke out onboard the
offshore support vessel Viking Vulcan. The ageing vessel
said to be owned in Egypt is said to be due for scrapping.
DSV extension: Nautilus UK has extended the membership
consultation on a pay and conditions offer giving increases
between 3.7% and 9.6% for officers serving on the BIS DSVs.
Vector views: Nautilus UK is set to make a pay and

conditions claim to Vector Offshore this month following

feedback from members on the contents of the submission.
Stena talks: Nautilus UK is seeking to arrange a meeting with

Stena Drilling in July following the companys decision to

apply an interim pay award of 5%.

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Piper Alpha lessons learned, UK operators claim

OFFSHORE
operators
have
marked the 20th anniversary of
the Piper Alpha disaster with
claims that the chances of a similar incident have been dramatically reduced.
But Nautilus UK has warned of
changes in the North Sea industry
that are creating new pressures on
safety, and has stressed the need
for new initiatives to reduce accident rates.
A total of 167 men died after
leaking gas condensate ignited
and caused an explosion and fire
on the Piper Alpha platform on 6
July 1988. Only 61 of the people on
the installation survived.
The Cullen Report on the incident published in 1990 after a
lengthy public inquiry into the
causes highlighted problems
including deficient hazard analysis, poor plant design, shortcomings in the permit to work system,
and problems with emergency
response.
The report made 106 recommendations to improve safety
including a radical overhaul of
standby ship standards all of

which were accepted by the industry.

Speaking in Aberdeen last
month, Oil & Gas UK director
Chris Allen described the disaster
as a turning point for the industry
that had led to significant changes
in safety management, regulation
and training.
Key changes had included the
introduction of goal-setting
safety case regulations, improvements in platform design, greater
involvement of worker reps, and
the introduction of new standards, guidelines and equipment
for emergency response and evacuation.
Mr Allen said the industry is
investing around 1bn a year in
integrity issues and added that
the Step Change initiative
launched in 1997 had led to significant improvement in the
North Sea safety record with a
55% reduction in the total injury
rate and a 39% reduction in the
dangerous occurrences rate since
1997.
In terms of fatal accidents the
oil industry is safer than construc-

SUBSEA ADDITION
PICTURED right is the Isle of Man
registered pipelay and construction
vessel Skandi Navica, which has
been acquired by Subsea 7 for
some US$62m.
The 6,083gt Norwegianmanaged vessel which was built
in 1999 will be renamed Seven
Navica and will continue to operate
as a rigid pipelay ship within the
Subsea 7 fleet. Following feedback
from members, Nautilus UK is now
arranging talks on this years pay
and conditions claim.

tion, agriculture, manufacturing

and the service industries, he
added.
Asked about the chances of
another incident like the Piper
Alpha, Mr Allen replied: You can
never say never, but we are now in
a much better place in terms of
understanding the risk and ways
of managing it.
Nautilus UK senior national
secretary
Allan
Graveson
acknowledged that a lot of
progress had been made to
address the problems highlighted
by the Piper Alpha disaster. We
have come a long way, but there
are still problems, he added.
There are a lot of small and inexperienced new entrants in the
industry, ageing infrastructure
and ageing staff, and issues such as
the quality of lifeboats.
Nautilus has also urged the
Emergency Escape and Rescue
Technical Advisory Group to
ensure that the lessons arising
from last years Bourbon Dolphin
disaster are not ignored notably
those concerning skills, experience and ship stability.

Charges
filed on
Viking
deaths
NAUTILUS UK is representing
a master who has been charged
with with failure to discharge
his duties following the death of
three crewmen onboard his vessel last year.
During a hearing at Grimsby
magistrates court last month,
lawyers representing Captain
Donald Fryer indicated a not
guilty plea to a charge, brought
under section 58 of the
Merchant Shipping Act.
The case was listed for a committal hearing on 1 July.
The charges have been
brought following an incident
last September, in which three
seafarers died after being found
unconscious in the chain locker
of the Vroon Offshore Services
(VOS) emergency response and
rescue vessel Viking Islay, which
was operating in the southern
sector of the North Sea.
At the same hearing, the company pleaded guilty to a series of
offences, including failure to
ensure that an atmospheric testing device was made available
on the vessel and failing to
review and evaluate its safety
management system in line with
the ISM Code.
VOS also pleaded guilty to
failing to ensure that a seaman
assigned to the vessel held an
appropriate certificate of competency.
The company was committed
to Grimsby crown court for sentencing on 4 July.
The charges were brought
after an investigation into the
incident by Humberside police.
The causes have also been examined separately by the Marine
Accident Investigation Branch,
and the Union has been involved
in consultations on the draft
report. The final report is
expected to be published soon.

JULY 2008
Nautilus UK Telegraph
7

TRAINING AID FOR

FISHING CREWS
SHIPPING minister Jim
Fitzpatrick has announced a
250,000 package of training
support for fishing vessel crews.
The aid which will be
matched by the industry
organisation Seafish is
intended to improve standards of
safety training.

PRIVATISATION FEAR
OVER DOVER PLANS

The money is to be targeted at

fishing vessel crew undertaking
new courses in bridge and
engineroom watchkeeping, radio
operation, and stability on
vessels of less than 16.5m.
The courses are presently
voluntary, but it is planned to
make them compulsory in the
future.
The government says it hopes
that around 300 fishermen will
come forward in the first year to
undertake the training.

DOVER Harbour Board has revealed

plans for a 420m development project
to create a second ferry terminal and a
new marina.
The board hopes to gain approval for
the new four-berth ferry terminal by the
summer of 2010, warning that it is
rapidly running out of capacity at the
Eastern Docks.

The forecasts are for growth in both

freight and tourist traffic, said chief
executive Bob Goldfield. We would like
to have terminal 2 open by 2013, or
Dover is set to be faced with some very
difficult traffic management
challenges.
The board says it is looking at a range
of funding options for the project
including possible privatisation. Dover
MP Gwyn Prosser said he was
concerned that this could lead to job
losses, and compromise the principle of
free access to a public-owned trust port.

news

GREEK OPERATOR PULLS

PLUG ON ROSYTH ROUTE
Replacement service should provide jobs for British seafarers, says Nautilus UK
GREEK shipping company Attica
Ferries has announced the closure
of the only direct ferry link
between mainland Scotland and
Europe.
The company said the
Superfast Ferries link between
Rosyth and Zeebrugge will shut in
September after more than six
years of operations.
Amid reports that members of
the Scottish Parliament are seeking ways to ensure that the route is
maintained, Nautilus UK is warning of the need for any future services to provide jobs for British
seafarers.
Assistant general secretary
Mark Dickinson said the Union
had made repeated efforts to
secure employment for UK crews
particularly because the service
had been launched with government support.
Despite a series of promises,
nothing materialised and we
believe it is essential that any
moves by the Scottish Parliament
to revive the route should be based
upon the delivery of jobs for
British seafarers, he added.
Reports last month suggested
the route could be rescued by
expanding a planned new freightonly service between Rosyth and
Norway with EU funding.
Shetland-based operator John

The Superfast IX ferry had been replaced on the Rosyth-Zeebrugge service by the vessel Blue Star 1
White is planning to launch a link
between Rosyth and Kristiansund
via Zeebrugge in October, and the
Scottish government is said to be
looking at plans to secure a second
vessel to enable a passenger service to be added to the operation.
Attica blamed rising fuel costs
for the decision to pull out.
Sailings on the route had been

halved in 2005, in response to

falling freight traffic.
Scotlands transport minister,
Stewart Stevenson, said the
Scottish government had been
working with Attica in an attempt
to keep the service running, and
promised that efforts would continue to be made to identify an
alternative commercial operator.

Skills crisis is set to grow

as orders hit record levels
THE GLOBAL seafaring skills
crisis is set to worsen as a result of
the boom in ship orders and
safety will suffer in the process
a leading industry researcher
warned last month.
Speaking to journalists in
Hamburg ahead of Septembers
Shipbuilding Machinery and
Marine Technology trade fair, Dr
Martin Stopford, managing director of Clarkson Research, said the
two trends are likely to lead to
inadequately trained masters and
a rise in accidents at sea.
This is probably the most
important and pressing issue facing the industry at the moment,
he added. Youre looking at an

order book of 9,000 ships and,

from a strict point of view, that
means up to 20,000 extra seafarers and 9,000 masters in a short
period.
Mr Stopford said the insurance
industry is already voicing grave
concerns at the growing shortage
of skilled senior officers, and the
way in which this is leading to
inexperienced masters being put
in charge of ships.
Dismissing claims by employers that efforts are being made to
boost training, Mr Stopford said it
was already too late for the current
orderbook. It takes 10 years to
train a master, he pointed out.
He said the shipping industry

had a good year in 2007 carrying some 7.5bn tons of cargo

and is continuing to chalk up
record earnings in 2008, driven by
a buoyant global economy. When
owners make a lot of money, they
need to invest, he stressed.
The shipping orderbook is now
at a historically high point,
amounting to 46% of the current
world fleet, and the fleet is set to
expand by 8-10% a year over the
next three years.
By the end of 2010, Mr
Stopford said, it could reach 1.4bn
dwt the biggest ever
although there are some serious
concerns about whether the delivery schedule will be met.

The service had received 12m

start-up support from the UK government because it had the potential to take more than 3.2m tonnes
of freight off the roads by saving
passengers and truckers from having to drive to ferry ports in
England. It was given a further
500,000 support in 2005 in a
bid to keep a daily service running.

Forth Ports which operates

Rosyth said Atticas decision
was disappointing, because the
service is an important part of
Scotlands access to European
markets. It believes the route
could still be viable, and could
attract up to 60,000 freight units
a year with the right mix of vessels
and frequency of sailings.

Owners in
warning
on officer
training
LEADING international shipowners have called for more
work to be done to ensure that
seafarers certificates serve as a
genuine guarantee of competence standards.
Following a meeting of
the International Chamber of
Shipping and International
Shipping Federation last month,
president Spyros Polemis said
concerns had been voiced about
the global skills shortage and
the IMO review of the STCW
Convention governing seafarers
training and certification standards.
In addition to updating these
important STCW rules to take
account of new operational
developments, it is important
that the review also looks at
means of ensuring that governments only issue certificates to
seafarers who actually meet the
standards of competence prescribed by IMO, he added.
This is especially important
in view of the global shortage of
qualified and competent ship
officers, he stressed. The IMO
review of STCW is vital for
maritime safety. However, at a
time when the demand for shipping services means that high
calibre seafarers, in the numbers required, are in short supply, it is a tragedy that many
seafarers, particularly from
developing countries, are in
effect unemployable because
their training does not yet meet
the rigorous IMO standards
introduced 10 years ago.

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8
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

RECORD SPACE AT
HAMBURG SHOW
THE GROWING importance of
the superyacht sector is
underlined by the industrys
increased presence at the SMM
shipbuilding, machinery &
marine technology, international
trade fair in Hamburg.
This years exhibition the
23rd, to be held at the Hamburg

FIRST YACHT FOR

DUTCH REGIME

Fair site, taking place between

23-26 September will feature
a record number of superyacht
builders and suppliers, including
propulsion, automation,
navigation and communication
systems.
Companies present will
include Lrssen, rated as the
worlds number one yacht
builder, with a total of some
57,000gt, Blohn & Voss, Amels,
Peters Schiffbau and the
Fincantieri Group.

PICTURED left 45m luxury

motor yacht Trust the first to
be built to meet new Dutch
government CCV guidelines for
commercial cruising vessels.
Built at the Hakvoorts yard in
the Netherlands, the Dutchflagged vessel has been
designed specifically for

commercial chartering in the

Mediterranean and Caribbean.
The CCV guidelines were
initiated by the Dutch
government and shipping
industry in an effort to
encourage owners to fly the
Dutch flag, with tax and crew
cost concessions.
Built to Lloyds Register and
MCA standards, My Trust is
designed to accommodate 10
passengers and a captain and
eight crew.

large yacht news

SUPERSIZING HITS
YACHT ORDERBOOK British yard delivers
New figures show the growing trend towards longer vessels
by MICHAEL HOWORTH
THE SUPER-sizing of yachts is
following the trend started by
cruise liners and containerships.
It has been reported in yachting publications that the orderbook for large yachts at the
beginning of 2008 included a total
of 445 superyachts 144 of which
have a length overall in excess of
50m.
This means that, for the first
time, the 50m-plus segment of the
orderbook is bigger than that of
yachts between 40 and 50m, with
113 orders. A further 188 orders
are in the length range 30 to 40m,
the traditional domain of the
Italian shipyards.
Statistics published by The
Yacht Report show that the milestone of 250 superyachts was
passed for the first time last year,
with 253 vessels having a length
overall of more than 30m delivered last year more than 60%
up on 2005 (158 vessels).
A total of 182 superyachts were
built in Europe, 41 in the US, and
30 in other countries. Dutch
builders Amels, part of the Damen
Shipbuilding Group, has delivered the second 52m yacht of its
Limited Editions 171 a programme launched in 2005 to
build large yachts much more
quickly but without sacrificing
individuality, using flexible design
modules of the type seen in more
conventional shipbuilding.
The German yard Lrssen has
already delivered two super-sized
yachts this year. The 155 m Project
Sunflower which now sails as Al
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SECRECY SURROUNDS SF99 PROJECT

PICTURED above is the futuristic superyacht
Sigma a 123m vessel built in Germany and
designed by the French designer Philippe Starck.
Originally planned as a 188m vessel, Sigma is
part of the trend towards supersizing in the large
yacht sector. Some reports have suggested the
vessel had been lengthened to make it the third
largest private yacht in the world, and larger than
Microsoft founder Paul Allens superyacht
Octopus.
Builders Blohm & Voss announced the
contract for the vessel code-named SF99
almost four years ago, but the work was
transferred to the sister yard of HDW in Kiel, and
the vessel finally began sea trials in March this
year.

Mystery and rumour have surrounded the

5,800gt Sigma which will be registered in
Bermuda since the work began. A veil of
secrecy covers the ownership, the price and the
detailed specifications of the vessel.
Some reports have drawn parallels between
Philippe Starcks design and the US Navys
forthcoming stealth combat ship, and the cost
has been estimated at up to US$200m.
Russian media reports have suggested the
Sigma has been ordered by Chelsea FC owner
Roman Abramovich, despite official denials from
the yard and the fact that he has already ordered
a 147m gigayacht Eclipse, which is nearing
completion at the Blohm & Voss yard in
Hamburg.

Sultan of Oman was launched in

February, and the 70m Martha
Ann in April. Lrssen expect to
complete another three luxury
yachts before the end of this year.

TKMS shipyards will deliver

three vessels in this top-secret segment in 2008, including Sigma
see report and picture above a
118m yacht looking more like a

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white submarine than a superyacht, and the 93m Safari. Yet

another German yard, Abeking &
Rasmussen, will hand over a 78m
yacht in July 2008.

a record newbuilding
HOT ON the heels of their delivery of the 77m Samar last year,
British builders Devonport
have delivered Sarafsa above
another yacht built for an
overseas client.
Significantly, at the time that
the contract was signed in July
2004 this yacht known initially as Project 54 not only
represented the largest privately commissioned yacht in
the yards history but also the
largest of its kind ever to be built
by any shipyard in the UK to
date.
This 82m yacht project, managed by Burness Corlett Three
Quays Marine, replaces the
owners smaller, 54m, Amels
yacht of the same name, with an

interior said to be inspired by

the great hotels of Italy.
Key external features of this
six-deck superyacht include a
sea level side boarding platform
giving direct access to the interior atrium, shaded external
deck spaces, including generous
side decks and a winter garden
style upper deck dining area
that can be either open or closed
by sliding glass screens.
There is provision for helicopter landing on the sun deck
aft of an external bar and an
inside/outside spa complex with
a retractable roof.
The future looks bright for
Devonport which has another
96m yacht under construction,
due for delivery in 2010.

American forum debates the

key issues facing the sector
KEY ISSUES facing the large
yacht sector were being debated
last month by owners, managers
and masters at the three-day
American Superyacht Forum,
in Rhode Island.
Items on the agenda included
a debate on the current state of
the large yacht sector and
whether further investment
is required to safeguard
its infrastructure.
A panel of captains, managers and owners representatives discussed trends in large
yacht management from the
perspective of the operator

including regulatory requirements and liabilities, and training and human resources.
Other sessions examined
new technology, communications, propulsion, equipment,
finance, and yard capacity.
A special seminar was held
to discuss operations in US
waters, and issues such as security rules, tax and visa problems,
pilotage and harbour limitations. Another session debated
the increasing presence of submersibles on superyachts and
the associated safety and training issues.

Belize brings in new codes

THE BELIZE ship registry has
launched new standards codes for
yachts in a bid to attract large
yacht owners to use the flag.
A set of three codes which came
into effect last month cover small
yachts (10-24m), large yachts
(24m and over but less than
500gt) and super yachts of 24m
and 500gt and over, but less than
5,000gt.
Belize says the requirements of
the Maritime & Coastguard

Agencys large commercial yacht

code (LY2) have been incorporated into the standards for large
and super yachts.
Registry officials said the new
codes represent an enhancement
of the existing codes.
They added that regulatory
regimes for yacht-based helicopters and submersibles are now
essential and they have reviewed
the rules to reflect their increasing
presence on many vessels.

The codes which have been

lodged with the IMO also cover
implementation of the international safety management and
ship security codes on yachts
where certification is not mandatory, and also address drug and
alcohol abuse.
The codes are to be phased in
over a 24-month period, and
Belize says it is offering very competitive taxes and fees for owners
using the registry.

JULY 2008
Nautilus UK Telegraph
9

HUELIN-RENOUF ORDERS
NEW SHIP TO RUN LINK
FROM SOUTHAMPTON
TO CHANNEL ISLANDS
PICTURED right is the 1978-built 1,892gt
general cargoship Huelin Dispatch, which is
due to be replaced on the south coastChannel Islands freight service later this
year by a new purpose-built vessel.

The new ship capable of carrying up to

148 containers as well as general cargo is
being introduced by Huelin-Renouf Shipping
as part of a long-term commitment to a
regular liner service between Southampton
and the Channel Islands.
The new 3,600dwt vessel has been
specially designed to operate within the
Jersey and Guernsey harbours. Being built in
the NesseWerft Leer shipyard in Leer,
Germany, the ship is expected to be
delivered in December 2008 and has an
anticipated operational life of more than 25
years.

Huelin-Renoufs new vessel will operate a

service from ABP Southampton consisting of
three calls per week.
The company has signed a 25-year
agreement with Associated British Ports
which will see its UK operations relocated
from Flathouse Quay in Portsmouth to a
purpose-built facility at Southamptons
Eastern Docks.
To accommodate the Huelin-Renouf
service, the port will invest 6m in a new
lift-on/lift-off logistics terminal at 45 berth,
with the ports tug fleet to be relocated to
another area.

news

YARDS WARNED ON SHIP QUALITY

Fear raised over standards of new tonnage as new builders copy and paste from old designs
CONCERNS over the quality of many of
the new ships being built around the
world at present were raised last month.
The surge in orders and the development of new yards in non-traditional
building nations, coupled with growing
unease at the impact of skill shortages in
the sector, have driven fears that many of
the vessels now coming into service will
have very limited lifespans and could rapidly develop safety problems.

And last months annual meeting of

the Lloyds Register Asias China National
Committee heard calls from leading shipping industry figures for shipbuilders and
suppliers not to let the current boom distract them from the top priority of constructing quality vessels.
Zhang Guangqin, president of the
China
Association
of
National
Shipbuilding Industry, said that with rising costs already threatening to curb

demand for new ships, any slip in building

quality could undermine the market.
Quality issues are the best excuses for
ship owners to stop ordering and, with so
many challenges emerging for the yards
to manage, strengthening quality management should be the most urgent and
important task, he told the meeting.
George Sarris, head of one of the
largest shipping groups in Greece, urged
classification societies to play a more

proactive role in establishing quality safeguards and systems to support yards in

China where some 30% of the orderbook at the end of last year had been
reportedly contracted to yards that have
yet to build a ship.
He praised shipyards for their
unprecedented achievement in meeting
the demand for new tonnage but
warned that certain precautions now
have to be taken to ensure that it serves as

Minister tells
ships to slow
to get greener

Reception
facilities:
IMO call
FRESH criticism of the poor
standards of waste reception
facilities for ships visiting
many of the worlds ports has
been raised by the head of
the International Maritime
Organisation.
Speaking at the opening
session of the flag state
implementation sub-committee,
secretary-general Efthimios
Mitropoulos highlighted the
importance of work to address
the long-standing problem of
the inadequacy of port reception facilities in several parts of
the world.
The IMO chief said member
states had responsibilities
under the MARPOL Convention, and to submit reports to
the IMO on the steps they have
taken to implement these.
However, he added, barely
25% of MARPOL parties filed
reports in 2006. Although this
rate represents a modest
improvement compared to previous years, it remains still low,
thus giving rise to concern, he
added.
Mr Mitropoulos said it is
imperative that significant
improvement in the reporting
rate is secured to ensure that the
industrys environmental objectives are met.

the foundation for a better and more illustrious future.

And he warned: It is very important to
always bear in mind that it takes many
years to build up a reputation and only
one instant to ruin it.
Mr Sarris told a conference earlier this
year that many newly-established shipyards are simply copy-pasting specifications from existing designs or combining
them in ways that make no sense.

Bridge to the future as Stena

opens new Belfast terminal
NORTHERN Irelands first minister Ian Paisley
and deputy first minister Martin McGuinness are
pictured with Scottish first minister Alex
Salmond, Stena Line chairman Dan Sten Olsson,
regional development minister Conor Murphy
and Belfast Harbour Commissioners chairman
Len OHagan on the bridge of the Stena HSS at
last months official opening of the new 37m
Stena Line Terminal at Belfast Port.
Built on reclaimed land at Westbank Road, at
the edge of the port, the three-story, 35,000 sq ft
facility was opened by Dr Paisley in his last
official engagement as Northern Ireland first
minister.
Mr OHagan said the new terminal formed part

of a long-term vision for the port, which will

include a new four-lane road linking the terminal
directly to the motorway network.
Our vision is to create a gateway which
reflects Northern Irelands new found optimism
optimism which is soaring high upon the
potential which a return to stable devolution has
unleashed, he added.
Stena Line CEO Gunnar Blomdahl stressed the
importance of the new port to the companys Irish
Sea operations and confirmed that it will
continue to invest in the route between Belfast
and Scotland, with plans to relocate its current
port in Stranraer to a proposed new purpose-built
facility at Old House Point.

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TRANSPORT minister Ruth

Kelly has called for more to be
done to cut emissions from shipping describing this as the
industrys most urgent and serious challenge.
Speaking at the International
Maritime Organisation last
month, she said companies should
look at operational improvements
including slowing down vessels
and using alternative fuel sources
to increase the efficiency of sea
transport.
The minister also argued that
shipping should be included in a
global emissions trading system.
Shipping companies must shift
from traditional fuels to natural
gas if the industry is to meet CO2
emission cut targets, a classification society warned last month.
Det Norske Veritas COO Tor
Svensen called for the industry to
band together to prevent regulators from imposing damaging
new requirements on shipping.
Mr Svensen said DNV estimates that the industry could cut
its CO2 emissions by as much as
50% by adopting such measures
as weather routeing, improve-

ments to engines, propellers, hulls

and coatings, optimising energy
consumption, and closer cooperation between charterers and owners.
Additional operating improvements could cut emissions by up
to 70% if there is real commitment by major players in the
industry, DNV added.
The shipping industry needs
to establish ambitious targets for
its CO2 emissions, Mr Svensen
argued. The introduction of noncarbon-based fuel is likely to be
the crucial factor determining
whether shipping ultimately
manages to substantially reduce
its CO2 emissions.
He urged the industry to invest
in research into alternative power
sources, including wind, solar
panels, sustainable biofuels, fuel
cells and nuclear energy.
And he also stressed that
shipping is the most energy-efficient means of transportation.
Shipping is part of the solution.
By moving more cargo from air or
trucks and even rail to ships, the
overall emissions will be reduced,
he said.

10
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

TUC HOURS ALERT

FORMER RENAISSANCE
SHIP IN LONDON VISIT

THE TUC has warned that the

economic downturn has resulted
in an increase in the number of
UK employees working excessive
hours. It says the number of
people working more than 48
hours a week rose by 180,000 in
the first quarter of the year, to hit
a new total of 3.3m, and warned
that this will mean more stress
and lower productivity.

PICTURED left is the 30,277gt cruiseship

Azamara Journey sailing up the Thames to
make a maiden call to London last month.
At 593ft loa, the Maltese-flagged ship is
one of the largest passenger vessels to have
visited central London, mooring by Tower
Bridge for two nights as part of a 16-night
cruise.
The call is part of the first European

season for Azamara Cruises, launched in last

May by the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
group to run cruises to less traditional
destinations using smaller vessels.
Originally Renaissance R6, the vessel
joined the Azamara fleet last year after being
acquired from the Spanish operator
Pullmantur.
During the summer, Azamara Journey will
visit other ports in the UK and Ireland
including Edinburgh, Inverness, Oban,
Belfast, Dublin and Falmouth and will be
joined by sistership Azamara Quest in Europe
in summer 2009.

news

MATE/MASTER WINS APPEAL

Union-backed case in New Zealand rules on the levels of responsibilities for relief masters
A NEW Zealand court has delivered what
could be a precedent-setting ruling on the
responsibilities of first mates serving as
relief masters.
The High Court in Wellington has
upheld an appeal by an officer who had
been convicted of failing to report and
incident to the authorities as soon as practicable.
David Birchall had already been
cleared of two charges of operating a ship
in a dangerous manner when serving as
first mate/master on the Cook Strait ferry

Santa Regina when it nearly ran aground

in June 2005.
But, backed by the NZ Merchant
Service Guild, he appealed against a conviction of failing to notify an incident to
Maritime New Zealand as soon as practicable on the grounds that he was not
the master of the vessel at the time.
In a judgement delivered last month,
the High Court allowed the appeal and set
the conviction aside ruling that the
prosecution had not proved Mr Birchall
was master at the time.

Box scans will

hold up ships
TRIALS conducted in the port of
Southampton of US plans to
require 100% scanning of containers have confirmed fears that
the security measure will slow
down world trade, it was claimed
last month.
A report published by the
World Customs Organisation said
that the unilateral requirement
for 100% security scanning of all
US-bound boxes, to be conducted
at the port of loading overseas
set to come into force in 2012
would have an adverse economic
impact, delaying shipments and
adding to costs.
It says the industry will have to
make pivotal and costly changes
to comply with the measure.
WCO
secretary-general
Michel Danet said trials of the
checks held in ports including
Southampton had shown that
100% scanning of US-bound containers was possible but that it

would result in huge additional

costs of as much as US$100 per
box.
The European Commission
said the pilot projects had confirmed its view that the scanning
plan was costly, inefficient
towards improving security, and
may disrupt cargo traffic.
Shipowners have also attacked
the plans. International Chamber
of Shipping president Spyros
Polemis commented: Industry
and governments alike are
extremely concerned about the
practical implications of this US
measure, and its serious potential
to disrupt the flow of world trade.
Apart from the huge costs and
logistics involved in scanning
every box loaded on a ship, such a
measure would almost inevitably
exacerbate port congestion, which
at several container terminals
around the world is already near
crisis point, he added.

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The 18-page judgement points to a

surprising dearth of authority on the circumstances in which an officer can be
legally held to be a master.
It notes that master is a defined term,
meaning any person (except a pilot) having command or charge of any ship.
And it refers to other cases including
a UK employment appeal tribunal involving the terms of employment of masters
serving on a dual command system
onboard P&Os cross-Channel ferries. It
notes the tribunals description of the

practice as exceptional in the shipping

industry and states that the situation
onboard Santa Regina was different
because the transfer of command was not
for a defined period of time, as the master
could resume command at any moment.
The judgement also suggests that the
overall level of responsibility as master is
such that only one person is capable of
meeting that description for a particular
vessel at any point in time.
And it argues against the imposition of
reporting obligations on potentially more

than one person in respect of any particular incident warning that it could hinder rather than help the objective of
improved safety by creating confusion
and uncertainty.
Instead, it contends, the responsibility
has to rest with just one person the master even though they might not be aware
of every reportable incident as it happens.
It is their responsibility, the judgement
adds, to ensure that measures are in place
so that all incidents are reported to enable
them to meet their obligations.

GUIDANCE ON
EATING WELL
WHILE AT SEA

A&P refit
for P&Os
Norcape

A HANDY new guide to healthy

eating at sea is now available
and is free of charge for some
Nautilus UK members.
The Seafarers Food Guide,
produced by maritime fitness consultants The Physical Initiative,
highlights the importance of good
nutrition onboard ship and
ashore. The advice is based on
studies of thousands of seafarers
lifestyles, and is matched to job,
age and lifestyle-routine.
The guide warns: The combination of imbalanced eating and
low water intake is resulting in
many thousands of seafarers
developing greater increases in
body fat and weight than should
be the case.
The 30-page guide costs 1.00
from The Physical Initiative Ltd,
Oswaldkirk Bank, York YO62
5YA, Tel: 01439 788118, email:
Andrew@physicalinitiative.co.uk
But can be acquired for free
from the same address if you
work for the following: P&O
Ferries (Dover, Irish Sea and
North Sea), Carnival UK/P&O
Cruises, Maersk, Shell, Royal
Fleet Auxiliary, Princess Cruises,
Cunard Seabourn Line.

PICTURED right is the P&O

Ferries ro-ro cargo vessel
Norcape, which has returned
to service between Tilbury
and Zeebrugge following its
annual refit.
The work on the 14,087gt
ferry was undertaken by A&P
Tyne at Hebburn yard and at
times involved more than 100
personnel.
The decks have been
strengthened with enhanced
resistance to corrosion,
fatigue, fire, impact and
vibration including steel
insert renewals on parts of
the upper deck.
A&P also renewed the
crankshaft of the Mitsui
12V42M starboard main
engine work that included
dismantling and reassembly
of the engine.
This was a unique
experience for A&P to work
with only two of the four
existing Mitsui 12V42M
engines in the world, the
Tyne-based yard said.

Spending body in MCA inquiry

NAUTILUS UK has submitted evidence to a
National Audit Office (NAO) value for money investigation into the Maritime &
Coastguard Agencys (MCA) response to
growth in the UK merchant ship fleet.
And shipmaster members have also been
invited to contribute to the public spending
watchdogs study, which aims to examine
how well the MCA has responded to the
challenges of growth in the UK registered
merchant fleet.

The NAO says one of the key issues to be

covered by the study is whether the Agency
is managing its regulatory activities to
maintain and improve the safety and environmental record of the growing UK fleet.
Its investigation will also include consideration of the MCAs ship survey and inspection arrangements an area in which the
feedback from shipmaster members (due to
be completed at the end of June) will prove
vital.

Nautilus UK which has consistently

raised concerns about the pressures on
MCA staffing and resources, and the quality
of some of the ships coming onto the UK register in recent years has welcomed the
decision to conduct the inquiry and has submitted a detailed report.
The NAOS findings will be published in a
report to Parliament that may then be taken
up by the House of Commons public
accounts committee.

JULY 2008
Nautilus UK Telegraph
11

CHART UPDATE TO COME

AFTER LONG-AWAITED
IRISH SEABED SURVEY
THE FUGRO survey vessel Jetstream is
pictured right taking part in a Europeanfunded project to survey the seabed off the
northern coast of Ireland parts of which
have not been surveyed since Victorian
times which will help to provide more
accurate charts of the area.

The M2.1m Joint Irish Bathymetric Survey

(JIBS) Project is being led by the Maritime &
Coastguard Agency, in partnership with the
Marine Institute of Ireland.
Survey operations started in November
last year and vessels using multi-beam echo
sounding technology have been surveying a
3nm coastal strip westward from Country
Antrim, around Rathlin Island to Inishtrahull
Island off Donegal.
Data from the survey will be provided to
the UK Hydrographic Office for the updating
of nautical charts and publications in
Northern Irish and Irish waters.

MCA hydrographic manager Rob Spillard

said: The MCAs contractors have been
working since the beginning of the year in
this area and, although at times hampered
by severe weather, data has shown that
there are some remarkable features on the
seabed which were previously not known
about including caves and what may have
been a lagoon.
The data also shows a wreck, which is
thought to be that of the ss Diamond, a
steam coaster which sank after a collision
with the ss Lily near Rathlin Island in 1918,
he added.

health and safety

UNION SAYS GROUNDING

WAS A WAKE-UP CALL
Australian seafarers say bulker incident shows need to rebuild the national fleet
A REPORT on the grounding of
a flag of convenience bulk carrier
off the coast of Australia last year
should serve as a wake-up call
on the need for action to rebuild
the countrys merchant fleet,
Maritime Union of Australia
(MUA) has warned.
Investigations into the grounding of the 76,781dwt Pasha Bulker
criticised the safety management
onboard the vessel and accused
the master of ignoring the signs
that a dangerous situation was
developing until it was too late.
Pasha Bulker pictured right
was driven ashore at Nobbys
Beach, near the port of Newcastle,
last June in what was described as
a once-in-30-year storm.
The Japanese-managed vessel
was in a queue of 57 ships waiting
to load coal when conditions deteriorated and 60-knot gusts of
wind developed.
Concerned that the anchor was
dragging, the master decided to
move the ship and head out to sea.
However, he made what was
described as a poorly controlled
and high-risk turn towards the lee
shore that left the vessel heading
for the beach.
The Australian Transport
Safety Bureau investigation found
that the South Korean master had
an inadequate understanding of
heavy weather ballast, anchor
holding power and the limitations
of Newcastles weather-exposed
anchorage.
It said he had failed to ballast
the ship for heavy weather and

made the decision to leave the

anchorage too late. Investigators
said he subsequently became
affected by fatigue, anxiety, overload and panic leading to inappropriate control of the ship at
critical times.
The report says the Pasha
Bulkers safety management system did not provide the master
with specific guidance about putting to sea in adverse weather, and
contained no guidance on bridge
resource management.
The investigation also found
that a number of other ships

attempted to ride out the gale at

anchor and the majority dragged
their anchors. Less than one-third
of the 57 vessels at the anchorage
on 7-8 June were sufficiently ballasted for the weather, the report
points out.
Investigators also found that
many of the ships did not understand Newcastle vessel traffic
information centres purely advisory role, expecting that it would
instruct or inform them to put to
sea at an appropriate time.
Only seven of the ships
departed the anchorage before the

How kitchen towels could

help to clean up oil spills
RESEARCHERS have come up
with a plan to use giant kitchen
towels to clean up oil spills at
sea.
They predict the wafer-thin
membranes could be used to
replace booms and detergents
in responding to marine pollution incidents.
Teams from Japan, Russia
and the US have developed the
material, which is made from

nanowires microscopic
strands of potassium manganese oxide woven into matting that selectively absorb
hydrophobic liquids.
The material can absorb up
to 20 times its own weight and
can be reused. It is impervious
to water, remaining dry even
when left under water for a
month, but soaks up oil and
other contaminants, which can

then be removed and disposed

of safely.
Dr Francesco Stellacci, of the
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, led the research
project.
Announcing
the
results, he said that with more
than 200,000 tonnes of oil
being spilt into the sea in the
past decade alone, the material
offers enormous potential for
cleaning up the environment.

onset of the gale force winds,

despite forecast warnings. More
than 40 were still at anchor by the
time the winds had reached strong
gale force, and the report says this
led to many of them experiencing
serious subsequent difficulties.
The ATSB said the substantial
ship queue increased the risks in
the anchorage and resulted in
another near grounding, a near
collision and a number of closequarters situations at the time.
The report makes a total of 11
recommendations to address
safety issues raised in the investi-

OWNERS WARN
ON PILOTAGE
ASIAN shipowners have voiced
concern about an increase in accidents involving ships under
pilotage and have called for
action to make pilots more
responsible for their actions.
Meeting in China last month,
the Asian Shipowners Forum said
the number of pilotage incidents
appears to have been complicated
by the serious shortage of qualified
personnel in this profession.
The meeting called for urgent
consideration by the IMO of the
issues of pilot error, and qualifications and accountability.

gation, but the MUA said the case

highlighted the dangers of the
growth of unregulated flag of convenience shipping.
National secretary Paddy
Crumlin said the report should
add momentum to the drive to
rebuild the Australian shipping
industry.
As an island nation, there are
compelling economic, environmental and national security
grounds to rebuild Australian
shipping the findings of the
ATSB report just adds weight to
these, he added.

BV bids to
cut slips
and falls
THE CLASSIFICATION society Bureau Veritas is claiming
that slip, trip and fall accidents
onboard ships could be cut to
almost nothing.
The claim was made last
month as BV announced newlydeveloped guidelines seeking to
reduce the number of accidents
to seafarers and surveyors during the inspection and maintenance of ships structures.
The guidance is directed at
shipyards and designers and
aims to ensure safe user-centred design for means of access
onboard ships of any type.
It has the potential to reduce
the incidence of common slips,
trips and falls during access
from the current level of more
than 40% of non-fatal shipboard injuries to almost nothing, BV stated.
Our experience in the offshore industry has shown that a
detailed focus on user-centred
design of the details of access
means, such as ladders and
hatchways, can reduce common
accidents to almost zero, said
marine
division
director
Bernard Anne.
BVs guidelines are based on
extensive research including
questioning of actual users
that identified the most risky
means of access as ladders,
openings (vertical and horizontal) and elevated passageways.
Main causes of accidents
included: lack of handles; location of openings; lack of space
for surveying or working safely
(on platforms or around ladders, for instance) and for using
means of access in comfort; and
poor marking of hazards.
BV will incorporate the guidance in its rules, and says the
next set of guidelines will focus
on the safe design of machinery
spaces.

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12
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

COASTGUARDS HONOURED
FOR NAPOLI RESPONSE
MARITIME & Coastguard Agency officers Mark
Rodaway and Peter Pritchard are pictured
right with HRH The Prince of Wales receiving
special awards for their role in responding to
the MSC Napoli incident last year.
The Prince who is Honorary Commodore
of HM Coastguard presented the Honorary
Commodore Awards to the two men at a
private ceremony at Clarence House.

TUC WARNS ON WORK STRESS

The awards were presented in recognition

of their outstanding tactical command,
leadership and on-scene coordination to
restore public order and safety on the beach
and surrounding area at Branscombe following
the beaching of containers from the vessel and
for their untiring efforts in the days and weeks
thereafter in support of the salvage operation.
The awards are the highest presented to
Coastguard officers for meritorious conduct,
and Chief Coastguard Rod Johnson said the
two men had made a major contribution to the
success of the MCAs operation after the
containership was beached.

NEW research and guidance on ways for managers to

prevent and reduce workplace stress have been
published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel &
Development, the Health & Safety Executive, and
Investors in People.
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said the
advice was useful, but warned that stress in the
workplace is on the increase. Until we treat stress the
same way we treat other workplace hazards and
prosecute the worst employers it will continue to be the
biggest cause of work-related injury, he added.

health and safety

Moves for
harmony
on port
checks
PORT state control authorities
are reporting major progress
towards a harmonised global
regime of ship inspections.
The move follows a decision
by the Paris Memorandum of
Understanding on PSC which
represents 27 countries, including the UK to give observer
status to the Black Sea,
Mediterranean and Riyadh
MOUs.
Paris MOU general secretary
Richard Schiferli said the other
bodies would be given a distance
learning package for their
inspectors and access to the
expert training programme.
He said the MOU members
had made more progress on a
new inspection regime, which is
expected to enter into force in
2011, which will be backed up by
a new information system
developed with the European
Maritime Safety Agency.
Member states have also
agreed proposals to develop a
common training programme
for port state control officers.
The meeting decided to stage
a concentrated inspection campaign (CIC) on navigational
safety from September to
November this year. The initiative will be carried out jointly
with the Tokyo MoU.
During 2009 a joint CIC on
lifeboat launching arrangements will held.
The Committee also agreed
on new PSC guidelines for operational drills and the anti-fouling systems convention.

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IMO rejects safety rep proposals

MARITIME union calls for a seafarers
safety representative (SSR) to be appointed
on all ships covered by the International
Safety Management Code have been
rejected at the International Maritime
Organisation.
Proposals for the carriage of SSRs who
would be appointed or elected by the crew
and provided with adequate shore-based
support to perform his or her duties were
tabled at the IMOs maritime safety committee meeting.
But the proposed amendments to the

ISM Code that would have established the

position of SSR were not supported by delegates at the meeting.
However, the committee did approve a
new IMO code due to come into effect in
January 2010 that will require flag states
to conduct an investigation into all very
serious marine casualties involving the
total loss of a ship, a death, or severe damage to the environment.
The US delegation objected to the code,
on the grounds that provisions requiring
governments to inform seafarers of their

right to legal representation during accident investigations conflict with US law.

The committee also discussed proposals
to encourage the reporting of near-misses
including a regulatory requirement for
companies to investigate them under the
ISM Code. The ITF delegation expressed
concern over proposals submitted by the
Liberian government, saying it did not go
far enough to ensure that seafarers who
report near misses would not face disciplinary action. The ITF also expressed concerns that near-miss reports could be used

by prosecutors in criminal actions against

seafarers.
The meeting also considered a proposal
put forward by the ITF for an international code for safe manning. The proposal
would require companies to show that
manning levels aboard their ships were
determined through sound principles that
take into account such factors as trade,
security duties, cargo carried, and levels of
automation. The committee agreed that a
correspondence group, chaired by the US,
would continue work on the ITF proposal.

GLAS SAY VISUAL AIDS

NEED TO BE RETAINED
2020 plan voices concern at over-reliance upon electronics
VISUAL aids to navigation will
continue to play a key role in promoting shipping safety in UK and
Irish waters over the next two
decades, the three general lighthouse authorities (GLAs) have
concluded.
Although the e-navigation era
is now coming into effect, the
GLAs believe that visual aids will
continue to have an important
role in position-fixing, hazard
warning, spatial awareness, and
confirmation of position.
The comments come in the
GLAs visual aids to navigation
plan, published last month as part
of their 2020 The Vision strategy.
The document points out that
the mix of navigational aids provided by the authorities is coming
under increasing pressure, as
users are demanding better services and the GLAs endeavour to
deliver greater value for money.
It notes a range of current and
forecast regulatory measures
including mandatory carriage of
AIS and ECDIS along with the
development of motorways of the
sea, and an increase in the number of vessel traffic services and
traffic separation schemes.
At the same time, the paper
adds, ships are getting larger and
faster and world seaborne trade is
rapidly expanding. Increasing
congestion in some waterways is
placing greater demand on navigational aids, the GLAs warn, and
the growth of offshore renewable
energy facilities is reducing the
amount of navigable water.
The paper argues that that
adoption of new technology
including widespread reliance on

The Mull of Galloway lighthouse, which has a lamp array

GNSS and the use of integrated
bridge systems may encourage
a level of false confidence.
It points to the risk of single
point of failure with both the navigation and surveillance functions
of future systems relying solely on
GNSS. And it stresses the way in

PICTURE: ARNAUD SPANI/NLB

which visual aids can deliver a

positive impact on safety because
they directly engage the bridge
team in the navigation of the vessel.
The document warns: It is a
matter of increasing concern that
concentration on electronic dis-

plays can disengage the mariner

from the external environment.
Visual AtoNs move the focus to
the view outside the bridge windows.
As a result, the GLAs say that
lighthouses will continue to play a
key role in safety at sea and
many will have enhanced functions, such as providing weather
and tidal data, AIS services, and
serving as DGPS transmitters and
differential Loran reference stations.
The document also forecasts
the further development of superbuoys in place of many marine
floating aids, with new equipment
being added to buoys to provide
additional services such as the
transmission of AIS and meteorological and hydrological data and
monitoring.
The GLAs note concern about
the increased level of background
lighting and rival lights, and say
they will continue to develop light
source technology especially
LEDs to improve the performance and cost-effectiveness of
visual aids.
Users will continue to be consulted to ensure services meet
their needs, the GLAs promise,
and there will be a regular review
of aids to ensure the system is
delivering.
Nautilus UK senior national
secretary Allan Graveson welcomed the plan. We are pleased
with the strategy outlined by the
GLAs and the rationale behind it,
although we do have concerns
about the availability of the radio
spectrum with respect to the continued use of racons, he added.

Owners in
windfarm
warning
BRITISH shipowners have
warned the government not to
allow windfarms to be built in
and around the countrys maritime motorways.
The call came last month as 11
zones around the UK coastline
were named as potential sites
for the next generation of offshore windfarms. Under the
Crown Estate leasing programme, the UK is seeking to
secure an additional 25
gigawatts of new offshore generating capacity by 2020.
In reaction to the announcement, Chamber of Shipping
director-general Mark Brownrigg commented: The shipping
industry supports the governments objective of increasing
the percentage of Britains
energy needs supplied by windpower.
However, the Round 3 leasing programme needs to consider carefully both the
environment and the existing
users of the seaways around the
UK.
Offshore windfarms can
pose serious threats to shipping
because of the navigational
safety implications when windfarms are located to close to
established shipping routes and
where they cause interference to
ships radar, he said. And where
ships are forced to deviate
around windfarm sites, that
may negate some of the environmental benefits they were
intended to bring.
To use a land-based analogy:
when planning offshore sites,
please dont build on the motorway! Or on the hard shoulder.
But do build in the fields.
The Chamber said it will continue to monitor planning applications to ensure that shippings
safety, efficiency and low environmental impact are not compromised.

JULY 2008
Nautilus UK Telegraph
13

UK HEALTH COMMITTEE
ISSUES GUIDANCE ON
DRUGS AND HEPATITIS
PICTURED right is one of a pair of new
health and safety leaflets for seafarers
published last month by the National
Maritime Occupational Health and Safety
Committee (NMOHSC).
The committee, whose membership is
comprised of Nautilus UK, the RMT union

and the Chamber of Shipping, has issued the

two leaflets, Drugs What You Should
Know and Guidelines to Shipping Companies
on Hepatitis.
Drugs What You Should Know is a
revised and updated advice leaflet. Previous
editions were issued by the Chamber of
Shipping in 1992 and 1998, making this the
first occasion on which the leaflet has been
supported by both Nautilus UK and RMT.
The leaflet sets out the UKs legal regime
as it affects shipping, and offers a summary
of the effects of commonly-abused drugs. It
notes that seafarers may be subject to drugs

ASBESTOS APPEAL

tests under individual company policies, and

also stresses the importance of seafarers
informing the master of their ship whenever
they are taking legally-available medications
in case these have any side-effects that may
affect the safety of their ship.
Guidelines to Shipping Companies on
Hepatitis provides information on the highly
prevalent infection, which is estimated to
affect as many as one person in 12
worldwide. The leaflet gives advice to
seafarers on the way the various strains are
transmitted, and on the necessary
precautionary measures.

A TEST case that seeks to protect the

rights of asbestos victims got under
way at the High Court last month.
The trial which is expected to last
nine weeks is set to determine
whether the families of thousands of
workers killed by the condition
mesothelioma get compensation
from insurers that provided cover for
employers which have since ceased
trading.

health and safety

FERRY CRASH HIGHLIGHTS

FEARS OVER PEC ABUSE
MAIB report on contact incident points to shortfalls in training, experience and procedures
NAUTILUS UK has expressed
fresh concern about the abuse of
pilotage exemption certificates
(PECs) following an investigation
into a contact incident between
two ferries in the port of Hull last
year.
The Belgian-flagged ro-ro
Ursine struck the P&O ferry Pride
of Bruges while manoeuvring into
a berth in King George Dock last
November. Both vessels were
damaged, but no one was injured.
Accident investigators found
that the incident occurred
because the 16,947gt Ursine
which was on its first voyage on
charter to P&O had reversed
into a berth already occupied by
the Pride of Bruges.
They discovered that the
Ursines Ukrainian master who
had no experience of handling roro vessels had assumed the
Dutch PEC holder would be in
control. But the PEC holder
who was not an experienced ship
handler had assumed that the
master would take charge of the
manoeuvre.
The
Marine
Accident
Investigation Branch report on
the incident says opportunities to
identify the bridge teams inexperience had been missed in the
charter party agreement and dur-

The Belgian-flagged ferry Ursine backed into the P&O vessel Pride of Bruges in Hull last November
ing P&Os pre-charter inspection.
It says the ferry industry
should consider adopting the sort
of procedures used by the tanker
sector to check on the training and
experience of masters and senior
officers.

The demands of the shortsea

ro-ro trade are intense, and it
would be appropriate for the ro-ro
sector to consider the adoption of
a similar standard, the report
states.
The MAIB has also issued a

PICTURE: MAIB

safety flyer to the industry, urging

owners to ensure that when they
appoint senior officers to their vessels they ensure they have the necessary ship handling and bridge
team management training and
experience.

Chief engineer praised for quick

thinking to tackle fire on AHTS
AN ENGINEROOM fire on the offshore
anchor handling supply tug Maersk Master
was brought under control in 15 minutes
thanks to cool-headed action by the chief engineer, even though key onboard fire-fighting
systems malfunctioned.
A Danish Maritime Authority accident
investigation report on the incident, published
last month, highlights a series of safety system
failures after the blaze broke out during a
tanker lifting operation off Brazil in February.
The report says the chief engineer investigated when the engineroom alarm sounded.
He pressed the water mist system starter button, but it failed to trigger the system.
The officer remembered that there were
manually operated bypass valves in the winch

garage that could be opened, so activated the

water mist system by this means.
In a further bid to limit the spread of the fire,
he tried to activate the CO2 system but when
he tried to release the primary CO2 bottle, he
discovered a leak. He had to use a spanner to
stop the leak and release the CO2.
The ships emergency power system also
failed. And although the emergency generator
started up automatically, it was discovered that
it could not be connected to the main switchboard. The chief engineer also found that the
cooling fans were not running. Since lack of
cooling could result in overheating and shutdown, he and the first engineer attempted activating the fan motors, but were still unable to
connect to the main switchboard.

The chief engineer then took a series of

readings to ensure the fire had been suppressed by the CO2, because he was concerned
that heat from the fire would ignite oils and
chemical stored in a void space in front of the
accommodation and above the engineroom.
Investigators determined that the cause of
the fire was a failed pipe connection for a differential pressure gauge mounted on the
duplex fuel filter for the main engine. Diesel oil
was deflected to hot surfaces, where it ignited.
The report recommends that Maersk
reviews its procedures for emergency stops of
pumps and ventilators in the event of a fire, and
also reviews the electrical power supply, control and emergency systems to ensure they are
not rendered ineffective in a fire.

It is also recommending that

competent harbour authorities
should carefully check that PEC
candidates possess the necessary
ship handling skills for particular
vessels and that they ensure
that they are the bona fide master
or first mate of the vessels concerned.
In the case of the Ursine, the
PEC holder was not signed on to
the vessels crew agreement and
the MAIB said this made it less
likely that he would be a fully integrated member of the bridge
team.
The PEC holder was informed
by P&O that Ursine was to be
added to his PEC, the report
states. This is not a satisfactory
situation, as pilotage exemption
certificates are issued by a CHA on
the basis of an individuals skill,
experience and local knowledge.
It is not appropriate for an addition to a PEC to be made by proxy.
It also adds: This case was a
good example of a situation where
it would have been prudent for a
pilot to be employed to strengthen
the bridge team, even though
there was a PEC holder onboard.
Ursine which is owned by
Cobelfret Ferries had been
chartered from EuroShip Services
to carry freight traffic on P&Os

service between Hull and

Rotterdam Europort.
No procedure was in place for
positively confirming berth allocation to vessels using the P&O
terminal. On the day of the incident, the PEC holder had assumed
that the 5 Quay Middle berth
adjacent to the Pride of Bruges
normal berth was the one to be
used. However, the Pride of
Bruges had been moved from its
normal berth for operational reasons, and the Ursine bridge team
did not have a clear view of the
berth from the control positions
on the bridge wings as they
manoeuvred the ship stern first.
Nautilus UK senior national
secretary Allan Graveson said the
incident highlighted the importance of the port safety measures
presently being debated in the
governments proposed Marine
Navigation Bill.
This underlines both our concerns about the need for the Port
Marine Safety Code to be made
mandatory, and also the dangers
of a rent a PEC system developing, he added.
The MAIBs report does a good
job in identifying these issues, but
unfortunately falls short in its recommendations, he added.
Port safety concerns page 19

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14
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

22,000TEU BOXSHIP PLANS

JAMAICAN REGISTRY
GETS CHINESE PAIR

THE SOUTH Korean shipbuilding STX is planning to

take container shipping to new lengths 460m to
be precise with a design for a 22,000TEU
boxship.
The vessel which would be almost twice the
size of the largest containerships presently in service
would be powered by single or double engines
and have a cruising speed of 24 to 26 knots.
STX said the vessel would offer economies of
scale that could lead to per-TEU fuel savings of
around 40%.

EFFORTS to expand the Jamaican ship

registry have been boosted with the
addition of two new containerships
which will operate in the Chinese coastal
trades.
Jamaicas ambassador to China,
Wayne McCook, is pictured left with
Calvin Chen, the deputy registrar for
China, beside one of the vessels the

7,545gt CCL Moji.

Jamaicas flag was launched as an
international register in December 2000,
following new rules to allow nonnationals to own and register Jamaican
ships.
Claudia Grant, deputy director
general of the Jamaican maritime
authority, commented: These
registrations add to Jamaicas
recognition and prestige, and
demonstrate that we are growing in size
and stature in the very important
Chinese market.

international news

Missing
master:
FBI probe

briefly...
Airbus ship: the French operator Louis Dreyfus has taken
delivery of the City of Hamburg, the second of two ships used
to transport components of the Airbus A380 aircraft between
the UK port of Mostyn, and Hambug, Cadiz and Saint
Nazaire. City of Hamburg flies the French international flag
and sails with French officers. A third ship in the series
Ciudad de Cadiz is due to be delivered next year.
Seismic action: some 30 engineers and technicians working
onboard seismic research vessels in the French CGG Veritas
fleet took strike action last month in protest at the companys
plans to impose an annual 210-day work regime in place of the
agreed 177 days. The action affected nine ships in the fleet.
Swift closure: Maersk and Teekay have announced the end of

their Swift Tankers joint venture just 18 months after its

launch. Maersk is to acquire Teekays 50% share in the
company, which operates a total of 24 intermediate product
and chemical tankers.
Scandlines cuts: the Baltic ferry operator Scandlines has

announced 100 job losses from its shore-based staff in

Denmark and Germany. The redundancies form part of a
restructuring of the company.
Pollution penalties: stiff penalties have been imposed by a

court in the French port of Marseilles on the masters and

owners of two ships accused of polluting the countrys waters.
Taiwan tax: Taiwan is set to become the latest country to
introduce a tonnage tax scheme in response to pressure from
shipowners.

Protestors blockade French ports

STRIKING French dockers are
pictured in the port of Le Havre
last month during a series of
protests against the
governments plan to privatise
cargo handling operations.
Scores of ships were
prevented from sailing as a
result of a series of 24-hour
and 48-hour stoppages
organised at the seven staterun ports which include Fos-

Lavera, Dunkirk and Roeun.

Unions planned to step up
the action, with a nationwide
blockade to coincide with a
parliamentary discussion of
the port reform plans.
A coalition organising the
protests accused the
government of trying to
establish private sector
monopolies in the ports and
warned that the action would

not stop until ministers give

social and employment
guarantees.
Several French ports were
also affected by fishing vessel
crews campaigning for
government action to curb oil
price rises. The
demonstrations have spread
to Italy, Spain and Portugal.
PICTURE: ERIC HOURI

AN INVESTIGATION was
launched last month after a
Romanian shipmaster disappeared from a Liberian-flagged
bulk carrier in the middle of the
Atlantic.
The Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) was called in
after Iulian Liviu Iliescu, the 48year-old Romanian master of
the 66,754dwt Morning Cloud,
went missing in mid-Atlantic
while the ship was en route from
the Black Sea to New Orleans
last month.
The chief engineer alerted
the US Coast Guard after he was
unable to find the master.
A subsequent search of the
area in the Atlantic involving
aircraft and patrol ships proved
unsuccessful, and investigators
were looking into suggestions
that the master may have
jumped overboard.
His wife told reporters in
Romania that her husband was
depressed and had complained
of a difficult voyage due to communication problems with the
mainly Russian crew. However,
she said she could not accept
that he had committed suicide.

OWNERS BLAME US
FOR BRIDGE CRASH
Winner loses the fight
PICTURED above is the flag of
convenience cargoship Winner
arrested in June 2002 and
held in the French port of Brest
ever since which is to be
demolished following work to
remove pollutants this
summer.
The Cambodian-registered
freighter was detained after
being boarded by French
commandos in international
waters some 700nm SW off
the Canary Islands.
More than a ton of
Colombian cocaine with a
street value of more than
US$235m was seized from

the ship, which was registered

as carrying a cargo of scrap
iron destined for Bilbao, Spain.
The ships Greek owners
were sentenced to life
imprisonment by a court in
Greece, while three seafarers
from the vessel were jailed by
a French court for terms of 12
to 20 years.
As a key item of evidence,
the ship could not be broken
up but because it was
beginning to present a risk of
pollution, it is now destined to
be scrapped at the start of
2009.
PICTURE: ERIC HOURI

Counter-claim alleges Coast Guard negligence in pilot license

THE DISPUTE over the causes of
the bunker spill that followed last
years collision between the containership Cosco Busan and the
San Francisco Bay bridge deepened last month with lawyers for
the owners blaming the US government for licensing an unfit
pilot.
A counter-claim filed by the
lawyers argues that the accident
which led to a 177-tonne bunker
spill and clean-up costs of more
than US$60m would not have
happened had the pilot, John
Cota, been medically fit.
The owners Regal Stone, of
Hong Kong claim that the US
was negligent in licensing the pilot
following a drink driving convic-

tion and a medical history, which

included taking prescription
drugs such as valium.
US National Transportation
Safety Board hearings into the
casualty have been told that
Captain Cota had a drink-drive
conviction in 1999, and the US
Coast Guard had required him to
attend Alcoholics Anonymous
hearings before his license was
renewed.
The hearings were also told
that the pilot had been taking a
range of medicines for conditions
including anxiety, depression,
glaucoma, migraines and sleep
apnea.
Pilot Cotas medical condition
and his use of prescription med-

ications resulted in the impairment of his cognitive abilities and

contributed to his lack of situational awareness, the owners
claim states.
The document also claims that
the US Coast Guards vessel traffic
service should have warned the
pilot that the Cosco Busan was
heading for the bridge and
ordered him to change course.
The federal lawsuit alleged that
the crash violated the National
Marine Sanctuary Act, the Oil
Pollution Act of 1990 and the Park
System Resource Protection Act.
It accused the defendants of fault,
negligence and breach of federal
safety and operating regulations.
The Justice Department now

has until early August to respond

to the counter-claims.
US politicians are pressing for
an increase in US Coast Guard
staffing after it was revealed that
there is a big backlog of incomplete accident investigations.
A report from the Department
of Homeland Security found that
some casualties have been investigated by unqualified personnel
and around 90% have failed to
progress beyond the data collection stage.
The USCG said it is planning to
address the problems with a 40%
increase in inspector and investigator numbers, whilst politicians
have called for extra funding for
the organisation.

JULY 2008
Nautilus UK Telegraph
15

CLASSIC LINER IS
OFF TO BREAKERS
PICTURED right is the Mermoz
one of the last classic French
cruise liners, which is to be
broken up.
Built as the Jean Mermoz at
Saint Nazaire in 1957, the
vessel served on routes between
Europe and west Africa before
being sent for conversion at the

JAPANS TONNAGE
TAX IS APPROVED

Mariotti yard in Italy in 1969.

After extensive work, including
the fitting of bow thrusters, the
vessel emerged as a cruise liner,
renamed Mermoz.
Described as one of the finest
cruiseships of her time, Mermoz
carried up to 757 passengers
and 264 crew. The 14,173gt
vessel passed to Costa Cruises
ownership in 1993, and was
sold to Louis Cruises in 1999,
operating as the Serenade until
now.
PICTURE: ERIC HOURI

JAPANs government has

approved a long-awaited tonnage
tax scheme that seeks to bring
owners back to the national flag
and encourage increased seafarer
training.
The proposed measure was
backed by the Japanese
parliament last month, although

it is unclear quite when the new

regime will take effect.
Faced with growing shortages
of Japanese crew which has
resulted in some shore-based
posts having to be filled by
foreign nationals the
government says it wants to
secure a 50% increase in the
number of domestic seafarers
over the next decade.
However, the government
seems to have shied away from
crew nationality requirements.

international news

DANISH FIRM AXES

UK-NORWAY ROUTE
More than 300 jobs go as DFDS drops its Newcastle service
by ANDREW DRAPER
DANISH seafarers have expressed
alarm at the decision by DFDS
Seaways to axe its Newcastle to
Bergen ferry route, resulting in
340 job losses.
Announcing the closure last
month, the Danish operator
blamed an unsatisfactory trend
resulting from rising bunker
prices and the impact of low-cost
airlines.
The DFDS Seaways passenger
ferry division has suffered for
some years from competition with
budget airlines and turned to a
concept that included more
onboard entertainment to make
the journey part of a holiday.
But the company said it was
still not making money on the
route and needs to save DKK60m
(6m).
We have done everything
humanly possible to turn it
around, but it is impossible to turn
it into a viable business, said CEO
Niels Smedegaard.
Even though DFDS is prepared to help those made redundant, this will be a testing and
difficult process for the affected
employees, he added. However,
these actions are necessary measures in order to turn around
DFDS Seaways economy and to
create long-term, sustainable
development.
Some 200 of the 340 job losses
will be members of the Danish
maritime catering union, DSRF.

Swedish merger: the Swedish merchant marine officers

union SBF has taken a step closer to a merger after its

delegates congress voted almost unanimously in favour of
exploring a tie-up with the Swedish ship officers association
(Sveriges Fartygsbeflsfrening). The motion is motivated by
a desire to avoid competing over the same, and shrinking, pool
of members. SBF will consider the matter quickly, with a view
to having a proposal on the table by 2012.
Aid approved: the European Commission has approved a
revised scheme of support for the French shipping industry,
under which owners are given social security payment
exemptions for seafarers serving on ships flying the national
flag. Brussels said doubts about whether the scheme complies
with state aid guidelines were removed in April, when France
adopted a law opening up the posts of ships master and chief
mate to EU and EEA nationals.
Dunkirk doubles: the French port of Dunkirk is developing a

20-year plan to double general cargo throughput to around

45m tonnes a year. It seeks zero waiting times for ships, helped
by competitive maritime, river and rail logistics, as practiced
in Rotterdam. The port has also undertaken dredging work
following access difficulties experienced by large bulk carriers.
Finland slated: the European Commission has warned

Finland that it is facing legal action for failing to implement

EU port state control regulations. Brussels says Finland has
failed to fully transpose into national law the 1995 EU
directive on ship inspection and detention procedures.

Pulling out: Queen of Scandinavia is being withdrawn from the Newcastle-Bergen route in September
President Ole Philipsen said
DFDS had lacked a pioneering
spirit in its products and prices.
Over the years it has meant
that the prices have gone up to a
premium level without anything
extra being offered to justify it, he
added. The question is whether
the company can be innovative in
its thinking or whether it will
again add cosmetic make-up to
the familiar concepts that have
failed several times.

Mr Philipsen said the loss of

the route would have dramatic
consequences for his members.
It is not just 200-odd jobs
that will be lost. The company
is also demanding new contracts
for those remaining, and it will
mean significant pay reductions
for all.
Some 270 seafaring jobs will
be lost, together with 70 shorebased posts. DFDS is by far the
biggest employer for DSRF, and

PICTURE: ERIC HOURI

its decision is a second blow for the

union this year following Maersks
decision to replace 125 of its members with cheaper foreign crews.
The closure of the NewcastleBergen route which takes effect
in September forms the first
part of a strategic review of DFDS
operations. The second phase will
include an assessment of other
passenger routes, such as
Newcastle-Amsterdam, HarwichEsbjerg and Oslo-Copenhagen.

US steps up work to boost

national sea skills base
THE US is intensifying its efforts
to revive the national seafarer
skills base following a new report
that underlines the scale of owners recruitment and retention
problems.
The US Maritime Administration (MarAd) last month
promised to find new and innovative ways to recruit, train and
retain qualified US mariners in
response to the findings of a ship-

briefly...

ping company questionnaire.

According to the survey, some
89% of US-flag operators had
tried to recruit seafarers last year,
and 71% reported problems in
finding sufficient qualified personnel.
More than half the respondents reported difficulty in retaining qualified mariners, and 88%
said this was affecting their operations.

The maritime industry is a

great place to look for long-term
employment right now, MarAd
chief Sean Connaughton commented. It used to be that there
were too few jobs and too many
people looking. This study shows
that the tide has turned, and the
situation is reversed.
Nautilus has urged the UK
government to look at the measures being taken by MarAd to

boost US seafarer training and

employment including action
to encourage foreign operators to
take on US cadets.
The MarAd initiatives are
already showing signs of success,
with companies such as Shell,
OSG and ExxonMobil announcing support for US seafarer training and applications to the
countrys merchant marine academies at an all-time high.

Marshall mark: the US-based company the runs the Marshall

Islands ship registry has announced that the flag has passed
the 40m gt mark. According to IRI, the Marshall Islands fleet
has risen from 626 ships of 18.5m gt at the end of 2003 to
1,736 ships of 40m gt in May this year.
Euro attack: German Socialist MEP Willi Piecyk has

slammed the European Commissions action plan to create

an integrated European maritime policy, arguing that it
contains few concrete measures and should be more
ambitious in its aims.
SeaFrance slows: the French ferry operator SeaFrance is
seeking to combat rising fuel costs by putting two of its biggest
vessels, the Rodin and Berlioz, on reduced speed for 60-80%
of crossings.

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16
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

Have your
say: online
Last months poll asked: Do you
think the officer shortage is as
bad as research suggests? As the
Telegraph went to press, the poll
showed 77.4% agreement with
the statement.

77.4% Yes
17.9% No
4.7% Not sure

This month, we want your

views on the transport
ministers environmental call
to the shipping industry

We have been
here before!

Do you think the transport

minister is right to tell
ships to slow down to cut
pollution?

I AM a senior, over 85 years old,

having been a member since 1944.
On looking back over issues in
the Telegraph 30 to 50 years ago,
it seems that they continue to be
todays topics such as the use of
sail in response to the energy crisis.

Vote now, on
www.nautilusuk.org

Capt I. LAMPSHIRE-JONES

Whats on your mind?

Tell your colleagues in Nautilus UK and the wider world of shipping through a letter to the Telegraph.
Keep to a limit of 300 words if you can though longer contributions will be considered.
You may use a pen name or just your membership number if you dont want to be identified say so in an
accompanying note but you must let the Telegraph have your name, address and membership number.
Send your letter to the editor, Telegraph, Nautilus UK, 750-760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BB,
or use head office fax 020 8530 1015, or email telegraph@nautilusuk.org

Offshore workers have

little faith in ARCCs
A GRAND DONATION TO
AOS FROM SIR JIMMY
THE APOSTLESHIP of the Sea has received a 1,000 donation from
TV personality and charity fund-raiser Jimmy Savile. He is pictured
presenting a cheque to QE2 hotel manager John Duffy, during his
final cruise onboard the vessel.
Sir Jimmy has been a regular passenger on the Cunard vessel
for many years, and has always enjoyed attending daily mass
onboard. The Apostleship of the Sea provides chaplains to Cunard
and other shipping lines free of charge to meet the spiritual needs
of passengers and crew. Sir Jimmy said he felt it was appropriate to
present the cheque onboard, as it completed the link in the chain
between passengers, the ships officers and crew, and AOS.
AOS director of fundraising Sheila Bailey commented: We
are very grateful to Sir Jimmy for this generous donation. His
appreciation for the services our chaplain provides onboard is very
welcome and his donation will allow us to continue providing cruise
ships with chaplains.

I WOULD like to reply to the letter from

Mr David Ede in the May Telegraph on the
subject of the ARRCs (Autonomous Rescue
and Recovery Craft) that are carried on the
supply vessels managed by Vector Offshore.
Unlike most of the letters Ive been
reading lately on this subject, I think you
should hear what an actual rig worker thinks
on this matter.
I have been working offshore now for 19
years as a scaffolder, the last three years on
the Etap platform.
In his letter concerning the ARRCs, Mr
Ede states what these fine craft are capable of

eg: an ARCC is an independent unit from

the mother ship; it has a qualified engineer
onboard; it does not have to return to the host
ship as it is capable of steaming 400 miles
(thats when theyre not broken down)
Well, Mr Ede, let me tell you nobody
offshore is interested in that all we want
is to be plucked out of the water if needed
in four minutes, something the ARCCs will
never be able to do. I know this for a fact, as
a close friend of mine is ARCC crew on the
Victory!
On our platform alone, I cant count the
times weve got our gear ready to work only

to be told that they cant offer cover because

the weather is too bad, the ARCCs are broken
down (qualified engineer?), the davits are not
working we even get its too foggy (state
of the art boats?). If you read the Telegraph,
Mr Ede, youll see that all the major standby
companies are building new tonnage. I think
this speaks for itself.
I dont know of one man offshore that
prefers an ARCC to a standby vessel, and I
think its about time that something was done
about this. I know myself and my workmates
on Etap are looking into this.
R. MORTON

Website set up for Christian seafarers

I USED to be a member of NUMAST while I
was working at sea with P&O Nedlloyd, but
have been shoreside now for five years.
In the past couple of months I have
started a website entitled Christian
seafarers http://christiansatsea.webeden.co.uk
which aims to give anyone at sea the
opportunity for Christian fellowship in an
interactive way, where they are able to log
on and find some words of encouragement,

testimonies of other seafarers, and an

opportunity to interact with other seafarers.
Having spent a number of years at sea
myself the latter two as a Christian I
have felt burdened for a while now to try to
offer those at sea, on ships or oil rigs, the
opportunity of Christian fellowship.
It has been pleasing to read from your
website that internet access is becoming
more widespread for seafarers, and I am

sure this will continue to develop in the

future.
The internet has moved on a lot since I
was at sea and is expanding all the time, as
I read one of your articles entitled Blog on
the Tyne, so I hope this site will grow as time
goes by and your help in making it known is
greatly appreciated.
CALUM SMITH
Isle of Lewis

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3/6/08 11:01:37

JULY 2008
Nautilus UK Telegraph
17

Masters should
take heed of our
ordeal at the
hands of French
customs service
WITH reference to your front page
coverage of piracy in the May Telegraph,

I have written a short account of an

incident which took place in St Tropez,
France. I would be grateful if you would
publish it in the Telegraph, partly as a
warning to other passenger ship captains
of what they can expect when they visit
France, and partially in the vague hope
that the French authorities will take heed.
Whilst at anchor, we were boarded
by a gang of armed and menacing
individuals dressed in dark clothing. They
proceeded straight to the pursers office,
ordering her to open the two ships safes
and remove all cash.

This was followed by the casino safe

and the reception cash. Next, it was the
turn of the liquor locker to see alcohol
and cigarettes, followed by several crew
cabins turned upside down.
For four hours, my crew were held
hostage to their every whim, their mere
presence intimidating and harassing.
They rifled through the hotel managers
cabin looking for items of value,
demanding to see his computer, delving
in to his personal family photographs (a
gross infringement of personal privacy).
Not finding what they were after, they

customs service a little before those of

us who work at sea start to see his fine
country as yet another area to be avoided.
Capt MARK BOYLIN
Master, Wind Surf
mem no 152182

then moved to another cabin, mine, and

repeated the process.
Somalia or Nigeria you may wonder?
An all-too familiar story? No cash was
seized or confiscated on this occasion
but I am sure the scenario would have
been quite different if the count of the
ships stores or currency had been out.
With the recent unfortunate hijacking
of the Le Ponant in mind, and the
disgraceful manner in which the crew of
that fine ship were treated by their armed
captors, perhaps President Sarkozy
would consider reigning in his own

letters
Certificate disservice

The view
from Muirhead

Time for a new top 10?

FOLLOWING all the feedback from readers
nominating their top 10 sea songs, perhaps its
time we had a top 10 of sea books? There is some
great maritime literature some written by former
seafarers and your suggestions are welcome!

DUE TO my sea service, I was

unable to return the Maritime &
Coastguard Agencys electronic
questionnaire regarding oral exams
before the deadline of 31 March.
However, I wish to use the
email addresses in the notice I
was sent to raise some points that
concern myself and many of my UK
seafaring colleagues.
This year will see my sea service
reach 28 years, and so I believe I
can call myself experienced enough
and having been at sea long
enough to see some very disturbing
changes.
Firstly, the so-called white
list has been nothing but a huge
disservice to all holders of UK
certificates of competency (and to a
couple of other reputable seafaring
nations).
This system has simply
devalued tickets which cannot be
obtained by cheating, bribery or
coercion to the level of certificates
from third world nations which now
rank equally.
I frequently sail with officers of
all ranks from countries who freely
admit to obtaining their certificates
with no more than a bribe or the
pen stroke of a family member.
These people have openly mocked
colleagues of mine who have failed
parts of their CoC when they have

to return to college to re-sit exams.

The concept is alien to them.
This has resulted in wages and
conditions for properly qualified
and thoroughly trained officers
being lowered as cheap foreign
labour can be used instead, when
the shipowners are only concerned
that the paperwork is in order for
the vessel to sail.
Both Nautilus and the MCA can
and should be held accountable
for this situation being allowed to
develop.
I fear now that things have been
allowed to slip too far for there to be
any turn around so that standards
can be raised back up.
As far as oral examinations are
concerned, there are too many
people who have been issued
with a UK certificate of equivalent
competency based on foreign
tickets, who are unable to speak
clear English or read English with
any degree of clarity.
These applicants should be
made to sit a re-test with a UK
examiner before any CEC is issued.
My second grievance concerns
UK seamens discharge books. For
a number of years now I have been
employed in the oilfield/offshore
industry, and I am at a loss to
understand why I am seeing so
many non-seafarers holding UK

seamens discharge books.

The people I refer to are
charterers staff who are involved
in operations where a ship is no
more than a floating platform for
their equipment. Seismic survey
gangs, divers and ROV operators,
for example.
They are not seamen, they have
never been part of the Merchant
Navy, have never been employed
by a shipping company, and have
no part in the running or operation
of the ship itself.
They have not had to undertake
lifeboat, first aid or firefighting
courses, and are merely passengers
for the crew to assist in emergency
situations.
But for a number of years these
people have masqueraded as
seafarers in order to claim income
tax concessions that were initially
introduced by the Inland Revenue
to encourage seafarers to remain
at sea.
This has been nothing short
of fraud, aided and abetted by the
MCA issuing seafarers documents
to people with no right to them,
further degrading the status of

Lairdside Maritime Centre

Apocalyptic vision for mega cruiseship

WHAT A wonderful article was Junes item
on Ship Design. It makes one realise that if
one carefully selects ones cabin for a cruise
it will be possible to complete it without ever
seeing the sea. Of course this may be spoilt
somewhat during the voyage if a crowd of
rowdy drunks start a soccer match in the
shopping mall or Central Park still, for
some types this will make it so much more like
home...
One can only hope that the ship will carry
a suitable force of Masters at Arms and have
a comfortable brig. Can the Commander of
such a vessel log a passenger for drunk and
disorderly conduct? On a British-registered
passenger vessel there used to be a number
of fines that could be enforced on passengers;
but I digress.
As for the well heralded Project Genesis,
the worthy IMO secretary-general Mr
Efthimios Mitropoulos is quoted as saying
that the SOLAS amendments 2006 are said
to improve the chances of survivability on the
basis that a ship is its own best lifeboat
even if it is on fire and listing 20 degrees with
elderly passengers panicking and screaming
for help?

Then the highly respected RCCL executive

vice-president, Mr Harri Kulovaara claims
that larger cruise ships offer a better platform
to achieve higher safety standards, although
I dont think that an old age pensioner would
agree after running down the staircases of
seven or eight decks only to find himself at the
wrong boat station.
It is also claimed that the ship can be
evacuated within 45 minutes at night; why
at night, are the ones that dont make their
stations left behind on the basis of what the
eye doesnt see the heart doesnt grieve?.
In a recent accident at Poros on day cruise
vessel from Athens it is reported that it took
three hours to rescue 278 people (maybe this
proves RCCLs point). However, all such fine
claims have been heard before think of the
Titanic or the Andrea Dorea.
Noting RCCLs penchant for the biblical,
maybe their vessels safety manual should be
entitled Exodus and that for abandoning ship
The Apoclypse as that is what it will surely
become.
Coming now to non-marine perils, the
flavour of the year seems to be terrorism. What
an opportunity: who knows if the artful Osama

the very seafarers they should be

protecting.
I am quite frankly disgusted
each voyage when these
passengers approach the master for
their discharge books to be signed
and stamped. I would like to see
all holders of UK discharge books
be asked to prove their right to hold
them by showing they are in fact
merchant seamen and not taxdodging freeloaders riding on the
backs of people whose jobs they
could not and would not do.
I am pleased to have had this
opportunity to share some of the
grievances held by myself and
many of my colleagues.
Unless these matters, and
others, can be addressed soon,
the decline in the number of
quality seafarers will continue
until, I believe, ships will be run
so poorly that maritime disasters
will escalate and conditions at sea
will attract only persons with a non
professional attitude.
NICK PADFIELD
mem no 170155
See pages 26-27 for details of
the MCA orals survey.

ISPS Training

has not already got a couple of dozen of his

men familiarising themselves with shipboard
practice among the 1,365 crew, of 65
nationalities (are they bragging or whingeing)
in the Independence of the Seas? Once inserted
in the Project Genesis, after a trip or so they
could be joined by a couple of hundred of
Osamas hard men and potential martyrs
as fare-paying passengers, out of the 5,400
she can carry. On the evening of the longest
leg of a cruise, when stores and bunkers are at
their lowest they could change into replicas of
the ships staffs uniform, brought with them,
pick up a table knife, thus becoming armed,
seal all crew at their work stations and amidst
the confusion and alarm, herd everyone else
including passengers onto the top couple
of decks of the ship, say about four or five
thousand, in 45 minutes (not impossible as this
is about what the boat deck will have to cater
for). Manouever this horde of about 5,000
people, (about 400 tonnes in weight) to port or
starboard and put the helm hard over at say 22
knots and hey presto what a nice ship that was
pity about the stability problems, though.
Capt W.R. WOMERSLEY
mem no 310660

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3/6/08 11:26:36

18
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

GLEN LINE GROUP

SEEKS OTHERS
I AM writing to ask you to
publicise our association, the Glen
McGregor Association, to any
seafarers who may be interested
in joining. Now in our 34th
year, we presently have over 70
seafarer members who served on
Glen Line vessels, but feel there
must be many more who have not

heard of our association.

As a point of interest, we are
hoping to open a Museum of the
Glen Line later this year. This
will be housed in Sussex. We
have collected a lot of Glen Line
memorabilia from our 340-plus
members, antiques fairs and even
car boot sales, but are always
looking for more.
IAN E. THORNTON
Hon Secretary
57 Oakfield Road, Southgate,
London N14 6LT

Calling former
RSL seafarers
THE EDITOR of Shipmates would
like to hear from former seafarers
of the Reardon Smith Line, with
a view to joining the growing
membership of ex-employees of
the company.
For more than 10 years a
quarterly newsletter has been
published, composed mainly of

stories from members themselves

or on other maritime topics.
The only criteria is that
members should have served
on a Reardon Smith Line (or one
of its subsidiaries) ships. Those
interested should contact me,
Peter Bird, at 4 Luckley Wood,
Wokingham, Berkshire
RG41 2EW.
Tel: 0118 978 1922;
email: peterbird@haslerpublishing.
plus.com
PETER BIRD

Shipmates reunited
WISH youd kept in touch with that old colleague?
Why not try Shipmates Reunited? Nautilus UKs
electronic friend-finding noticeboard is still going strong
after seven years, and it gets regular hits from seafarers
all round the world. Maybe someones looking for you.
To find out, go to www.nautilusuk.org and click on the link
from our homepage. And if you want to put a posting
on Shipmates Reunited, simply send your message and
your contact details to webmaster@nautilusuk.org

readers letters

Class donation to preserve

one of the last Liberty ships
THE CLASSIFICATION society ABS has
donated US$250,000 to help preserve one of
the last surviving Liberty ships.
ABS has presented the money to the
Institute of History of the Greek Merchant
Marine to help with the multi-million dollar
costs of converting the vessel Arthur M.
Huddell into a maritime museum.
The ship was specially converted to lay a
pipeline across the English Channel to supply
fuel to the Allied forces after D-Day. It went on
to serve as a cable layer before going into layup as part of the US Maritime Administrations
Reserve Fleet.
Once transformed into its new role, Arthur
M. Huddell will join the two US-based Liberty
ship museums the John Brown and
Jeremiah OBrien as the last remaining
members of the more than 2,000 Liberties
built in US shipyards in the 1940s to support
the war effort.
ABS said the importance of the Liberty
ships to the resurgence of Greek merchant
shipping in the post-war period could not
be over-stated. The Greek fleet had been
decimated during the war, assisting in the
supply of Allied troops. With hostilities
over, the US government made the surplus
fleet of Liberty ships available for purchase
on favourable terms with Greek owners

...and a soldiers
poem recalls an
epic voyage on one
I THOUGHT this poem might give a bit of light reading and perhaps
stir a few memories. It was written by Lt. Walker, India Army, during
transportation of the Fourth India Eagle Division from Taranto to
Salonika, aboard the ss Sam Finn, in November 1944. The turkeys
eventually went the way of all turkeys, while the dog who had adopted
the ship had to be put down in west Africa because of a suspect
complaint (rabies?).
ARNOT MANSON

From the Dee to the Don and still further on

As far as the Mull of Kintyre,
From the city of Stone down to Algiers and Bone
They still talk as they sit round the fire
Of the Liberty ship that did the long trip
From Taranto and round into Greece,
With a dog and some turkeys, a hold full of Gurkhas
And Pongos to shatter their peace.
The Arthur M. Huddell was one of 2,751 Liberty ships built by 18 American shipyards between 1941 and 1945,
and is now set to become a maritime museum in Greece
purchasing what was to become known as
the Blessed 100 (actually 104) Liberty ships
which became the foundation upon which the
post-war Greek fleet was based.
Arthur M. Huddell has been given to

Greece as a gift from the US government,

and the museum is intended to serve as a
proud reminder to future generations of Greek
citizens of the importance of the merchant
marine to Greece.

GL A SGO W C OLLEGE OF NA UTIC AL S TUDIES

Maritime
STCW
Engineering
Courses

There was Laidlaw the Laird a benevolent beard

The Mate an absolute topper
But the pride of the lot was a sandy haired Scot
named McAuley who once was a copper
Down below was the Chief just a tiny bit deif
Who swore he came on the wagon
But the wily old Second when his bottle beckoned
Could knock down the stuff by the flagon.
The Chief Wireless Op also liked a wee drop
Of the stuff which is brightest and best
But in true service fashion were all kept to a ration
And Willie got rid of the rest.
But my greatest delight when a hard drinking night
Had left brow furrowed and worn
Was the sight of the steward with a slight list to leeward
With coffee for self in the morn.
And full fifty or more or maybe nine score
Sailed from the Italian heel
To lash and to stow both above and below
From the mizzen-top down to the keel.
And for all we in khaki, both for white and for daki
They all made an ample provision
For the comfort and rest of the stoutest and best
For the men of the Eagle Division.
Now the winches are squealing
The pulleys are reeling
The trucks and the guns hoisted out.
And soon we shall land on the Agean sand
And the Sam Finn is going about.
And shell sail on the tide to the great oceans wide
The Division will march to its stations
But well have in our leisure
A memory to treasure of truly combined operations

Contact the Faculty Secretary,

Contact the Faculty Secretary,

Faculty of Engineering

Faculty of Maritime Studies

0141 565 2650

0141 565 2700

engineering@gcns.ac.uk

maritime@gcns.ac.uk

From the Don to the Dee and the far western sea
From the frontiers down to Nepal
From the banks of the South and the old Severns mouth
From Dundee to the banks of the Fall
Across all the long miles from Bombay to the Isles
They came to the playground of Gods
And now that were here and drunk all our beer
Well go after the Jerries, the sods!

21 Thistle Street Glasgow G5 9XB Tel 0141 565 2500 Fax 0141 565 2599 www.gcns.ac.uk
AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER

Glasgow College 16 x 4.indd 1

A Scottish Charity No SC021195

RefNUMAST 4/08

Certificate No FS 30811
BS EN ISO 9001: 2000

widening horizons

3/6/08 10:49:18

JULY 2008
Nautilus UK Telegraph
19

Opportunity missed
safety at sea

PORT safety plans

may make things
worse, Nautilus
UK warns MPs
The
proposals
need to be
significantly
strengthened
if they are
to achieve
the desired
improvements
Nautilus UK submission
to House of Commons
transport committee
inquiry into draft Marine
Navigation Bill

THE GOVERNMENTS draft Marine

Navigation Bill represents a missed opportunity to address considerable concerns
about aspects of the safety of ships and
personnel in harbours and pilotage areas,
Nautilus UK warned MPs last month.
In evidence submitted to a House of
Commons transport committee inquiry
into the proposals, the Union warns that
the Bill appears almost apologetic to
industry interests and is characterised
by a softly, softly approach in which the
mandatory application of safety principles
seems to be anathema.
Whilst the draft Bill is a potentially significant piece of legislation and gives the
appearance of addressing some of these
concerns, Nautilus UK considers it to be a
missed opportunity that delivers favours
and not fairness.
The Union raises particular concern
at proposals to alter the rules governing
pilotage exemption certificates, and at the
failure to introduce mandatory requirements for occupational standards for key
port personnel, including pilots and harbour masters.
The Department for Transport has
issued a consultation document on the
draft Bill, but the all-party transport committee has decided to hold an inquiry into
the planned measures.

PENSIONS CONCERN
SEVERAL measures in the draft Marine Navigation Bill relate to the General
Lighthouse Authorities (GLAs).
Nautilus agrees that it is appropriate for GLAs to be given powers outside
the 12nm limit reflecting the reality of maritime operations and the need
to respond to incidents outside territorial waters and it suggests that
these powers should be extended to the median line of the UK Continental
Shelf.
The Union also agrees that GLAs should be able to conduct commercial
work, given the navigational aids expertise of the three constituent bodies
that can be utilised to benefit other organisations.
But the main contentious issue relates to GLA pensions. Although the
Union welcomes the draft Bills commitment to enable the GLAs to continue
to make payments to an external funded pension scheme, such as the
MNOPF, it expresses concern about a statement that making provision
for a separately funded pension scheme would allow the closure to new
members of the current final salary scheme.
The submission stresses: Nautilus would oppose any move to close
a final salary scheme to new members, and to introduce a defined
contribution scheme in its place, as this would reduce the value of
members benefits It appears that this is the intention of these proposals.

The vast majority of maritime accidents occur in ports and harbour areas, Nautilus UK has warned the House of Commons transport committee
Nautilus told the committee that: The
existence of some 600 ports and harbours
around the country, with widely differing
size and characteristics, presents substantial and inherent regulatory challenges for
the government.
But, it warns, the draft Bill whilst
on the surface appearing to address safety
concerns appears to have failed to adopt
a broad vision for the UK ports and has
continued the governments hands-off
approach to policy.
The Union expresses deep disappointment that the Port Marine Safety Code has
not been given mandatory status. As a consequence, the submission argues, it has
manifestly failed to deliver the hoped for
adoption of national standards and best
practice operations.
Because the PMSC is voluntary, some
ports are able to operate unsafely undermining the competitiveness of those that
abide by the standards, the Union says.
It has welcomed a proposal to give the
secretary of state reserve powers to give
directions to failing harbour authorities
although it argues that a proposed penalty
of 2,500 for non-compliance is woefully
inadequate for a corporate body.
Nautilus also argues that proposals to
introduce national occupational standards
for pilots and harbour masters do not go
far enough. The submission points to the
vast body of evidence to demonstrate the
critical importance of human factors in the
safety of shipping and port operations and
the research showing the high proportion
of marine casualties that occur in pilotage
waters.
Accident investigation reports have
demonstrated the dangers of reliance upon

people without adequate training and

experience, the Union adds, and it is therefore essential that the government compels
harbour authorities to employ suitably
experienced and qualified personnel in the
posts of harbour masters and pilots, and to
prescribe the standards of competence to
be achieved to gain such qualifications.
The submission says that it is deeply
disappointing that the draft Bill proposes
that this regulation-making power should
only be used if the industry continues to fail
to adopt non-legislative standards.
Nautilus welcomes recognition in the
draft Bill of the need for measures to better enable harbour authorities to control
the use of pilotage exemption certificates
(PECs) and act in instances of misuse
but again the Union finds the proposals
wanting.
There are some operations such as
regular ferry services where PECs make
good sense and work well, the submission
states. However, there are other trades
such as shortsea/coastal shipping in
which their use can exacerbate problems
such as excessive workloads, stress and
fatigue routinely suffered by reduced crews
running ships on intensive schedules and
with little time in port.
The Union says it opposes the plan to
end the existing restrictions that limit PECs
to masters and chief mates, and warns that
this would increase the pressure on seafarers to conduct their own pilotage, rather
than having the work done by dedicated
marine pilots.
Nautilus backs proposals to empower
harbour authorities to issue general directions to shipping particularly with ships
that present specific safety concerns, such

as those on port state control blacklists.

But the submission expresses deep concern about the targeting of ships masters
in proposals for fines. In many cases it is
totally inappropriate to single out a ships
master for failure to follow directions, the
Union points out. It would be more realistic, it argues, to include owners, managers
and other parties with direct responsibility
for ship operations within the scope of the
penalties.
A clause in the draft legislation would
give the transport secretary powers to close
a port where its safety is endangered, and
Nautilus suggests there should also be a
general provision to enable the exclusion
of a vessel, or vessels, or a particular flag or
company (as is the case in civil aviation) to
ensure the safety of a port and other users.
We also believe that the Secretary of
State should have powers to close a port
not only in circumstances where a harbour
authority is not existent but also where it
is unwilling to implement safety measures,
the submission adds. Whilst the proposal
is not so relevant for major ports, it may
certainly be of importance in the case of
isolated wharves and smaller harbours.
The submission endorses proposals for
ratification, implementation and enforcement of the Wrecks Convention, which
the Union says should do much to assist
in dealing with the problems posed by substandard shipping.
Overall, Nautilus told the MPs, The
proposals in the draft Bill need to be significantly strengthened if they are to achieve
the desired improvements on the safety
of shipping, the protection of the marine
environment and the lives of passengers
and crew.

20
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

Winds of change
fuel costs

ITS not just motorists feeling the

pinch as the cost of fuel flies sky
high. MATT LOUW reports on the
impact on the shipping industry
SOARING fuel costs and stricter
emission rules have prompted a
new initiative to bring back sails
for ships.
The British-based firm Shadotec is spearheading a study to
demonstrate the potential for its
wingsails to cut fuel consumption and pollution.
In a joint research project with
Wilhelmsen Marine Consultants
(WMC) and Petroleum GeoServices AS (PGS) of Oslo,
Shadotec investigated the feasibility of fitting two of its automatic wingsail thrust units to the
PGS Ramform seismic exploration vessel.

The initial results of the work

by CFD Norway estimate that a
PGS vessel fitted with two of the
computer-controlled wingsails,
towing a typical array of hydrophonic cable assemblies at its
standard speed of 5 knots in a
typical North Sea wind, could
secure 5% reductions in fuel costs
and emissions.
The study backed by
substantial funding from the
Norwegian National Research
Council suggests that the savings could be doubled when the
cables are wound in and the ship
relocates to its next field of exploration.

Wind power for

ships will become
more significant
as we try to
reduce the total
dependence ships
presently have on
fossil fuels

These savings could amount to

hundreds of thousands of dollars
per ship over the course of a year,
Shadotec claims, while the recent
agreement by the International
Maritime Organisation to progressively reduce the sulphur
content of heavy fuel oil over the
next few years can only increase
bunkers costs even further.
In the next phase of research,
the
Norwegian
Ma r i n e
Technology Research (Marintek),
based in Trondheim, will evaluate
such factors as manoeuvrability
and seakeeping.
Shadotecs chairman, John
Walker, was the designer of the

Captain Roger Francis

Marine consultant
Shadotec

The 45ft Dutch-owned Zefyr yacht Angel B, fitted with a wingsail, has recently comPICTURE: SHADOTEC
pleted a full circumnavigation of the globe

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Lloyds List 19 x 3.indd 1

10/6/08 13:14:43

computer controlled wingsail fitted to the 6,500dwt UK-flagged

bulk carrier Ashington more
than 20 years ago resulting in
fuel savings of up to 20% in best
conditions.
Captain Roger Francis the
Ashingtons master is now
Shadotecs marine consultant.
He said he had joined the team
because he wanted to use his
experience to positive advantage.
I believe that Shadotec wingsail technology is at the forefront
of attempts to harness wind
power for ships, which will
become progressively more
and more significant as we try
to reduce the total dependence

ships presently have on fossil

fuels, he added.
Mr Walker said that wingsail
technology had advanced significantly since the Ashington, enabling the equipment to provide
more thrust and significantly
less air drag. Two of these great
new generation wingsails fitted
to a conventional ship like the
Ashington could probably reduce
her bunkers bill (and pollution
emissions) by perhaps 30%40%, he said.
Mr Walker said Shadotec is
also confident that the small
craft and leisure market, which
we believe has about the same
commercial potential as the ship

market, will now take off .

Harald Sundby, a senior manager at PGS, said his company is
cautiously optimistic about the
project. The initial results of the
independent CFD Norway study
are encouraging, he added. The
potential savings would represent a considerable reduction of
outgoings per ship in bunkers
costs while simultaneously cutting down pollution.
We are of course very keen to
save money, but we also want to
do as much as we can to reduce
our carbon footprint, in our
efforts to combat the increasingly
worrying evidence of accelerating climate change.

Speed restrictions part of

drive to cut bunker costs
INTERNATIONAL shipping is struggling to cope
with the ever-increasing price of crude oil with
the soaring cost of bunkers blamed for route
closures, service restrictions and operating
cutbacks.
With crude prices nearing US$140 per barrel,
owners can now expect to pay well over US$550
per ton for marine bunker fuel a US$26
increase since March, which translates to an
87% rise in bunker prices since the beginning of
2007.
The cost of fuel represents as much as 60% of
operating costs, depending on the type of vessel
and the service it offers. According to the World
Shipping Council, this is posing a big challenge
for operators in seeking to claw back the extra
costs from cargo customers.
How carriers seek to obtain recovery of these
rapidly rising fuel costs in the current market

is a matter for commercial negotiations, but

the significance and the magnitude and the
consequence of the challenge continues to
grow, it adds.
Since 2007, the Council adds, containership
operators have resorted to restructuring
operations in response to the rising fuel price.
Steps being taken include:
maximising utilisation by redeploying ships
forming multi-carrier alliances
integrating routes so fewer ships serve more
ports
slowing service speeds
increased monitoring and maintenance
of propeller and hull conditions to improve
efficiency

JULY 2008
Nautilus UK Telegraph
21

Fatigue: watch out

health and safety

EUROPEAN FUNDS
ARE SOUGHT FOR
SIMULATOR STUDY

ALMOST three-quarters of officers questioned

in a new fatigue research project admitted to
falling asleep on watch...

NAUTILUS UK is working with the Swedish researchers, experts

from Warsash Maritime Academy and a number of other shipping
organisations in a bid to secure European funding for a major new
project to examine the dangers of seafarer fatigue.
The Horizon Project aims to make extensive use of simulators
to produce reliable scientific evidence on the impact of fatigue on
watchkeepers decision-making abilities.
Researchers will examine the effects of various watchkeeping
patterns by monitoring volunteers conducting operations on bridge,
engine and liquid cargo simulators. They will then use the results
to develop a fatigue management toolkit for ship managers,
regulators, flag and port states, and the International Maritime
Organisation.
Nautilus UK senior national secretary Allan Graveson is part of
the project team, and said he hoped the funding application will
be successful. Whilst there has been a lot of research in this area
already, this project aims to take things to a higher level by delivering
validated, statistically robust results and providing a sound basis on
which to tackle one of the biggest threats to safety at sea and the
health and wellbeing of seafarers.

In the dark: Swedish research showed that seafarers reaction times vary considerably if they are working day or night shifts
THE TWO-watch system is inherently dangerous and rapidly leads
to very high levels of fatigue, a
new scientific study has shown.
But the researchers have
warned that the growing shortage of seafarers is threatening to
add to the pressures with operators seeking to reduce crewing
levels even further.
The findings published in a
Swedish report, Fatigue at Sea:
Effects of the Two-Watch System
were presented at the first
In t e r n a t i o n a l
S h i p - Po r t Interface Conference [ISPIC]
held in Bremen, Germany.
Ships crews are under pressure from schedules and economy, and have to handle their
tasks with fewer crew members.
Several incidents and accidents
are attributable to fatigue, and
the real number many be even
higher, the report warns.
Principal author is a master
mariner, Dr Margareta Ltzhoft,
now assistant professor at Chalmers University of Technology at
Gothenberg. She said fatigue is so
prevalent that almost three-quarters of officers questioned in a
closed session in Sweden had
admitted to having fallen asleep
at least once on watch. And the
report reveals that at a repetition
of this exercise at a maritime day
in February this year, the numbers were even higher.
The report is based upon objective as well as subjective tests, and
included interviews with shipping
companies and field research conducted during 3-5 day visits
onboard 13 cargo vessels of various types, including bulk and car
carriers and tankers.

The methodology was thorough. Seafarers taking part in the

study were asked to keep a sleep
diary, where they recorded how
sleepy they felt while awake,
using the Karolinska Sleepiness
Scale (KSS).
The scale ranges from 1 to 9: 1
extremely alert; 2 very
alert; 3 alert; 4 rather
alert; 5 neither alert nor
sleepy; 6 some signs of sleepiness; 7 sleepy, no effort to stay
awake; 8 sleepy, some effort to
stay awake; 9 very sleepy,
great effort to keep awake, fighting sleep.
These subjective records were
supplemented by objective testing, using electro-oculography
measurements to record eyeball
movements, Actiwatch activity
meters to measure physical activity and both the quality and
length of sleep.
Participants also took part in a
six minute reaction time test
using a palm-held computer,
pressing a key every time a black
square appeared on the screen.
This last test showed up any difference in performance after day
and night time watches.
Key findings in the KSS data
included:
16.9% of participants were
tired (KSS 6 and upwards)
5.6% scored KSS 7 and above
2.7% were at levels 8 and 9
which means that they struggled
to stay awake
82% of participants recording
very high KSS values were officers on 6-on/6-off watches.
Officers on these watches were
more fatigued than those on a 4on/8-off shift

Actiwatch data shows that

participating officers slept
approximately 6-7 hours per 24
hours, irrespective of shift system.
On two-watch ships, where
sleep periods are divided in two,
very few lasted longer than
around 4.5 hours. But for both
types of watch, the report warns:
Sleep quality is low, bordering
on disturbed.
Participants reaction time
varied significantly depending
on whether they were working
day or night shifts, with several
scorings showing long reaction
times at night. Average reaction
time for night testing was 0.35
seconds, compared with 0.306
seconds during the day tests.
The report concludes with
recommendations that will
make uncomfortable reading for
cost-cutting ship operators. It
says: Working more than 2x6
hours per 24 hours should be
avoided since this leads to very
high levels of sleepiness.
There should always be two
persons on the bridge during
watch keeping. These conclusions together indicate that there
are serious difficulties with a
continued use of the two-watch
system on ships with only two
nautical officers.
The report points out that
the bulk of existing regulations
are directed at the ship and the
seafarers onboard. A mutual
effort with commitment on all
organisational levels is a prerequisite in order to accomplish a
change and an improvement, it
adds.
And, pointing to the growing

PICTURE: DANNY CORNELISSEN

global seafarer supply problem,

the report warns: This shortage,
in combination with the shortterm effects of fatigue, may very
soon lead to very risky situations.
We will see ships manned with
even fewer seafarers with short
experience of leading positions,
working demanding hours.
Consider the effects of this in conjunction with initiatives to start
using (or increase the use of )
shore-based pilotage and/or similar situations, and the risks are
obvious.

Nautilus wants to see simulators used to test the performance of officers in

typical shipboard conditions

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3/6/08 11:18:03

22
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

Stability shocker
safety

NEW research on the loss of

the ferry Estonia warns that
stability rules are inadequate
EUROPES worst post-war shipping disaster was primarily
caused by failure to comply with
SOLAS international maritime
safety requirements, the latest
study into the sinking of the
Estonia has concluded.
And the research commissioned in response to continuing
concerns over the circumstances
of the loss of the ro-ro ferry
Estonia in September 1994 also
argues that the current SOLAS
ship stability standards are
nowhere near rigorous enough to
prevent a similar tragedy.
The Estonian-flagged ro-ro
passenger ferry sank with the loss
of 852 lives, on passage from
Tallin to Stockholm. The latest
study of the loss, by the SSPA
Consortium, says the disaster has
remained a hot issue because the
underlying causes of the loss were
not very well described in the
report on the incident by the
Joint Accident Investigation
Commission of Estonia, Finland
and Sweden (JAIC).
Criticism of the JAIC report
spurred the Swedish government
through its agency Vinnova to
commission a research study
about the sinking sequence of the
Estonia. The SSPA Consortium,
chosen to undertake the study,
comprises SSPA Sweden, Safety
at Sea (Glasgow), the Chalmers
University of Technology in
Gtenborg, and the Maritime
Research Institute Netherlands.
The consortium has now submitted its final report to Vinnova
and concludes that the disaster
resulted from a rapid loss of stability. It considered a breach of
hull integrity allowing unobstructed ingress of sea water into
the mv Estonia and inadequate
stability to allow orderly ship
evacuation and abandonment in
case of such water ingress as key
factors.
It can confidently be stated
that the lack of compliance with
minimum SOLAS requirements
on forward collision bulkhead by
mv Estonia was the main cause
for unobstructed ingress of sea
water into the car deck spaces
and, therefore, that this was the
main cause of the ship loss, the
report states.
The research included reviewing evidence from survivors and
video recordings from diving and
remotely operated vehicle investigations. It also involved an international panel of experts to suggest
loss hypotheses consistent with
the evidence, and extensive experiments on simulation models.

Researchers then substantiated the most probable scenario

by computer simulations and
animations and physical model
experiments.
From all this work, the study
concluded that the most probable
foundering scenario is:
the ramp was forced partly
open by the bow visor
water entered the car deck
through openings at the sides of
the ramp, resulting in a slowly
increasing starboard heel angle
the ramp remained partly
opened until the bow visor
detached from the hull, then fully
opened and crashed down onto
the forepeak deck as the visor
detached completely
water surged into the car deck,
rapidly resulting in a starboard
heel angle of about 35 to 40
water flooded the lower decks
through vents and centre casing
the officer on the bridge
decreased the ships speed and
started a port turn
after turning, the ship heel continued increasing and the main
engines stopped
the heel increased and when
this reached a 45 angle the auxiliary engines tripped and
stopped
the Estonia was now drifting in
wind, waves and current and
when the heel reached 80 to 85,
the emergency generator shut
down
the ship capsized, then sank
with the bow up
the aft of the ship hit the seabed
first
This entire sequence of events
is estimated to have taken about
one hour.
In drawing lessons from the
catastrophe, SSPA is highly critical of current international ship
stability requirements. Sixteen
flooding accidents with a total
loss of nearly 3,000 lives have
taken place since the mv Estonia
disaster, it points out. The
underlying cause of such loss of
life is rapid loss of stability by a
ship when subject to flooding.
While it has not been possible to
determine if all of these ships
have complied with statutory
requirements on stability, at
least mv Estonia had complied
with stability standards of
SOLAS.
And the report warns: There
are strong indications that most
modern stability standards do
not raise the level of required stability much higher beyond those
which mv Estonia complied
with.

ABOVE: tank tests using a

1:40 scale model showing
the final phase of the Estonia
foundering. The detailed
experiments were used to
validate the most probable
loss scenario
RIGHT: the final phase of
the foundering, as the stern
hits the bottom of the basin,
whose depth corresponded to
90m in full scale
PICTURES: SSPA CONSORTIUM

ABOVE: six snapshots of the PROTEUS3 simulation of the flooding of spaces on

the Estonias Deck 0/1 forward, subsequent up-flooding of the car deck and the
development of a large angle of heel. The simulation program was used to analyse a
GRAPHIC: SSPA CONSORTIUM
range of different foundering scenarios
It continues: Although considerable efforts have been spent
on increasing the stability standards and subsequently agreed to
be adopted in Europe after sinking of mv Estonia, it is progressively becoming clear that even

the most contemporary standards on stability are not sufficient

to prevent a disaster of mv Estonia
dimension from happening
again.
Therefore, the report adds,
urgent steps should be taken to

significantly reduce the rate with

which catastrophic ship flooding
accidents occur. Attainment of
such a goal requires that steps are
taken swiftly on raising ship stability standards beyond todays
levels, it argues.
The study also calls for accident investigatory methodology
to be improved, to learn from
accidents through extensive
forensic investigation. A scientific simulation study, employing
all available modern techniques
for model experiment and computer simulation, is no substitute
for a forensic investigation of the
wreck and of the site of the accident and scrutiny of all the relevant technical information on the
ship and its cargo, the report
states.
Recommendations are also
advanced on the development of
ship design tools to enhance
hydrodynamic safety. For this to
happen, the R&D on this subject
needs to get a boost from the
industry and regulatory bodies,
says the report.
It can not be taken for granted,
it says, that current computational methods will stand up to
the task of prediction of the progressive flooding, capsizing and
eventual sinking of a complete
ship with sufficient degree of
accuracy.
The consortium therefore recommends extensive studies on a
great many subjects for which the
scientific technical knowledge is
presently lacking including:
behaviour of the ship moving in
6 of freedom over large amplitudes; behaviour of water sloshing in and out through a damaged
opening in the hull; effects of
down-flooding and up-flooding

through stairwells and other

openings; quantification of discharge coefficients used for
throughflow through openings
that could possibly be dependents upon flow geometry, magnitude of flow velocity and
eventually also on size and shape
of the wetted opening; effect of
air ventilation on compartments,
and on the development of airpockets; quantification of the
strength and collapse behaviour
of interior rigid sub-division,
doors and windows; retarding
effect of furniture and fittings in
interior spaces.
The consortium further recommends additional studies on
the Estonia case, to include:
inspection and detailed documentation of the whole hull and
of the state of the ramp, including
bringing the ramp to the surface
for final confirmation of its state;
and at least three windows
together with their frames to be
brought to the surface and tested
for breaking pressure.
The report concludes:
Confirmation of the above key
inferences would allow reaching
a conclusion beyond reasonable
doubt on the causes of the loss of
mv Estonia.
Welcoming the report,
Nautilus UK senior national secretary Allan Graveson said:
Notably, there is no reference to
the Stockholm agreement, a
European measure to ensure a
higher standard for watertight
integrity and survivability. I
believe the safety of ro-ro vessels
needs to be addressed as a matter
of urgency by the International
Maritime Organisation to ensure
the safety of seafarers and passengers worldwide.

JULY 2008
Nautilus UK Telegraph
23

Get tough with ISM

safety at sea

Its time to
give the ISM
Code teeth to
tackle rogue
ships, says
Nautilus
official Allan
Graveson...
TEN years after it was first introduced into the shipping industry,
the International Safe ty
Management Code now needs to
be bolstered by legal support to
become truly effective, Nautilus
UK has argued.
In a paper presented to the
International Ship-Port-Interface
conference in Bremen, senior
national secretary Allan Graveson
argued that concerted measures
to support safety management
are essential if human factor
problems are to be addressed.
He told the high-level conference that the international shipping industry is facing a serious
manning crisis, brought on as a
consequence of market failure.
Although many shipping companies claim that people are their
most valuable asset, the evidence
is overwhelmingly to the contrary, Mr Graveson said.
Often it is stated that there is
no substitute for experience, yet
this appears to count for little
when entire crews have been
changed overnight in the relentless quest to reduce costs without consideration of the

ABOVE: oily water leaking through an

engineroom bulkhead
RIGHT: holes in a cracked forepeak tank

consequences for the safety and

long-term profitability of the
business, let alone the safety of
other marine users and protection of the marine environment,
he added.
For much of the past 25 years,
the industry had been characterised by a shift to new flag states
and new sources of cheap labour
supply, together with the
increase in casualised agencybased employment.
As a result, he said, a ship
representing hundreds of thousands of euros in capital investment may be in the hands of a
poorly trained, poorly paid crew,
few in number.
And, until recently, most
shipping companies did not consider the necessity for a strategic
manning policy, requiring attention to both quantity and quality.
Few today have such strategies,
he added. The demise of the traditional ship owner and the
growth of the ship manager has
resulted in a manage for today
and dont worry about tomorrow
attitude with respect to manning.

ABOVE: a bucket to collect leaking oil from a high pressure line on a generator

ABOVE: inspectors found this ship had expired load line certification

Mr Graveson said such attitudes will have to change. Left

unchecked, the current critical
seafarer skill shortage will percolate through to all sectors of shipping leaving insufficient
experienced personnel to fill
essential posts in shore management, ports, manufacturing and
the wider maritime services sector.
Similarly, the increasingly
sophisticated new tonnage coming into operation equipped
with technologically advanced
and complex systems will
require a new generation of highly
skilled seafarers.
And the development of new
regulatory requirements is also
helping to underline the need for
investment in the training and
retention of maritime professionals, Mr Graveson said.
There is, no doubt, a change
taking place in the shipping
industry as some companies
adopt albeit belatedly the
ethos of social responsibility
driven by corporate governance,
he added. In reality it could be
much simpler the costs of noncompliance are prohibitive and
the penalties punitive.
The sectors that may be considered high value and high
risk appear to be the first to
respond to the changing regulatory environment in the industry
passenger vessels, LNG ships,
tankers and the offshore energy
sector, he pointed out. It comes
down to bodies in the water and
oil on the water.
Despite this, there is an
acknowledgement in some parts
of the industry that investment in
maritime professionalism is now
an inescapable cost, Mr Graveson
said.
The asset value of some vessels, coupled with the punitive
penalties now associated with
pollution incidents, are persuasive factors in the need for quality
personnel, he added.
With P&I clubs now repeatedly linking a rise in accidents to

in the operation of the Safety

Management System (SMS)
and for an effective SMS to function correctly there needs to be a
commitment both by staff ashore
and afloat. Furthermore, this
requires staff that are both
trained and competent.
However, he warned, the
potential of ISM is not being fully
tapped. Naturally, there is a
reluctance by some flag states to
take action and withdraw the
Document of Compliance issued
to the company and the Safety
Management Certificate issued
to the ship, he stated.
Many flag states have delegated or derogated ISM administration and audit to other bodies,
including class, said Mr Graveson.
But given the continued failing of
flag state implementation, he
argued, the time is right for a new
approach.
The shipping industry has, for

the decline in skilled seafarers,

the time is right for the industry
to place a new focus on safety, he
argued.
ISM which began to be
brought into effect in July 1998
had been an attempt to introduce a global standard for the
safe management and operation
of ships.
Although ISM had originally
been seen as a burden and certainly was if implemented incorrectly a decade on it is clear
that the Code does offer great
potential to assist in the fight
against substandard shipping,
Mr Graveson said.
Most maritime incidents can
be attributed to failings of the
human element much talked
about, but more in the abstract
than in reality, he pointed out.
On examination of cases, looking
beyond the immediate causes,
failures can usually be identified

many years, been able to limit

liability and escape the sanctions
common to shore-based industries, he pointed out. With a
change in attitude towards flouting of the rules, port state control
authorities together with the
courts now have the potential
to make the ISM Code an effective tool in ensuring compliance
with key safety and welfare measures and other regulatory requirements.
Circumstances have brought
about the current position that
permits substandard ship operation, Mr Graveson concluded.
This is neither acceptable nor
sustainable, and the ISM Code
provides a useful tool to combat
substandard ship operation.
Given the financial consequences
and increased penalties for failure to operate safely, surely
investment in quality personnel
is now an inescapable cost.

WARSASH MARITIME ACADEMY

Certificates of Competency
MERCHANT VESSEL
ENGINEERING
Engineer Ofcer of the Watch (EOOW)
- Specialised route to certication
- Examination route to certication
- 8 September 08, 5 January 09
Chief Engineer
- Engineering Knowledge General + Motor
- 20 October 08, 9 February 09
Engineering Knowledge General + Steam
- 26 May 09
- Applied Heat
- 15 September 08, 20 April 09
- Applied Mechanics
- 15 September 08, 20 April 09
- Electrotechnology & Naval Architecture
- 8 September 08, 5 January 09
2nd Engineer
- Engineering Knowledge General + Motor
- 20 October 08, 9 February 09
- Mathematics - 15 September 08, 20 April 09
- Engineering Drawing
- 15 September 08, 20 April 09
- Marine Revision (independent Study option)
- Availability on request

MERCHANT VESSEL
OPERATIONS(DECK)
Ofcer of the Watch (OOW)
- Examination route to certication
- NVQ Level 3 route to certication
1 September 08, 5 January 09, 31 August
09
Chief Mate and Master
- HND & SQA Examination Route
1 September 08, 5 January 09, 20 April 09,
31 August 09
Chief Mate
- Post HND Examination route to certication
- Post HND Level 4 route to certication
- 1 September 08, 5 January 09, 20 April 09,
31 August 09
- Masters MCA Oral Examination
- 6 October 08, 26 January 09
Revalidation of Deck Ofcers Certicates
of Competency
- Availability on request
Deck Revision
-Availability on request
UKLAP
- 9 June 08

For more information: www.warsashacademy.co.uk, e-mail: wma.nautilus@solent.ac.uk

Warsash Maritime Academy, Newtown Road, Warsash, Southampton, SO31 9ZL
Tel: +44 (0)1489 576161 Fax: +44 (0) 1489 573988
001

Southampton Warsash 12 x 3.indd 1

3/6/08 11:23:02

24
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

JULY 2008
Nautilus UK Telegraph
25

Past answer to present-day crisis

maritime training

AS CADET training ships make a comeback in some parts of the world, veterans from
a British training flagship reunited in Liverpool last month after half a century...

TOP: Harry Simpson,

organiser of last
months Otaio reunion
in Liverpool
SECOND: Tony Lane and
Charles Hufflett share
some memories of their
days onboard Otaio
THIRD: engineers John
Hallgren and Mike
Drake
BOTTOM: Dave Collick
describes Otaio as the
university of life and says
its trainees were very
privileged young men
PICTURES: ANDREW LININGTON

SOME had not seen each other for half a century. Some had travelled half way around the
world to be there. But for all of them, it was a
magical moment a reunion to mark the
50th anniversary of the maiden voyage of the
UKs first purpose-built cadet training ship
the Otaio.
For the 80-plus people attending the event
held at Liverpools Maritime Museum last
month it was a day to recall not just their
own memories of going to sea in what many
regard as the golden era of the British Merchant
Navy, but also to reflect upon the impact of the
passage of time on individuals and the industry as a whole.
Built for the New Zealand Shipping
Company at the John Brown yard on the
Clyde, Otaio was a 13,314 gross ton refrigerated cargoship with a difference the difference being accommodation for up to 40 deck
cadets and 30 engineer cadets, together with
classrooms and a mess, deck and engineering
lecturers, and seamanship and physical education instructors.
For almost 20 years, Otaio launched the
careers of several thousand seafarers in the
process giving many of them what they still
consider to be the best years of their lives.
Harry Simpson was one of the 34 cadets on
the maiden voyage from Liverpool in April
1958, and about 18 months ago thanks to
the wonders of Google he came across a
posting from former cabin mate Dave Collick
asking if there was anyone still around from
those days.
We thought it would be good to organise a
reunion to mark the anniversary and it just
took off from there, he said. Lots of people
had been talking about it, but nobody was
doing it so I decided to organise it.
Harry went to sea at the age of 17, but completed only four voyages on the Otaio torn
between a maritime career and his passion for
playing rugby.
He went on to a wide range of different jobs
from selling to working for the CID in
Newcastle before his career came almost
full circle as shipping manager in the French
port of Fos.
We were chartering ships from companies
like Stolt Nielsen, and I had to make sure all
the charter parties were correct especially
demurrages, he recalls. After the intervening
years, it was good to be working in shipping
again and I found I could still go onboard a ship
and talk to the captain in his own language.
Although his seagoing career did not last
long, Harry has nothing but fond memories of
his time at sea I loved it.
Tony Lane was also a deck cadet on the
maiden voyage, and he describes Otaio as an
amazing ship no one has done anything like
it, before or since.
Otaio sailed out from the UK carrying cargoes such as locomotives and cars, returning
with products such as meat, butter and cheese.
The cadets waved goodbye to their homes for
the next five to six months, and literally opened
their eyes to a new world.
These were the days when ships spent days,
not hours, in port and the cadets took full
advantage of the opportunities it opened up.
Bob Hughes recalls trekking off to climb

Cadets on the Otaios maiden voyage, including Charles Hufflett, centre front row, Tony Lane, second from right in the front row, and Dave Collick, on the left of the third row
mountains, while Charles Hufflett cadet
captain on Otaios maiden voyage remembers a rugby match in Suva. It was advertised
as England versus Fiji, and hundreds of people were there. They had scored before we
even took our hands out of our pockets and
they ended up playing in bare feet to give us a
chance.
Not everyone got the chance to get a good
run ashore, however. It was a privilege to be
earned often by getting decent marks in
homework on such subjects as ship construction and nautical astronomy, or by memorising the collision prevention regulations. By
the time you were a final trip apprentice, you
knew the whole lot by heart, said Tony Lane.
Otaios arrival in port was also welcomed by
New Zealands young women with the company arranging dances onboard that were
attended by debutantes. Some fortunate
cadets managed to hook up with partners who
worked as telephonists therefore managing
to wangle free calls home.
Many of these visits led to long-term relationships. Charles Hufflett was a case in point,
meeting his wife Elena when she came onboard
and ultimately moving to New Zealand and
building a business in fishing and shipping.
Whilst some Otaio apprentices went on to
pursue long careers at sea, the vast majority
went ashore after a decade or so. Many ended
up in a rich variety of different positions anything from a senior post at Maersk to a lucrative
waste management business in London.
Former engineer officer Mike Drake, who
spent 14 years with the NZSC, went on to
become an engineer with a cosmetics company. Every water board, electricity company
and hospital was full of former ships engineers, he said.
Fellow engineer John Hallgren went from
shipping to commissioning and building pipelines all over the world. My time on Otaio was

the best two years of my life, and it set me up

for the future, he says.
Dave Collick spent 13 years at sea before
moving into the travel industry and ultimately
starting up airlines in Iraq and Pakistan.
Otaio was a unique thing, and it brought
together people from all sorts of backgrounds
and one of the skills it gave me was to cross the
divide between east and west and to get people
from different cultures to work together.
We were very privileged young men, he
adds. It was like a dream to be travelling the
world, getting a good training and getting paid
for it. We worked hard and played hard, and as
a result of our time on Otaio we were all better
people for it. It sounds like a clich, but it
really was the university of life and I couldnt
think of a better grounding for a young person
in any career.
Richard Newnham reckons the training on
the Otaio was the best in any industry at the
time. We started scrubbing toilets and finished understudying the officer of the watch,
and you would never give an order for anything that you hadnt done yourself.
Tony Lane who went on to become a professor and the director of the Seafarers
International Research Centre at Cardiff
University suggests training ships were
mini public schools despite the cadets broad
range of social backgrounds.
You only had to look at the sports equipment onboard to know that it was different
rugby kit, fencing and cricket and all from
Lillywhites, he recalls. No expense was
spared.
However, the costs of running training
ships started to be seen as a luxury as the shipping industry moved into the hard times of the
late 1970s. Otaio whose management had
been transferred to P&Os general cargo division in 1971 was sold to the Laggan Bay
Shipping Company in 1976 and went on to

train cadets from the Indian sub-continent for

the next five years.
Us, the Scandinavians and the Germans
had standards of seamanship which were
higher than anyone, said Dave Collick. But
today it is all about cheapness. You read about
collisions in the Channel and ships going
aground in broad daylight, and its all about
the lack of experience of the crew and certificates that can be bought for a couple of hundred dollars. Its all wrong.
I would love to see British training ships
once again, John Hallgren reflects, but I just
cant see it happening we have got no fleet
of our own any more.
Charles Hufflett thinks the training ship
concept could not work today because of
changes in the education system. Otaio was a
school at sea, but the apprenticeship model
has gone, and today it is all about polytechnics
and degrees, he says.
Bob Hughes remembers being inspired to
go to sea after seafarers coming home for leave
joined his commuter train. I was travelling
between Taunton and Exeter for a job as an
apprentice land surveyor, and these seamen
came into the carriage full of life and sharing
their beer. I just thought: Who are these
guys? They are happy
But, Tony Lane points out, the world of seafaring is very different now. Todays merchant
ships, no matter who owns them or the strange
flags they fly, often do not have single nationality crews. Its true that very few of them have
had the quality of training that we had, but
thats not their fault. They do the same job, but
in much more exacting circumstances.
Their ships are almost empty of people,
they spend on average 95% of their voyage
time at sea and, unless theyre Europeans, will
be stuck on their ships for up to 12 months at
a time. But they shift the worlds goods and
raw materials, just as we once did

Time to revive the concept

TRAINING vessels are
making something of a
comeback as shipping
companies start to grapple
with the growing global
seafarer skills crisis
although, sadly, not in the UK
merchant fleet.
It is Japanese owners in
particular who are taking
the lead in launching new
vessels with special onboard
educational facilities
and additional berths for
trainees.
Pictured right are
cadets on the Panamanianflagged Spirit of MOL the
first training vessel to be
launched by the expanding
operator MOL, which came
into service last year.
The 4,878gt vessel is
claimed to have a unique
feature a training bridge
on a deck above the actual
bridge. It operates with 10
full-time instructors, who
provide education and
practical training to 180
trainees per session on
voyages lasting from four to
six months.
Cadets from countries
such as the Philippines,
India, Russia, Vietnam,
China, and Indonesia are
trained together onboard.
The company says it
believes that intensive
training in a cross-cultural
atmosphere will not only
help those master maritime
skills, but also develop a
stronger sense of pride and

It was like a
dream to be
travelling
the world,
getting
a good
training, and
getting paid
for it
Dave Collick
ex-Otaio cadet

Multinational cadets on the Japanese-owned training ship Spirit of MOL, which came into service last year
teamwork.
MOL said it had launched
the ship to ensure it has the
seafarers it needs at a time
of major fleet expansion
and increasing international
skills shortages.
Another major Japanese
operator, NYK, last month
introduced the first of six

newbuildings with special

cadet training facilities. The
LNG carrier Grace Cosmos
has accommodation for up to
20 cadets who will be trained
by dedicated instructors
during the course of normal
operations onboard.
The company said it
needed to boost its training

capacity in response to its

expansion plans, which will
result in a fleet of some
1,200 ships within the next
five years. NYK said there
was a particular need to
train directly-employed LNG
carrier crews, in a sector
where the skill shortages are
most acute.

Otaio regarded as one of the best

BUILT in 1958 by John Brown and Company (Clydebank) Limited, the New Zealand Shipping
Companys Otaio is regarded as one of the best ships used to train British cadets in the
boom years of the 1960s and 70s.
The NZSC, which also operated the cadet ships Durham and Rakaia, was one of a
handful companies including Alfred Holt, British India, and Elder Dempster running
dedicated training ships in this period.
A refrigerated cargo vessel of 13,314gt, length overall of just over 526ft, and an
insulated cargo capacity of 429,300 cu ft, Otaio was powered by two six-cylinder singleacting Doxford diesel engines, giving a service speed of 17 knots.
The ship transferred to the Federal Steam Navigation Company at the end of 1966, but
remained under NZSC management until being transferred to P&O in 1973.
In 1976, Otaio was sold to the Laggan Bay Shipping Company and continued operating
as a training ship under the Liberian flag until 1981, before being broken up at Gadani
beach in 1982.

The training ship Otaio at sea, left, and during sea trials in 1958, above

26
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

JULY 2008
Nautilus UK Telegraph
27

Orals: members have their say

training

training

A MASSIVE majority of Nautilus UK members believe that oral

examinations for certificates of competency (CoCs) should continue to
be conducted by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA).
Almost 1,000 members took part in a special survey on the
existing CoC procedures and 97% said the MCA should continue to
conduct oral examinations.
Of those who wanted to see alternative arrangements, almost
three-quarters said the orals should be undertaken by maritime
colleges.
MCA officials have thanked the Union for its support in
disseminating the questionnaire to members. Prior to the
questionnaire being published, Nautilus UK had instigated a series of

discussions on the issue at meetings of the national professional &

technical forum.
The issues were also extensively discussed by Councils
professional & technical committee.
The MCA described the response to the survey as excellent, with
945 questionnaires being returned.
Officials are now collating all the detailed comments received and
will present these as a Fyfe analysis, along with the survey results.
These will then be considered with the Agencys initial research,
and the Agency will prepare a draft paper for open discussion at a
working group.

The MCA currently conducts the oral examinations for the

Certificates of Competency on an independent basis.

Question 4
Would you support the option of some oral examinations being
conducted at boat shows or maritime events?

Question 10 (Candidates only)

Do you use the MCA website (www.mcga.gov.uk) when looking for
information and guidance about the oral examinations?

Question 13 (Q11 Stakeholders)

Should there be an option for a courier service at an additional
charge?

The working group will include representatives from the maritime

industry who have an interest in the examining of and the issuing of
CoCs to UK officers.
Nautilus UK senior national secretary Allan Graveson said he
was pleased with the feedback given by members on the important
issues raised by the survey, and said the Union will play a key role in
the MCA working group.
The results of the questionnaire are as follows:

Results of questionnaires stakeholders and candidates

SECTION 1 BENEFITS OF EXISTING SYSTEM
(This covers Questions 1 and 2)

The MCA told the Telegraph that it is analysing the wealth of

written comments that most provided and stressed the importance
of noting that the results are seen as part of a review process and will
be considered through a steering group.

Yes

No

81%

78%

19%

22%

Question 7
Should the MCA consider introducing a re-booking system for oral
examinations?

57%

Question 1
Should the MCA continue to conduct these oral examinations?

97%

Question 16 (Q14 Stakeholders)

Should there be some preparation work before the examination,
such as risk assessment or passage planning?

9%

93%

91%

7%

3%

Question 11 (Candidates only)

If the MCA developed a dedicated website for all oral examination
information and guidance, would you use it?

43%

The MCA operates a fair and consistent policy for the

conduct of oral examinations, however to ensure further
fairness and consistency, perhaps the following should be
considered.

97%
3%
Question 5
Would you support the option of some oral examinations being
conducted at maritime colleges?

SECTION 4 CONSISTENCY AND FAIRNESS

(This covers Questions 14 to 18)

Question 14 (Q12 Stakeholders)

Should all re-sits be conducted with a different examiner?

Question 17 (Q15 Stakeholders)

Should there be a multiple choice theory test that must be passed
before a candidate takes an oral examination?

Question 8
Should the MCA consider publishing key oral examination dates?

Question 2
If the answer was No to Question 1, what alternative independent
authority should conduct them?

Of the 28 who considered the MCA should not

continue to undertake the oral examinations.
21 (74%) considered they should be
undertaken by maritime colleges.

SECTION 2 CUSTOMER SERVICE

(This covers Questions 3 to 11)

68%
32%

86%
14%

33%

62%

67%

SECTION 3 FEES
(This covers Questions 12 to 13)
The MCA currently offers an oral exam at a single charge
as a package, whether you are applying for a Notice of
Eligibility (NoE) or attending an oral exam.

The MCA currently conducts the oral examinations at each

of its Marine Offices. Some Marine Offices conduct exams
on a regular basis, others less frequently.
Question 3
To help ensure consistency, would you support the provision of
dedicated examination centres?

38%

Question 6
Should the MCA consider introducing an on-line booking system for
oral examinations?

Question 9
Should written feedback (in the form of a checklist) be provided to
the candidate and the training providers?

Question 12 (Q10 Stakeholders)

Should there be separate fees for each stage of the Certificate of
Competency (CoC)?

Question 15 (Q13 Stakeholders)

Should oral examinations continue to be conducted on a one-to-one
basis?

Question 18 (Q16 Stakeholders)

Should there be a simulator test that must be passed before a
candidate takes an oral examination?

83%

93%

87%

57%

91%

49%

17%

7%

13%

43%

9%

51%

28
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

Catch them young!

recruitment

Union support for Scottish college campaign to

attract a new generation of deck officers

This course is
about offering
real training
opportunities
and real jobs
for the people
of the north
east

NAUTILUS UK has backed a campaign by Banff and Buchan

College to promote Merchant
Navy careers.
The Nautical the Next Step
initiative is due to materialise
next month with the first intake
for a new MN deck cadet training
course at the college, following
approval from the Maritime &
Coastguard Agency and the

Merchant Navy Training Board.

The course combines college
studies and at-sea training over a
four-year period. Upon successful completion, trainees will
receive a SQA HND in Nautical
Science and will be accredited
with Officer of the Watch certification.
The Nautical the Next Step
campaign has been organised by

Bob Sinclair
Principal, Banff &
Buchan College

Pupils from Mintlaw Primary School learn about vessel stability during their visit to
Banff & Buchan College last month

MN RATING
WANTING TO
MOVE AHEAD?
Collect up to 15,000
to help your studies
Are you a Merchant
Navy rating
considering career
progression?
The JW Slater Fund,
administered by Nautilus
UK, offers awards
of up to 15,000 to
help ratings study for
a first certificate of
competency.
And there is now a bonus
of 1,000 for completing
the course.
Over the past decade
alone, Slater Fund awards
have been given to more
than 800 individuals.
Named in honour of
former MNAOA general
secretary John Slater,
the awards are made to

selected UK-resident
ratings aged 20 or over.
The money can be used
towards the costs of any
necessary full- or parttime education, and to
provide some financial
support during college
phases for those off pay.
Nautilus UK is now
inviting applications
for the 2008 awards.
If you want to make
the next move, dont
leave things to chance
fill in the form on the
right, or apply via www.
nautilusuk.org

the Fraserburgh-based college in

conjunction with four Aberdeenbased emergency response and
rescue vessel companies Ocean
Mainport Rescue, North Star
Shipping, Vroon Offshore
Services and Nomis Shipping.
The four companies are providing direct support the scheme
and will also provide sponsored
training for the trainees throughout their course.
College principal Bob Sinclair
himself a qualified master
mariner said: This course is
about offering real training
opportunities and real jobs for
the people of the north-east.
The global shortage of trained
mariners means that these programmes will offer great career
opportunities with a fantastic
salary, along with tours of oneon, one-off after completion of
training, he added.
Seafarer training can also lead
to further opportunities for a
career ashore, Mr Sinclair added,
in posts such as harbour masters
and pilots, in marine insurance,
and as maritime lecturers all
professions which traditionally
relied on seafarers but which are

COMPLETE THIS FORM

AND SEND IT TO:
The Marine Society
& Sea Cadets, 202 Lambeth Road
London SE1 7JW.
I am over 20 years of age and a
rating normally resident in
the United Kingdom.
Please send me details of the
John Slater Award.

Name: _________________________
__________________________________

Address:
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________

Email:
__________________________________
__________________________________

This form is also available online

at www.nautilusuk.org
or email your name, address
and request for Slater Fund
details to Captain Ian Smith at
ismith@ms-sc.org
Ref: 500

Nautical lecturer Alan Maison with Banff & Buchan College students at the Nautical
the Next Step launch in Aberdeen earlier this year
all now facing staff shortages due
to the lack of training in recent
years.
The course is open to students
of all ages, and Mr Sinclair added:
I would encourage any male or
female, who doesnt mind hard
work and is looking for a challenging yet rewarding career to
get in touch with our admissions
team.
As well as holding an information event at its main campus last
month, the college is also promoting MN training with school
visits. It recently hosted a group
of 15 boys from Mintlaw Primary
School, who spent the morning in
the nautical department.
During their visit, schools liaison officer John Buchan gave the
pupils an introductory talk about
the Merchant Navy. He also gave
the pupils the opportunity to have
a hands-on experience with
model boats in the stability tank,
and then get into the college lifesize survival craft wearing their
life jackets.
Next, John Scott, fishing lecturer, showed the class a selection
of different fresh fish that had
been caught around the northeast coastline, including a catfish, angler fish (better known as
monk-fish), and prawns.
This is a great experience for
the boys, commented Susie Fairns,
the class teacher. It gives the
pupils a practical learning experience and I am very impressed by

the knowledge that they have all

displayed here today.
The college also had a visit
from a group of Sea Cadets from
Peterhead. The boys and girls,
aged 14-15, were shown around
the marine engineering workshop and given the opportunity
to operate the vessel simulator
navigating a vessel in and out
of the port of Dover. This proved
so popular that some of the cadets
wanted to buy the simulator
program to use on their home
computers! With the communications equipment in the nautical
department, they were also able
to hear vessels operating on the
other side of the world.
Nautilus UKs recruitment
team has visited the college, and
team member Tim Vernon said
the Union is seeking to support
the project by encouraging members to take part in the school visit
programme.
The initiative seeks to raise
awareness and promote uptake of
careers at sea in response to the
fact that the local careers service
does not feature nautical careers
and appears to be discouraging
careers at sea, he explained. The
college has asked if Nautilus UK
could identify members who are
based locally who may be willing
to accompany them on such a
school visit, as they feel that a current seafarer would make for a
more exciting talk to the children.

JULY 2008
Nautilus UK Telegraph
29

The terror threat

security at sea

A new report from a

US think-tank has
played down links
between piracy
and terrorism but
warned of the need
for better security...
PIRATE or terrorist attacks on shipping could trigger vast and cascading effects on the global economy, a new study has warned.
The just-in-time delivery chain could be disrupted by a targeted attack on a major commercial
port, while passenger ships and containers present
a plethora of openings for terrorists, the report
claims.
Produced for the US-based Rand Corporation,
the research argues that whilst acts of piracy and
terrorism at sea are on the rise, there is still little
evidence to support fears that pirates and terrorists
are beginning to collude with one another.
Whilst the objectives of the two crimes remain
different, the study points out that many of the vulnerabilities that have encouraged a higher rate of
pirates attacks also apply to terrorism.
The report warns that the maritime sector is at
risk of grey area security challenges because of its
vast, largely unregulated, and opaque nature.
Peter Chalk, author of the study sponsored by
the US Air Force stressed: The maritime environment will likely remain a favourable theatre for
armed violence, crime and terrorism given its
expanse, lack of regulation and general importance
as a critical conduit for international trade.
And, he added, while there is no quick fix for
eliminating all of this, we can rationally manage the
threats within acceptable boundaries.
The report says piracy has flourished as a result
of seven key factors:
a massive increase in shipping traffic
narrow and congested chokepoints in key shipping lanes
the impact of the Asian financial crisis
difficulties with maritime surveillance
lax coastal and port-side security
corruption and dysfunctional systems of national
criminal justice
the global proliferation of small arms
It says there were some 2,463 actual or attempted
piracy incidents between 2000 and 2006
although it warns that the true figure is likely to be
around twice this because so many attacks are not
reported because of fears about subsequent investigation costs and increases to insurance premiums.
Researchers noted a disturbing recent marked
rise in physical assaults on seafarers and especially hostage-taking incidents.
And the study suggests that piracy could be costing the shipping industry anything between $1bn
and $16bn a year.
The report points to a modest yet highly discernable spike in maritime terrorism over the period
between 2000 and 3006 including actual and
attempted attacks on US naval vessels and western
merchant shipping interest in the Mediterranean.
However, the research argues that it would be
extremely difficult to decisively disrupt global trade
through a campaign of maritime terrorism. Major
ports are highly secure, it states, making them
extremely difficult to fully close down.

But, it admits, passenger shipping provides ideal

venues for carrying out assaults aimed at maximising civilian casualties and offer the type of highprestige, iconic target that would likely resonate
with extremist Islamist intent.
Despite these factors, the study suggests that US
policy-makers focus too much on responding to
worse-case terrorist scenarios rather than developing policies to combat lower consequence but
more probable attacks that could strike cruiseships or passenger ferries.
Just as seriously, it adds, the US government has
paid comparatively little attention to combating
piracy despite its proven cost in terms of human
lives, political stability and economic disruption.
While the Bush administration has been at the
forefront of efforts to upgrade global maritime
security through such initiatives such as the
Container Security Initiative and the International
Ship and Port Facility Security Code, the report dismisses such measures as limited in scope and lacking a definitive means to evaluate and audit their
overall utility and transparency.
Although the security programmes may have
helped to increase transparency in the shipping
industry, the report argues that they are largely
directed at strengthening the security wall around
commercial seaborne traffic, paying scant attention
to contingencies that do not involve containerised
cargo.
The researchers conclude that there is no quick
fix or easy remedy for the security problems facing
the shipping industry. The best that can be hoped
for is the rational management of threats within
acceptable boundaries, the report adds.
It points to a series of key factors that the US
government could address to help better safeguard
the worlds oceans:
boosting coastal policing in high-risk areas
encouraging the International Maritime Bureau
to extend its existing reporting role into investigation
improving port security through better screening
vetting of ships and their crews
supporting measures to encourage owners to
make greater use of monitoring and defensive technologies for their vessels
promoting greater openness in the international
shipping industry for example, offering incentives aimed at encouraging shipping companies to
register their vessels through traditional flag states
(as opposed to FoCs)
The report highlights the need for improved
maritime security collaboration, including regular,
focused threat assessments, and redefining the
mandates of multilateral security arrangements to
make sure they provide for a greater role in countering maritime threats.
The full report Piracy and Terrorism at Sea: A
Rising Challenge for US Security is available at
www.rand.org

Panama Canal authorities claim to have

cut waterways congestion problems
THE BAHAMAS-flagged cruiseship Disney Magic
is pictured transiting the Panama Canal last
month after paying a record US$331,200 to
pass through the waterway.
Canal authority officials have claimed that
congestion problems have eased following a
three-month period in which as many as 130
ships were queuing to enter the locks.

The delays were blamed on a combination

of factors, including an industrial dispute
involving the canal pilots, maintenance work
and weather conditions. But last month, the
Panama Canal Authority said vessel transit
times had been cut from a peak of more than
50 hours in March to less than 20 hours.
PICTURE: REUTERS

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30
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

JULY 2008
Nautilus UK Telegraph
31

Small wonders a model role

maritime heritage

maritime heritage

PROFILE OF A PROFESSIONAL SHIP MODELLER

TREVOR BOULT examines

the historic fine art of ship
modelling, and its continuing
survival in the modern-day
MODEL ships have been made
since ancient times for many reasons: symbolic Egyptian funerary
boats; prisoner of war models;
designers models; models for
instruction, prestige, public relations and recreation.
More recently, models are
being used in test tanks and wind
tunnels. Models of large scale feature in period film work and in
on-the-water simulation, to
instruct professionals in handling
huge ships, while virtual models
in computer simulators can
mimic the handling characteristics of any ship, for training in
radar use, dynamic positioning
operations and port-specific
pilotage.
The legacy of ship modelling
in all its traditional and technological aspects confirms its
importance in an on-going story.
In many cases the models themselves are not merely masterpieces in miniature, but direct
contributors to the countrys
maritime development.
It is through ship models that
museums large and small can
effectively convey important
international and local aspects of
shipping to a wide audience.
Preserving real historic and contemporary vessels can tax the
resources of even the wealthiest
countries.
The dry atmosphere of
Egyptian tombs has preserved
significant examples of the ritual
ship models which were intended
to transport souls of the dead into
the next world. Surviving several
millennia, these craft provide historians with invaluable evidence
about actual ships of the period.

As ships gradually increased

in size, planning became a necessary factor in construction.
Patrons of shipbuilding could not
visualise the suitability of designs
from drawings alone, but models
could define salient qualities in
concrete form. The model therefore played an important early
role which later became compulsory, particularly in regard to
fighting ships. From the mid-17th
century the Admiralty required
shipbuilders to submit faithful
scale models of any vessels
planned for the British Navy.
These Admiralty Board official
models soon represented the
acme of skill and accuracy in
wood, and ensured that the client
received what they had paid for.
They went on to set the standard
for all shipbuilders models,
establishing the scale of 1:48 as
that most commonly used.
Models also promoted the
development of merchant ships
in the technological leap from sail
to steam. They could serve several functions: initially to prove
the design as a bare hull for testing on some convenient pond;
then worked up to a finished
presentation for the owner to
proudly display and attract commercial custom. Rising costs in
shipyards and economies in construction saw the hulls of many
builders models being carved
from solid. Further simplification
gave rise to the half-block which
was displayed on a backing board,
or a mirror to create the illusion
of a full hull. The half-block provided a convenient means of lifting basic lines for full-size lofting
and fabrication of hull frames.

LUCIAN Ploias works for the Vancouver Maritime Museum as

a model maker and conservator of the museums ship model
collection. He has participated in many projects for other major
museums in Canada; also for local and international collections.
His expertise is mainly in researching, constructing new, or
restoring antique model ships, and all his models are built from
scratch, without use of pre-made parts.
Transylvanian by birth, Lucian graduated in mechanical
engineering in 1991, moving to Vancouver five years later.
Lucian built his first scale ship at the age of 11. He entered a
competition in Holland and so impressed the judges that it gained
him a commission from the prestigious Maritime Museum of
Amsterdam. He and a small group of friends set up an association
of ship modellers, and even today they are in amicable competition
with each other.
To such craftsmen scale is paramount, including that of the
materials used. Oak, the planking of choice on many real ships, would
not work on a reduction as the grain is too large. Lucian uses varieties
of fruitwoods whose densities can convince the eye. Every rigging rope
is accurate in diameter, linked to correctly sized and turned deadeyes.
Yet the art of the ship modeller must include taking special liberties.
To choose a moment frozen in time to represent a particular historic
vessel that, in reality, will have evolved throughout its lifetime is a
responsibility given due regard.

Models set in dioramas can bring many aspects of maritime to life. Pictured above is a model of the preserved British Columbian steam tug ss Master, at the Vancouver
PICTURE: TREVOR BOULT
Maritime Museum
Today, despite the formidable
processing power of computers,
self-propelled models on open
water provide the most costeffective means of testing
advanced design concepts, such
as sea-keeping and stealth characteristics of particular naval
craft.
Charles Parsons, in conceiving
the record-breaking Turbinia as a
test-bed and demonstration vessel for his revolutionary steam
turbine, designed and made hull
models which were towed and
propelled across ponds on
Tyneside. His carefully recorded
calculations, and observations of
wave forms, were a precursor to
the sophisticated test tank, in
which modern self-propelled
models provide vital data to
determine engine power and
optimum propeller designs.
The use of test tanks and wind
tunnels may mark a new peak in
the value of accurately representative models. When subjected to

Seafarers undertaking ship handling training at Warsash Maritime Academys manned model lake

PICTURE: WARSASH MARITIME ACADEMY

a wide range of experiments

under strictly controlled conditions and accurate measurement,
they can provide a wealth of data
worthy of computer software to
speedily process. Wave-generating capability can reproduce scale
conditions for determining
stresses; the effects of flooding
and battle damage on stability
can be verified; and criteria can
be evaluated to ensure ships
which are side launched do so
without risk of capsize. Operators
of cruise and passenger ships
require designs which keep funnel discharges away from open
decks. Full superstructure models are used in wind tunnels to
test and refine designs.
A model may be used to illustrate a point when a new development is proposed, and as a
convenient means of training.
Large-scale models of cargo-handling derricks and traditional
hatches is one example of handson instruction for cadet students
at marine colleges, whilst captains of supertankers take to the
waters of small lakes in models of
grand dimensions, to train in the
handling of the leviathans they
simulate. Such models provided
the early warning of the lengthy
stopping times and loss of directional control when bringing
these huge-displacement vessels
to a halt. With the conning seat
sited to provide an accurate eye
view, handling characteristics
and operational scenarios are
played out in real time, and with
realistic outcomes.
The making of ship models for
recreation found early expression
in the therapeutic creativity of
French prisoners from the
Napoleonic Wars. The summit of
artistry lay in the exquisite box-

wood and bone creations which

were generally the product of
highly organised teamwork.
Professional ships carpenters of
the period would have had a profound understanding of hull
design, spars and rigging, and
their critical proportions, complementing the craftsmen who
grasped the qualities of the modelling materials used. Even the
ordinary seaman would have had
a role. In the areas surrounding
prisons these models were in
ready demand. Markets outside
the gates were allowed, promoting two-way trade, where sale of
completed models enabled the
acquisition of raw materials.
Straw and woodchip are two
unlikely materials which, nevertheless, demonstrate the ingenious skills of these prisoners.
Typically, most of these models
were dioramas of shipyards and
ports. They were miracles of
extreme miniaturisation. A masterpiece of this type is the reenactment of the Battle of
Trafalgar, displayed at The Royal
Naval Museum in Portsmouth.
Models of all Nelsons fleet are
depicted in their battle positions
at a specific time. This also demonstrates an enduring educational role of model ships in all
their guises, as held and looked
after by museums.
Conservators are charged with
the ongoing care of ship model
collections. This includes applying measures in anticipation of
progressive deterioration caused
by changes in humidity and temperature, the ultra-violet effects
on delicate fabrics and rigging, as
well as active maintenance when
required. As stars of the show, the
models are not just the preserve
of curators and maritime experts.

Their impact on the general public can be immediate, lasting, and

inspiring on so many levels.
In the days of sail, the object of
greatest familiarity to a sailor was
his ship; a motivation, especially
when retiring from sea, to make a
model to give to relatives at home.
Across Europe, votive models
were hung in churches as fulfilment of vows to acknowledge
deliverance from dire perils at
sea, whilst the timeless fascination of putting model ships in
bottles was as much a test of the
modellers dexterity as the
intrigue of viewers resolving the
conundrum of a camel passing
through the eye of a needle.
Dioramas of busy nautical
scenes find several models posed
in unlikely proximity to tell their
story, crowded by the display
boxes which confine them. In
contrast, the broad sweep of panoramic models of harbours and
early builders yards can put
model ships in a context of atmospheric realism.
The blockbuster filming of
marine dramas has created a
demand for huge models, where
enhanced realism in staging
period battles sees the galleons
and frigates propelled by giant
wind machines to realistically fill
the sails and lend authenticity to
their controlled manoeuvres.
Artists acclaimed for their
marine paintings of such heroic or
infamous encounters whether
contemporary to the events or as
a modern interpretation of history are known to have had
collections of models. These reference fleets vicariously provided
the artist with a form of visual
contact to the subject, and brought
convincing content and proportion to the depictions on canvas.

The tidiness of the modellers workshop at the Vancouver museum

reflects the self-discipline and commitment to the art of faithful
miniaturisation. You cant cut corners ... 99% of everything I do is
made by hand. Every ship is unique.
The museum is keen to promote such skills, but the art of
handcrafting detail is waning. Lucian has learned not to tell his one-toone students of the hours involved.
He modestly explains: All you need to reconstruct a ship are
eyes, a steady hand and thousands of hours. You often have to be
The advent of the plastic kit
brought the inspiration of modelling into the living-rooms of
countless homes, and to the hands
of young and old alike. It is a complex process for a manufacturer to
bring a kit to the shelves of model
shops. Research departments
study the chosen vessel, or available historic documents, and produce scaled-down drawings.
These enable the construction of
a hand-buiIt master model which
is critically detailed in all particulars. It is from this model that the
separate parts are developed, and
is a mute tribute to the craftsmanship of the professional modeller.
To the amateur hobbyist such
relatively cheap kits can bring the
satisfactions of achievement, and
they may be the catalyst to
encourage building more complex wooden kits or making models from scratch. They may even
draw youthful eyes towards a
career at sea.
The recreational aspects of
modelling ships are not limited to
the skills of constructing and finishing a static object. Its decorative qualities may be brought to
life dynamically as a controllable
working miniature. Impeccably
finished models can be equipped
with proportional radio control
for convincing scale-speed
manoeuvres on open water. Aided
by compact electric motors, servos and digital switches, the
modern working model is a
sophisticated entity.

Many of the full-size considerations of traditional seamanship

are now accessible in simplified
miniature to enthusiasts. Radio
controlled models of ships and
boats can be put through any
number of simulated operations,
for pleasure and competition. The
latest technology has brought
full-circle the joys of moving a
craft solely by wind power. Radio
control has increased the versatility of model yacht racing. All
points of sailing can be realistically achieved even the unforgiving spinnaker can be tamed.
Exhilarating competitive sailing
is no longer the exclusive preserve
of Americas Cup tycoons, or the
owners of hi-tech dinghies, as the
One Metre World Championships
of radio-controlled model yachts
can testify.
Ship models of the first order
continue to be used abroad and
domestically as displays at trade
exhibitions. Despite the ascendancy of computer graphics, real
ship models are still valued in
the fields of research and development. The comprehensive loss
of British shipyards saw the
demise of their renowned model
workshops and, in some cases,
the wanton dispersal of priceless
archive material. Yet the noble
tradition of creating exemplary
miniature ships remains in the
safe hands and consummate
skills of dedicated amateurs and
independent professional modellers.

Lucian Ploias with two of his latest modeling commissions the 1:48 scale
Union Steam Ship Company of Vancouver, BC Cardena (left) and a 1:72 scale
model of the CPR Empress of Asia, above
very steady; not breathing, not moving. Sore eyes are not the main
problem, but back pains are from holding arms up for hours at a time
especially when fixing rigging.
Building any model is only part of the process sometimes Lucian
may have as little to refer to as a simple photograph or drawing, a
centuries-old painting or a verbal reminiscence. Here at the museum
library, I have access to thousands of books, photographs and original
drawings, which makes the task of researching easier, he adds.
Lucians current commissions include an 8ft model of the
liner Empress of Asia, and a 1:48 scale model of the Union Steam
Ship Companys Cardena. When asked Whats the point of ship
modelling? Lucian replies: Whats the point of Everest? For many
people a model is as close as you can get to perfection. Might it even
help to explain the magnitude of Everest...?
Lucian Ploias dipl.eng. www.transylvanian.com

Many seafarers we note are under the illusion that to qualify for the 100%
foreign earnings deduction, all they have to do is spend 183 days out of
the country on foreign going voyages.
Many have found to their cost, when investigated by the Revenue that it is
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32
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

50 YEARS AGO
AS MANY Merchant Navy
officers are anxious about the
position regarding the defence of
merchant shipping, and have
good reason to be, the general
secretary of the Merchant Navy
& Airline Officers Association
has been in contact with the
Admiralty. Many alarming and
disturbing statements about the
Royal Navys apparent inability

to provide adequate convoy

protection have been made by
high-ranking naval officers
recently, in the light of reliable
reports that the Soviet Union has
some 500 submarines in
commission. MN officers can
rest assured that officials of their
organisations will continue to
pursue the matter of the defence
of merchant shipping most
vigorously in every quarter
MN Journal, July 1958

25 YEARS AGO
THE MNAOA is fighting a
vigorous battle on behalf of the
most vulnerable members of the
seafaring community cadets.
The Association says that current
action by British shipowners will
mean that some 520 of the
1,300 cadets due to complete
their courses this year will not be
offered jobs by their sponsoring
companies. The General Council

of British Shipping plans to debar

them from registering at the
Merchant Navy Establishment on
the grounds that this would
merely increase competition for
the few jobs available to junior
officers. The MNAOA has refuted
the employers arguments, and
has urged them to give all cadets
the opportunity to register with
the MNE and to make at least one
voyage as a junior officer
The Telegraph, July 1983

10 YEARS AGO
PORT state control authorities
around the world are warning of
a hardline approach to ships that
fail to comply with the
International Safety
Management Code from this
month. Around 20% of the ships
covered by the 1 July first-phase
ISM deadline are expected to fail
to gain certification and PSC
authorities in Europe, Asia and

South America have warned that

they could be barred from their
waters as a result. With the UK
also threatening to take a tough
line, NUMAST has sought
assurances from the Maritime &
Coastguard Agency over the
conditions under which non-ISM
ships will be allowed to leave
detention, warning of potentially
serious consequences if such a
vessel is involved in an incident
The Telegraph, June 1998

ships of the past

A Clan Line first

by BOB WILSON

2. What proportion of the

Greek-owned fleet is on the
Greek register?
3. How many ships in the
current world order book
are scheduled to fly the
UK flag?
4. How many ships named

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Closing date is Monday 15 July 2008.
You can also enter by email, by sending your list of
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Telephone:

General details
Year built:
Original name:
Built by:
Owners:
Type:
Tonnage:
Dimensions:

1878
Clan Alpine
Alexander Stephen
Cayzer, Irvine
Cargo steamer, sail assisted
2,080 gross
Length 305ft 6in; Breadth 34ft 10in; Depth 24ft 2in

directly below the open bridge,

while the engineers were housed
on the port side of the maindeck,
with the chiefs cabin aft.
The second and third engineers
shared a double berth cabin
forward of the chief. There was
then a scullery, small bathroom
and another small two berth cabin
the occupants of which have been
crossed out on the plan and are
unreadable. On the starboard side
aft, was the chief officers cabin.
Forward of this, the second and
third officer shared a double-berth
cabin. Forward of these was a
storeroom of some kind and
another two-berth cabin whose
original occupants have again
been crossed out.
The forecastle was really no
different from that of a large sailing
ship of that era. Fourteen firemen
and trimmers were housed in the

The Quiz
1. Which is the busiest
container port in the
Mediterranean?

This months Telegraph cryptic crossword is a prize crossword!

The winner of this months cryptic crossword
competition will win a copy of the book Naval Accidents
Since 1945 (reviewed on the facing page).
To enter, simply complete the form below and send it,
along with your completed crossword, to: Nautilus UK
Telegraph Crossword Competition, Oceanair House,

THE CLAN Alpines claim to fame

was that she was the very first

Clan Line vessel ever to be built
for Cayzer, Irvines Clan Line.
The company had previously
owned two sailing ships, the
wooden barque Jalawar and the
full-rigged ship North Star,
purchased in 1876 and 1877
respectively.
The Jalawar was a great
success on her one and only
voyage for Cayzer, Irvine. She was
sold on her return to the UK for a
handsome profit. The North Star
was less successful, but
nevertheless completed a round
voyage before being sold.
They then placed an order for
two steamers, Clan Alpine and
Clan Fraser. Both ships were built
at the yard of Alexander Stephen,
Linthouse, Glasgow. The Clan
Alpine was completed first and
delivered in October 1878, whilst
the Clan Fraser was delivered
about a month later.
The ships were unusually long,
having a beam/length ratio of 8.78
to 1! They carried two square
rigged masts, each carrying two
square sails, a single topsail and a
single tgallant. Both masts also
carried a large gaff-rigged fore-and
aft sail, whilst three jibs were set
on the foremast stays (only two
were set on the model).
It appears that the height of the
funnel was altered during the
design stages, because the plan
shows quite a considerable
extension that tallies with paintings
of the ship.
The accommodation, I have to
say, was not very impressive. The
captain, chief officer and chief
engineer enjoyed the privilege of
cabins to themselves. The
captains accommodation was at
the forward end of the boat deck,

Telegraph prize crossword

Mauretania has the Cunard

Line owned?
5. What percentage of the
world tanker fleet is
presently double-hulled?
6. In which year was the
Merchant Navy Welfare
Board established in
the UK?
Quiz and quick crossword
answers are on page 46.

port half and 14 seamen in the

starboard half. Both halves were
partitioned off down the centre
line. Each forecastle had a long
table with a long seat next to it.
There was no other furniture. Two
small double-berth cabins were
situated at the after end of the
forecastle. The port side one
housed two cooks and the
starboard side, bosun and
carpenter. Two crew WCs were
situated on either side of the ship,
just aft of the forecastle bulkhead.
The poop accommodation,
presumably for the few
passengers, was rather better. It
comprised a large saloon and
pantry. A double-berth cabin for
two stewards, three double-berth
staterooms and a bathroom on the
starboard side. On the port side,
was a store-room, a small doubleberth stateroom and quite a large
double-berth ladies cabin with its
own bathroom. The stateroom,
bathroom and ladies cabin,
however, have been crossed out on
the plan.
The Clan Alpine enjoyed a long
life, remaining largely in Cayzer,
Irvine ownership or management
until 1899, when she was sold to
the Dene Steam Shipping
Company and renamed Elmdene.
She passed to Italian owners in
1903 and was renamed Ida. Sold
to Greece in 1908, she took her
final name, Simpoulos, and was
scrapped at Troon in 1909.

...........................................

Membership No.:

............................

QUICK CLUES
1.
5.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
15.
18.
19.
21.
23.
25.
26.
27.
28.

Across
Drink (7)
Room (7)
Musical very (5)
Infested (with rats perhaps) (9)
Skin or nerve ailment (9)
Skinflint (5)
Condescend (5)
Every eight years (9)
Insecticide (9)
Nous (5)
Prophetess (5)
Drum (9)
Racecourse (9)
The best (5)
Continue (5,2)
Laughers (7)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
14.
16.
17.
18.
20.
22.
23.
24.

Down
Squashed (7)
Check (9)
Lucky folk? (5)
City (9)
Buddhist destiny (5)
Snippets (9)
Horn sounds (5)
Breather (7)
Aristocracy (9)
Sporting contest (4,5)
Overturning (9)
Type of lodge (7)
New Englanders (7)
Shady spot (5)
Symbolic (5)
Greek letter (5)

CRYPTIC CLUES
Across
1. It raises 25 to lubricate economy
(3,4)
5. & 10. Fair authors Pacifist Bill (7,9)
9. Worthless fruit, but precedes high
tension conflict (5)
10. (See 5 across)
11. Relief to get out of theatre (9)
12. Leave with a seat (5)
13. From which some musical sound
stems (5)

15. Ill or mad, a changeable creature (9)

18. The womans a small copper and
slim, but shows great strength (9)
19. Old Scandinavian was to incur
change (5)
21. Lighter one of a pair (5)
23. Replacement of old bile with more
vital transfusion (9)
25. Means to do with origins (9)
26. Take to police station but drive
gently (3,2)
27. Last minute ticket, without seating?
(7)
28. Abide by the rule, see (7)
Down
1. Not on frozen surface right,
policeman sir (7)
2. Astronomical mileage (5.4)
3. One in crowd for film, given another
run (5)

4. 50 units of current, had electronic

cover (9)
5. Gatherings in Ireland where the
ships have sailed (5)
6. One can see what youre saying
(3-6)
7. Angry about rodent that is (5)
8. Or teams built around conductor (7)
14. From which backhanders are paid for
snowploughs? (5,4)
16. Obvious nothing put together to
make policy document (9)
17. Splash of red on lawn signifies the
one in possession (9)
18. Sounds like the funny bone (7)
20. So in majestic --- rise and fall / The
mighty undulations of thy song
(Longfellow: Milton) (7)
22. Coiled tales (5)
23. Fortunate to be waiting for Samuel
Beckett (5)
24. Sir, old boy has been returned mayor (5)

JULY 2008
Nautilus UK Telegraph
33

DEFENCE BUDGET CUTS

PUTTING NAVAL SAFETY
UNDER PRESSURE
ROYAL Navy ships seem to suffer many of
the unfortunate safety problems
encountered in the commercial sector.
Thats just one of the lessons to be
learned in Naval Accidents Since 1945, a
fascinating new work published by
Maritime Books.

The fruit of extensive research over

almost 20 years by a serving RN marine
engineer officer, Malcolm Maclean, the
book is a remarkable litany of loss and
near-loss that underlines both the
inherent dangers of the sea and the
enduring need for highly skilled seafarers.
The book explores a wide range of
cases drawn from navies around the
world, and also includes a couple of
incidents involving RFAs and merchant
vessels.
Many of the casualty causes examined

in the book are closely aligned to the

commercial sector adverse weather,
fires and explosions,groundings and
collisions, and material and structural
failures.
A recurring theme within the many
incidents covered by the author is the
way in which potentially catastrophic
consequences were averted by good
training, professional judgement and
sheer skill.
The echoes with merchant shipping
are strong with Mr Maclean repeatedly

warning of the way in which defence

cutbacks are impacting on training
budgets and stoking up pressure to pass
vital support work to private contractors.
A thought-provoking book, and Mr
Maclean does a grand job in looking at
some of the solutions to perennial
problems, such as stabilty, sea-keeping,
corrosion, and fire-prevention.
Naval Accidents Since 1945 by
Malcolm Maclean (ISBN 978 1 904459
32 3) costs 30 and is published by
Maritime Books www.navybooks.com

books

Learning from loss

THE SINKING of the yacht Ouzo
off the Isle of Wight in August
2006 in which three crew
members lost their lives, is one of
the new stories in the latest
incarnation of Total Loss.
This is the third edition of the
book first published in 1985
which features first-hand
accounts of yacht losses at sea
from around the world, and the
safety lessons that can be learned
from them.
Any book that has run to a
third edition clearly has hit a
winning formula, and, at first
sight, one might be forgiven for
thinking that the publisher, Adlard
Coles Nautical, has achieved this
by partly pitching Total Loss at
the populist voyeur market.
The back cover tells you that
Total Loss is an enthralling
collection of dramatic stories and
gripping tales. Total Loss, the
blurb adds, holds the reader in
morbid fascination.
Editor Paul Gelder, in his
preface, seems to distance
himself from the lurid cover

terminology; the stories, he says,

are not morbid or voyeuristic. In
fact the only loss of life among the
40 incidents in this book is
aboard two yachts: the Ouzo, run
down or swamped by a P&O ferry
in the English Channel in 2006,
and Hooligan V, which lost her
keel.
Gelder himself an

experienced yachtsman and

editor of the magazine Yachting
Monthly goes on to underline
the books serious purpose: Why
make mistakes when you can
learn from the hard-won lessons
and experience of those who
sailed before you?
The stories covered in this
274-page paperback are grouped
according to the type of incident,
under the section headings:
Collision; Failure of Gear or
Rigging; Stress of Weather; Faulty
Navigation; Fire or Explosion;
Failure of Ground Tackle or
Mooring Lines.
Each incident is recounted in a
highly readable and succinct
style, followed by copious clearly
explained recommendations that,
if followed, will go a long way
towards preventing similar
incidents. There are also useful
tips on how best to react if an
incident does occur.
To return, however, to the
Ouzo tragedy. Although, as Gelder
says in his preface: We may
never really know what happened

in the case of the Ouzo, it is not

until we reach the footnote at the
end of the chapter on this incident
that we are told that Michael
Hubble, the watchkeeper on the
P&O ferry Pride of Bilbao, was
acquitted by the jury. The footnote
also states that the jury had
learned that Ouzo was close to a
3,500 tonne coastal tanker,
Crescent Beaune, and not the
Pride of Bilbao. So to suggest, as
Gelder does initially, that the
yacht was run down or swamped
by a P&O ferry in the English
Channel is somewhat
contentious.
That quibble, and the
publishers phraseology aside,
Total Loss is admirably written,
edited and laid out, and yacht
crews in particular, as well as
seafarers working in busy
sealanes, will clearly benefit from
reading it.
Total Loss by Paul Gelder (ISBN
97807136987835), costs
8.99 and is published by Adlard
Coles Nautical
www.adlardcoles.com

More memories of Cairn

GILBERT T Wallace worked a
relatively short period of his career
in shipping. Now retired, he
joined the Cairn Line of
Steamships in 1949 as a cadet
before enlisting for the RAF in
1954, becoming a military
policeman and spending the bulk
of his subsequent career in the
Edinburgh police service.
But those few years in the
Merchant Navy had a lifelong
impact on him, as he has now
self-published his second book
about his erstwhile maritime
employer. The first, The Cairn
Line of Steamships Co Ltd
1987-2005, outlined the
companys history and included
fleet lists of owned, chartered and
managed ships.
His new book, Cairn Line of
Steamships and Nautical Tales
Beyond Leith, is predominantly
about the people who worked for
the line, featuring 31 career
histories. Wallaces own
recollections take us from his

trainee days at Leith Nautical

College, including residency on
the training ship Dolphin, to
service on Cairn Lines Cairnesk
III and Cairngowan IV general
cargo freighters trading between
the UK and Canada.
He recalls: One of our
dangerous cargoes, although at
the time we were ignorant of the
danger to our health, was

asbestos white and blue

packed into paper bags and
loaded in Quebec. The bags
would burst and the asbestos dust
would fly around when
loading/discharging. No masks or
special clothing then, not like
now.
The other career histories
result from the authors contacts,
correspondence and
conversations that came about
through publication of his first
book. Many of these were with
people who either worked for
Cairn Line at some time or knew
family or friends that had done so.
Some stories date from the age
of sail, some from what Wallace
calls the companys twilight years
and the mini-bulker fleet.
These accounts of seafaring
life are arranged chronologically,
beginning with master mariner
John Oliver Band, whose service
began from 1885, to three
seafarers a cadet, chief
engineer and shipwright

whose careers commenced in

1959.
The books main narrative
begins with a chapter on
Wallaces home port, Leith, and
ends with the chapter The Last of
the Line, an updated dateline
history of Cairn Lines 10 1600grt
mini-bulkers, eight of which are
still trading with other companies.
There is also a chapter on The
Cairn Line Song composed by
retired chief engineer George
Burdon.
The text is backed up with
copious pictorial material,
including the authors sketches
and watercolours.
Cairn Line of Steamships and
Nautical Tales Beyond Leith by
Gilbert T Wallace, costs 24.95
excluding p&p of 4.45 (UK),
5.95 (EU), 10.86 first class
airmail or 5.72 surface (rest of
the world). Pay by cheque or
postal order to: Gilbert T Wallace,
Cainesk, 3 Milton Gardens South,
Edinburgh EH15 3PG.

Pictures of the
peoples river

THE RIVER Thames has helped

to shape not only the history of
London but also the history of the
nation providing a strategic
and economic platform for
Britain over many centuries.
The rivers rich history and
varied scenery is captured in a
new book The Thames: A
photographic journey from source
to sea that contains a couple
of hundred excellent images and
accompanying commentary.
Along the way, theres lots of
interesting snippets and some
superb shots of the many ways in
which the river and its banks are
used and have been used. The
history of Docklands and its
transition from crime-ridden area
of ill repute to the present-day
banks, offices and marinas is
featured over several pages.
The book demonstrates the
huge range of activity on the
Thames including work,
leisure, art and tourism
pointing to its claim to the title of
the peoples river.
However, it is a shame that
the book doesnt really convey
the rivers present-day status as
a busy and thriving port. It refers
to commercial traffic being a
fraction of what it used to be, and
in doing so fails to acknowledge
the Port of Londons position as
UKs second busiest port,
handling more than 52m tonnes
of cargo last year.
Theres only one shot of a

merchant ship on the river, and it

would have been good to see
some of the commercial activity
at Tilbury and Gravesend. Ports
can make dramatic photographic
material, and it feels an
opportunity was missed to
portray this important aspect of
the Thames.
Still, the pictures are pretty,
and its a nice book for dipping
into and gleaning an appreciation of the rivers role over the
years.
The Thames: A photographic
journey from source to sea by
Derek Pratt (ISBN 978 0 7136
8832 0) costs 19.99 and is
published by Adlard Coles
Nautical www.adlardcoles.com

TO ADVERTISE
YOUR PRODUCTS
& SERVICES IN
THE TELEGRAPH
CONTACT

Redactive
tel: 020 7880 7668
fax: 020 7880 7553
email: claire.barber@
redactive.co.uk

46
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

The face of Nautilus UK: Tim Vernon, recruitment assistant

ALTHOUGH Nautilus UK recruitment assistant Tim
Vernon was born in Warrington not exactly, he says,
a seafaring town he lived in Liverpool before settling
in Chester.
And he also obtained his masters degree at the
University of Liverpool: I wrote my dissertation about
James Larkin and the 1907 Belfast dockworkers strike.
Before joining Nautilus, Tim was a full-time lay
organiser for civil service union PCS, based in Chester
Jobcentre. One thing I have found is that non-members

of a trade union in any particular sector of employment

have simply not been asked to join, so the challenge is
identifying them and giving them the opportunity to join.
Most when given the details will.
Tim follows rugby league team Warrington Wolves
everywhere, so its just as well he loves travelling and
he also does plenty of that for Nautilus. My role is to
recruit additional members into the Union both from
traditional sources and also newer areas such as shoreside workplaces and the yacht sector. I have initially been

Telegraph
Incorporating the merchant navy journal and ships telegraph

ISSN 0040 2575

staff
editor: Andrew Linington
production editor: June Cattini
reporters: Sarah Robinson/Mike Gerber

advertising managers
Redactive Media Group
17 Britton Street, London EC1M 5TP
Sales Executive: Claire Barber
tel: +44 (0)20 7880 7668
fax: +44 (0)20 7880 7553
email: claire.barber@redactive.co.uk
website: www.redactive.co.uk
Although the Telegraph exercises care and caution before accepting
advertisements, readers are advised to take appropriate professional advice
before entering into any commitments such as investments (including pension
plans). Publication of an advertisement does not imply any form of
recommendation and Nautilus UK cannot accept any liability for the quality of
goods and services offered in advertisements. Organisations offering financial
services or insurance are governed by regulatory authorities and problems
with such services should be taken up with the appropriate body.
Published by Nautilus UK, Printed by College Hill Press Limited,
37 Webber Street, London SE1 8QW.

general secretary
Brian Orrell

head office
Oceanair House,
750760 High Road,
Leytonstone, London E11 3BB
tel: +44 (0)20 8989 6677
fax: +44 (0)20 8530 1015
telex: 892181 DIAL G
(marked for the attention of Nautilus UK)
website: www.nautilusuk.org

northern office
Nautilus House,
Mariners Park,
Wallasey CH45 7PH
tel: +44 (0)151 639 8454
fax: +44 (0)151 346 8801

department e-mail addresses

general:
enquiries@nautilusuk.org
membership:
membership@nautilusuk.org
legal:
legal@nautilusuk.org
Telegraph:
telegraph@nautilusuk.org
industrial south:
industrialsouth@nautilusuk.org
industrial north:
industrialnorth@nautilusuk.org
central services:
centralservices@nautilusuk.org
welfare:
welfare@nautilusuk.org
professional and technical:
protech@nautilusuk.org
In order to better serve the membership efficiently and cost-effectively,
Nautilus UK has started to compile a list of members email addresses.
It would be helpful if members with email addresses could notify them to
the IT Department, indicating their membership number.
Nautilus UK also administers the NUMAST Welfare Funds
and the J.W. Slater Fund, which are registered charities.

concentrating on the colleges, ensuring that the cadets

get the opportunity to join. I have also visited colleges
previously not targeted by the Union.
He adds: The skill is identifying these areas and
making contact more than selling the Nautilus product
which, to be honest, tends to sell itself.
Tim works alongside Wallasey-based colleagues
Garry Elliott, the national secretary responsible for
recruitment, and in a support role Hilary Campbell and
Karen Jones.

Nautilus UK meetings with members: diary dates

NAUTILUS UK has always had a
firm commitment to dialogue with its
members and that commitment
continues to this day, with the Union
placing a high priority on contact
between members and officials.
Officials make regular visits to
ships, and a variety of different
meetings are held by the Union to
encourage a healthy exchange of
views.
The Union also offers the chance
for members to meet Nautilus UK
officials when they make regular visits
to ships in ports and nautical colleges,
or stage specialist forums around the
UK.These visits aim to give members
the chance to get advice on
employment and other problems that
cannot easily be dealt with by letter or
email. Times and venues for
meetings in the next few months are:

COLLEGE VISITS
Nautilus UKs recruitment team is
now holding regular meetings with
trainees and members at all the UKs
maritime colleges. Contact Steve
Doran or Garry Elliott at the Wallasey
office for visiting schedules and
further details.

MNotices

crossing the TSS must do so on a heading as nearly as

practicable at right angles to the direction of traffic flow.
This minimises the time a crossing vessel is in the lane
irrespective of the tidal stream, the M note explains.
On Rule 10 (d), the MCAs view is that neither the
density of traffic in a lane nor visibility are sufficient
reasons to justify the use of an Inshore Traffic Zone.
Apparent absence of an ITZ does not qualify as a reason
for failure to comply with this rule, the note says.
Vessels may use an ITZ where necessary to seek
shelter from weather, and whilst in an ITZ vessels may be
encountered heading in any direction, the note says.
Where a TSS is bordered on both sides by an ITZ, a vessel
must not use it except as permitted by Rule 10 (d). A
vessel which needs to anchor may do so in a separation
zone.
Many TSSs have Precautionary Areas where traffic
lanes cross or converge so that proper separation of
traffic is not possible, and the guide advises:
Precautionary Areas should be avoided, if practicable, by
ships not making use of the associated schemes of deepwater routes. The note makes clear: Precautionary
Areas are not part of a TSS, and Rule 10 is not generally
applicable, however ships should navigate with
particular caution in such areas.
It also points out that any vessel observed in a TSS
which appears not to be complying with the requirements
of the scheme should immediately be notified, as should
the Vehicle Traffic Service if there is VTS coverage. The
international signal YG meaning you do not appear to be
complying with the TSS may also be used for this
purpose. The master of any vessel receiving this signal
by whatever means should check their course and
position and immediately take action to rectify the
situation, the note warns.
A separate section of the M note covers the Dover
Strait TSS. This TSS is bordered by the English ITZ and the
French ITZ, and the note stresses: Neither CNIS [the
Channel Navigation Information Service] nor HM
Coastguard has authority to grant permission for vessels
to use the English ITZ in contravention of Rule 10 (d).
Masters deciding that circumstances warrant their use of
the English ITZ must report their decision to CNIS. Vessels
may enter the ITZ if necessary to avoid immediate
dangers.
And the note warns: All vessels are tracked and
recorded by radar and AIS any vessel found
contravening the collision regulations will be reported to
their flag stateVessels contravening collision
regulation and arriving at UK ports may be liable for
prosecution.

M-Notices, Marine Information

Notes and Marine Guidance
Notes issued by the Maritime &
Coastguard Agency recently
include:
MGN 363 (M+F) The Control and Management of
Ships Ballast Water and Sediments
This guidance note draws attention to the 2004 Ballast
Water Management (BMW) convention. This will put in
place international legislation for the first time once it
becomes enforceable, which will be 12 months after it
has been signed by 30 states representing 35% of world
merchant shipping tonnage.
The note provides interim guidance for use until the
convention is implemented and the UK ratifies it. As of 25
June 2007, 10 countries had ratified the convention,
amounting to 3.42% of word tonnage. The UK intends to
start the ratification process as soon as it has been
proved that technology is available to meet the water
quality regulatory standards.
The main requirements of the BMW convention and
guidelines are cited in the M note. Upon ratification, the
convention will supersede IMO Resolution A.868 (20)
which adopted 1997 guidelines for minimising the
transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens.
But the note advises: As it will be 2009 at the
earliest before the Convention comes into force and the
Guidelines are fully developed and in place, shipping
agents, ship owners and masters of UK flag vessels are
strongly urged to comply with the operational guidance in
the 1997 Guidelines and begin preparing and
implementing for the requirements in the new IMO
Convention and its supporting Guidelines.
The MGN cites the interim standard D-1 and the
requirement to exchange ballast water 200nm from the
coastline in waters 200m deep where possible. It also
advises masters to contact destination ports to ascertain
any local requirements for ballast water discharge.
MGN 364 (M+F) Navigation: Traffic Separation
Schemes Application of Rule 10 and navigation in
the Dover Strait
Guidance is given on traffic separation schemes in this
Maritime & Coastguard Agency note. It covers application
of Rule 10 of the Colregs the international regulations
for preventing collisions at sea which govern the conduct
of all vessels in and near TSSs. The note also gives
recommendations on the TSS affecting navigation within
the Dover Strait.
First, the guide lays down some reminders. Vessels
proceeding in a TSS have no priority over crossing traffic,
except where there are special local rules. And vessels

SHIP VISITS
If you have an urgent problem on your
ship, you should contact Nautilus UK
(enquiries@nautilusuk.org) to ask for an
official to visit the ship. Wherever possible, such requests will be acted upon
by the Union and last year more than
200 ships were visited by Nautilus UK
officials as a result of contact from
members. If you need to request a
visit, please give your vessels ETA and
as much information as possible about
the problem needing to be discussed.

MGN 360 (M+F) Navigation: Implementation of

Changes to Routeing Measures in Electronic
navigational Charts (ENCs)
This note gives guidance on implementing future UK
Hydrographic Office changes to ENCs.

SCOTLAND
Members employed by companies
based in the west of Scotland should
contact Nautilus UK at Nautilus
House, Mariners Park, Wallasey
CH45 7PH (tel: +44 (0)151 639
8454). Members employed in the
offshore oil sector, or by companies
based in the east of Scotland, should
contact +44 (0)1224 638882. This
is not an office address, so members
cannot visit in person.
Future dates and venues for Nautilus
UK meetings of the National
Professional & Technical and
National Pensions Forums include:
National Professional & Technical
Forum deals with technical,
safety, welfare and other professional
topics relevant to shipmaster and

The key advice is to:

ascertain whether your ECDIS shipboard chart display
and information system has been type-approved to the
IEC 61174 Version 1 or a later version
if Version 1, contact the ECDIS manufacturers to
ascertain whether the system can deal with Date Start
(DATSTA)/ Date End (DATEND) attribution
if the ECDIS cannot apply DATSTA/ DATEND correctly,
order in the paper X charts and new editions of any
areas where a change to routeing measure is pending, as
soon as they are published
refer to the paper x charts up to the time the new
measures are implemented. Then change over
completely to the new edition paper charts
only revert to ENC navigation when you are certain that
the amended routing measure included within the ENC
has been recognised by and displayed on the ECDIS
MGN 361 (M+F) GMDSS: Termination of the
121.5/243MHz Initial Emergency Alerting Service
Processing of the satellite EPIRB emergency position
indicating radio beacon 121.5/243MHz frequency in the
GMDSS will cease on 1 February next year. The MGN
advises: Users should start taking steps to ensure they
have an Initial Emergency Alerting Facility alternative.
Suitable replacement would be the 406MHz beacon
system. Unwanted beacons should be disposed of
safely, the note adds. Beacons are fitted with a lithium
battery, and the note says: Batteries should be removed
from unwanted beacons so that they can be disposed of
in the correct manner, thus avoiding accidental
activation.
M Notices are available in three ways: a set of
bound volumes, a yearly subscription, and individual
documents.
A consolidated set of all M Notices current on 30 July
2007 (ISBN 0115528539) is published by The Stationery
Office for 195 www.tsoshop.co.uk/bookstore.asp
Annual subscriptions and copies of individual
notices are available from the official distributors:
Mail Marketing (Scotland), MCA, PO Box 87,
Glasgow, G14 0JF. Tel: +44 (0)141 300 4906; fax: +44
(0)141 950 2726; email: mca@promo-solution.com
Individual copies can be collected from MCA offices
or downloaded from the MCA website
www.mcga.gov.uk click on Ships and Cargoes,
then Ship Regulations and Guidance.
MCA research reports are often referred to in
M Notices. These reports can usually be read in full
online. Go to www.mcga.gov.uk and click on About us,
What we do and Research
Please note that the MCA restructured its website in
early 2008, meaning that some of the Agencys online
resources are now in a different location.

chief engineer officer members. The

next meeting is being held in Glasgow
on Tuesday 16 September, starting
at 1300hrs at a venue to be advised
shortly.
National Pensions Forum
established to provide a two-way flow
of information and views on all
pension matters and pension schemes
(not just the MNOPF). This forum is
open to all classes of Nautilus UK
member, including associate and
affiliate. The next meeting will be held
in Belfast, on Monday 14 July,
starting at 1100hrs, at the Holiday
Inn Belfast, Ormeau Avenue, Belfast.
All full members of the relevant rank
or sector can attend and financial
support may be available to some
members by prior agreement. For
further details contact head office.

Quiz answers
1. Giaoia Tauro in Italy in the Mediterraneans
busiest container port, handling a total of 3.45m
TEU last year.
2. Only 29% of the Greek-owned fleet is on the
Greek register.
3. A total of 88 ships on order around the world are
presently destined for the UK register.
4. Cunard has owned two ships named Mauretania,
built in 1907 and 1939.
5. Some 77% of the world tanker fleet is presently
double-hulled. The figure is forecast to rise to
85% by the end of 2010.
6. The Merchant Navy Welfare Board was
established in 1948.

Crossword answers
QUICK ANSWERS
Across: 1. Cordial; 5. Kitchen; 9. Assai;
10. Verminous; 11. Porphyria; 12. Miser; 13. Deign;
15. Octennial; 18. Mothballs; 19. Savvy; 21. Sibyl;
23. Tambourin; 25. Newmarket; 26. Elite;
27. Carry on; 28. Hyaenas.
Down: 1. Cramped; 2. Restraint; 3. Irish;
4. Liverpool; 5. Karma; 6. Trimmings; 7. Hoots;
8. Nostril; 14. Nobiliary; 16. Test match;
17. Inversion; 18. Masonic; 20. Yankees; 22. Bower;
23. Token; 24. Omega.
This months cryptic crossword is a prize
competition. The answers will appear in next
months Telegraph. Congratulations to the June
crossword winner Nautilus UK member
Captain Martin Cadman.
CRYPTIC ANSWERS FROM JUNE
Across: 1. Bloodstream; 7. Sob; 9 Aggregate;
10. Grail; 11. Tenancy; 12. Noonday; 13. Detestable;
16. Wind; 18. Reel; 19. Playwright; 22. Memoirs;
23. Finings; 25. Audit; 26. Unifiable; 27. Tar;
28. Psychedelia.
Down: 1. Blasted; 2. Organ; 3. Deepness; 4. Tracy;
5. Eternally; 6. Maggot; 7. Swaddling; 8. Belayed;
14. Thermidor; 15. Aylesbury, 17. Frenzied;
18. Rampart; 20. Tessera; 21. Tip-top; 23. Faith;
24. Nobel.

JULY 2008
Nautilus UK Telegraph
47

Stick up for Nautilus UKs Sea Sense campaign!

Indicators

NAUTILUS UK offers a range of free stickers to help you

show your support for British shipping.The ever-popular
Sea Sense car stickers have been spotted all over the world
why not put one in your back window? We also have
some smaller paper Sea Sense stickers to put on
envelopes.
There is also the delivered by ship selection, showing
the variety of products that reach our shops thanks to
merchant ships and seafarers. These are ideal for handing
out at schools and festivals.

LATEST government figures have shown relative

stability in the level of earnings growth, but
consumer inflation rising at the fastest rate since the
measure was introduced 11 years ago.
According to the Office of National Statistics,
the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of annual
inflation was 3.3% in May, up from 3% the previous
month.
The Retail Prices Index, used in many pay
negotiations, rose to 4.3% from 4.2% in April. RPIX

All the stickers promote Nautilus UKs special

campaign website www.seasense.co.uk, designed to raise
public awareness of the need for maritime skills and
where you can sign an electronic petition urging the
government to take more effective measures to support
British shipping and seafarers.
If youd like some free stickers, simply contact Nautilus
UKs Central Services department and let them know how
many you need. Call Central Services on +44 (0)20 8989
6677 or email centralservices@nautilusuk.org

inflation the all items RPI excluding mortgage

interest payments was 4.4% in May, up from 4.0%
in April.
The increases were blamed on rising food and
energy prices, and some analysts have predicted that
the CPI could reach 4% this year.
However, the ONS said wage growth remains
reasonably modest. Figures out last month showed
average earnings, including bonuses, rose by 3.8% in
the year to April 2008 down from 4.0% in the
previous month.
Average earnings, excluding bonuses or regular
pay, rose by 3.9% in the year to April, up from 3.8% in
the previous month.

10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BE A NAUTILUS UK MEMBER

1. Pay and conditions
Nautilus UK negotiates on your behalf with an increasing
number of British and foreign flag employers on issues
including pay, conditions, leave, hours and pensions. The
Union also takes part in top-level international meetings on
the pay and conditions of seafarers in the world fleets.
2. Legal services
With the maritime profession under increasing risk of
criminalisation, Nautilus UK provides specialist support,
including a worldwide network of lawyers who can provide
free and immediate advice to full members on employmentrelated matters. Members and their families also have
access to free initial advice on non-employment issues.
3. Certificate protection
As a full member, you have free financial protection, worth
up to 95,400, against loss of income if your certificate of

competency is cancelled, suspended or downgraded

following a formal inquiry. Full members are also entitled to
representation during accident investigations or inquiries.
4. Compensation
Nautilus UKs legal services department recovers more than
1m every year in compensation for members who have
suffered work-related illness or injuries.
5. Workplace support
Nautilus UK officials provide expert advice on work-related
problems such as contracts, redundancy, bullying or
discrimination, non-payment of wages, and pensions.
6. Safety and welfare
Nautilus UK plays a vital role in national and international
discussions on such key issues as hours of work, crewing
levels, shipboard conditions, vessel design, and technical
and training standards. The NUMAST Welfare Funds run a

15-acre welfare complex in Wallasey providing homes and

care for retired seafarers, and administer welfare pensions
and grants to seafarers in need. Nautilus UK has a major
say in the running of the Merchant Navy Officers Pension
Fund and the Pension Plan. It also launched The Maritime
Stakeholder Plan to meet the needs of seafarers and others
working in the shipping industry, at sea and ashore, who are
unable to participate in the MNOPF or MNOPP.
7. Savings
Being a Nautilus UK member costs less than buying a
newspaper every day and gives you peace of mind at work,
with access to an unrivalled range of services and support.
Its simple to save the cost of membership by taking
advantage of specially-negotiated rates on a variety of
commercial services ranging from tax advice, credit cards,
household, motoring, travel and specialist insurance.

8. In touch
As a Nautilus UK member, help is never far away wherever
in the world you are. Officials regularly visit members
onboard their ships and further support and advice is
available at regular surgeries and college visits throughout
the UK.
9. Your union, your voice
Nautilus UK is the voice of more than 18,000 maritime
professionals working in all sectors of the shipping industry,
at sea and ashore. As one of the largest and most influential
international bodies representing maritime professionals,
the Union campaigns tirelessly to promote your views.
10. Get involved!
Nautilus UK is a dynamic and democratic union, offering
members many opportunities to be fully involved and have
your say in its work both at local and national level.

FOR OFFICE USE: REF.

Join Nautilus UK today

To: General Secretary, Nautilus UK, Oceanair House,
750-760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BB
Please complete this form in BLOCK LETTERS

Instruction to your
Bank or Building Society
to pay by Direct Debit

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If known, please state previous membership number

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I apply for membership of Nautilus UK and undertake to observe all Nautilus UK rules. I further undertake to pay subscriptions regularly
and be liable for all subscriptions as they fall due. I agree that my personal data can be used for furthering the interests
of the Union, providing services to me direct and via third parties, as covered by the Data Protection Act.
SIGNED

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Banks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit Instructions from some types of account

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
Nautilus UK wants to provide the best possible service to all our members, and target information to meet your needs.
All information will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be revealed to any third party.
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details of main certificate No.
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Discounted monthly subscription rates from 1 January 2008 for

members paying by direct debit
Please tick membership category required:
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17.30*
13.55*
5.30
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* The full rate if you are paying by cheque or postal order is 18.55, 14.55 and 13.55 respectively.
** Cadets joining in their first year and paying by direct debit 8.50 for that year.
The full membership classes listed here are only for those in regular employment in the industry.
NB. If you are uncertain as to your appropriate membership class please ring the Membership Services Team at Head Office or email: membership@nautilusuk.org

Direct Debit payments

Please retain this portion for your own records

Payment by direct debit means your subscription to Nautilus UK will be paid on time, every time.
You will be spared the nuisance of getting reminders and the inconvenience of having to alter your standing order whenever the subscription
changes. This is because direct debit allows for variations in the amount paid by your bank on your behalf.
You can also pay your subscription in instalments and decide which day from 2nd/9th/16th/23rd in the month they are to be taken on, if you
prefer. Tick the appropriate box on the form.
If no preferences are shown we will assume monthly payments on the 2nd of each month.

This guarantee should be detached and retained by the Payer

The Direct Debit Guarantee

This guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that take part in the direct debit scheme.
The efficiency and security of the scheme is monitored and protected by your own bank or building society.
If the amounts to be paid or the payment dates change Nautilus UK will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or
as otherwise agreed.
If an error is made by Nautilus UK or your bank or building society, you are guaranteed a full and immediate refund from your branch of the
amount paid.
You can cancel a direct debit at any time by writing to your bank or building society.
Please also send a copy of your letter to us.

48
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

INSPECTORS BATTLE TO
RECOVER OWED WAGES
FOR FoC SHIP CREW
NAUTILUS UK/ITF ship inspector Tommy
Molloy made efforts last month to recover
wages owed to seafarers onboard a flag of
convenience ship in Scotland. The 1,707gt
Panamanian-registered general cargoship
Elvita 1 has also been detained after ITF
inspectors raised safety issues.

Russian and Ukrainian crew members

went on strike and refused to unload the
cargo of stone after the ship arrived at the
port of Sandbank, at Holy Loch marina near
Dunoon.
Mr Molloy had earlier visited the vessel at
Ellesmere Port, where it was established
that some crew were owed up to five months
wages and that none was paid in accordance
with the ITF agreement governing terms and
conditions. He filed a claim for a total of
US$105,000 owed wages on behalf of 10
crew. The operator, Baff Vyborg of St
Petersburg, promised to settle outstanding

wages at the next port, Belfast, but when the

company failed to do so again, Mr Molloy
and Scotland based ITF inspector Neil Keith
travelled to Dunoon to pursue the matter.
They accused the operators of
threatening the crew with blacklisting in an
attempt to end the dispute and to get the
vessel moving again after around 45% of the
claim was paid. This is totally unacceptable,
and we will take appropriate measures in
response to any such actions against the
crew, Mr Molloy added. This is yet another
negative example of how some vessels are
operating in UK coastal waters.

news

WAR RISK BODY CALL BACKED

ITF conference supports Nautilus motion seeking global-level negotiations on threats to seafarers
AMID a fresh flurry of pirate attacks on ships off
Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, Nautilus UK has
called for new action to combat the problem.
Assistant general secretary Mark Dickinson gave
a presentation to the International Federation of
Shipmasters Associations annual assembly in
Bremen, urging other IFSMA members to lobby governments for the long sought-after action that is necessary to reduce an unacceptable threat to the worlds
seafarers.
Mr Dickinson said piracy-prone areas should be
treated as war-risk zones giving seafarers additional protection in terms of insurance and contractual rights.
And late last month Nautilus UK and Nautilus NL
received unanimous backing for a motion at the
International Transport Workers Federation seafarers section conference calling for a global body to
determine war risk agreements for dangerous areas.

Mr Dickinson told the meeting in Stockholm that

the traditional system of reaching agreements
between unions and employers at a national level had
broken down, and it was time for such important
decisions to be made internationally so that all seafarers were covered.
He said the ITF should enter into discussions with
international shipowner organisations to create a
forum to provide a focal point for discussions about
the threats to seafarers from piracy, armed robbery,
terrorism and warlike operations.
The Unions call came soon after six attempted
attacks were reported by ships in the Gulf of Aden
within the space of just a few days including a case
in which the Singapore-flagged tanker Taiyo II was
hit by rocket propelled grenades fired from pirates in
skiffs.
In another incident, two coalition warships went
to the assistance of a containership that came under

fire from pirates in the same area, forcing the pirates

to abort the attack.
The incidents including some in which pirates
were reported to have attempted to board and possibly hijack ships have prompted a warning from the
UK Maritime Trade Office in Dubai for seafarers to
take additional precautions in the Gulf of Aden, and
report any suspicious activity to the 24-hour
UKMTO hotline: +971 50 552 3215 AND +971 50
552 6007 or to the IMB piracy reporting centre in
Kuala Lumpur.
A special piracy alert was issued by the
International Maritime Bureau last month after five
attacks in the area around Anambas Island, in the
South China Sea. The IMB said pirates in speedboats
armed with guns and long knives had been attacking
vessels and targeting vessels cash and property.
Other recent incidents include a case in which the
livestock carrier Hereford Express was shot at by

pirates in speedboats some 70nm from the port of

General Santos in the Philippines. The ship sustained
serious damage to the bridge, communication equipment and hull, but no crew were injured.
Attacks were also reported last month at Lagos
tanker berth, Nigeria, Pointe Noire anchorage,
Congo, and in the Singapore Straits.
A United Nations agency has appealed for naval
support to protect aid ships from pirates off Somalia.
The World Food Progamme (WFP) warned last
month that as many as 2m people could go hungry if
its delivery vessels were not escorted.
WFP shipments have been protected since last
November, and have not been attacked in that period.
But the agency warned that the escorts would end
when a Dutch frigate completes its tour of duty at the
end of June. Without escorts, our whole maritime
supply route will be threatened, said WFP country
director Peter Goossens.

ITF launches one-stop shop

website for crew members
NAUTILUS UK has welcomed the International Transport Workers
Federation launch last month of a special one-stop shop website for
the worlds seafarers.
The site www.itfseafarers.org offers dedicated news, advice and
support, and has been designed to meet user needs for simplicity
and genuine world reach.
Described as the product of years of planning and eight months
continuous work by a dedicated web team, the site is a direct
response to research by the ITF and seafarers missions that
identified the need for new levels of electronic support for those
working at sea.
The ITF says it believes that the new site is unique offering
seafarers specialist information on their health, pay and safety, and
including features such as:
Crew Talk message boards
advice and help
Ship Look-up tool showing vessel agreements and other
information
Inside the Issues briefing area
interactive polls
trade union contact details
an ITF inspectors blog
Nautilus UK general secretary Brian Orrell commented: This is an
excellent initiative that should do much to keep seafarers in touch
and informed about the issues that matter to them.

And ITF general secretary David Cockroft described the site as: one
of a kind an easy to use, worldwide free service for seafarers designed
to give them exactly what theyve been asking for. Theyve told us and
our friends in the seafarers welfare organisations that they want a
dedicated channel that can be easily accessed from PCs in the
missions and, where possible, at sea. This is it.
From the beginning we specified that the site had to be readable
on the slowest connection and able to offer information, interesting
material and immediate help, where necessary, to people who are
anywhere on the spectrum from absolute beginner to completely
web literate, he added.
ITF seafarers section secretary Steve Cotton said the online
helpline could radically reshape the way the ITF organises on behalf
of the worlds maritime workers.
The site has been launched in English, with Chinese, Russian and
Spanish versions planned soon. It is designed to be intuitive and
offers three different routes to information: by menu, by topic tabs
and by quick links.
Four different types of user were identified in its development,
and it has been designed to offer each of them the same level of
speed and service. They are:
users needing urgent help
first time browsers
users looking for specific information
users on a slow connection who can opt for a text only version

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JULY 2008
Nautilus UK Telegraph
i

Changing the rules

new union
NOTICE was given, in the March 2008 Telegraph, under Rule 27
of the Nautilus UK Rule Book that a Rules General Meeting would
be held at 1100 on Friday 17 October 2008 at Head Office,
750-760 High Road, Leytonstone, London E11 3BB.
Shown below is the change proposed by Council. References
are to the current Rule Book, a copy of which is available to
members from Head Office.
Full members wishing to submit proposals for changes in the
Rules, in addition to those proposed by Council, had to submit
them in writing, signed by at least four full members whose
contributions have been paid up, and reaching the General
Secretary by not later than 1700 hrs on Monday 16 June 2008.
Two such proposals were received and are shown below.
A. COUNCIL PROPOSAL 1. NAME CHANGE

2. REGULATIONS

RULE CHANGE

INTENTION

That Rule 1 be amended by the deletion of Nautilus UK and in

replacement the insertion of Nautilus International, with the
change to come into effect (under the terms of Rule 27.7) at the
close of the 2009 Biennial General Meeting.

To permit the Council to make Regulations under the current Rules,

but as provided for under the new Rules attached to Members
Proposal Number 1 (for example the new Rule 2 (q)), with effect
from Midnight on the Sunday following the October 2008 BGM so
that such Regulations can be in place for the formation of Nautilus
International at the close of the 2009 BGM.

B. MEMBERS PROPOSALS 1. NEW RULE BOOK

INTENTION

The intention is to provide a Rule Book for the new union which
takes into account the democratic structures agreed by members in
both the UK and the Netherlands.
RULE CHANGE

INTENTION

The intention is to change the name of the union to Nautilus

International with effect from the close of the 2009 Biennial

RULE 1 Name of Union, the Head Office and other Offices

The Union shall be called Nautilus International. Its Head Office
shall be at Oceanair House 750760 High Road, Leytonstone,
London E11 3BB or such other place in the United Kingdom as
shall be determined by the Council. All formal communications and
notices to the Union shall be addressed to Head Office. The central
administration of the Union shall be, and the Unions statutory
books of account and records shall be kept, at Head Office.
An office shall be provided in the Netherlands and other offices
may be provided, in locations as determined by the Council.

RULE 2

General Meeting which is the date when it is envisaged that the

new Union, approved by the members of Nautilus UK and Nautilus
NL, will come into existence.

Objects

Delete the current Rule Book in its entirety and replace by the new
Rule Book attached, with the change to come into effect (under

the terms of Rule 27.7) at the close of the 2009 Biennial General
Meeting.

RULE CHANGE ADD A NEW RULE 10.6

The Council shall have the power to issue regulations and amend
these from time to time to take effect from such date as may be
determined and any such regulations shall have the same force as
if they were in the rules.
The new Rules referred to in Members Proposal Number 1 are as
follows:

I) To promote, and participate in, the work of any body, national

or international, charged with or considering the selection control
of entry and training of officers and apprentices for the sea and air
services and for the regulation of their conditions generally;

of general powers under the Rules and any such Regulations shall
have the same force as if they were in the Rules.

J) To provide such legal advice and assistance for members, other

than those referred to in rule 3.1 (ii), at the discretion of, and on such
terms as may be considered appropriate, by the Council;

3.1 Those eligible for membership shall be those persons regularly

engaged or employed as:

K) to participate in such commercial activity whether through the

holding of shares in limited liability companies, including but not
limited to majority shareholdings, or otherwise as the Council
may consider appropriate and for the benefit of the Union or its
membership;

RULE 3

Membership

(i) maritime professionals including shipmasters, officers,

ratings, other seafarers and other staffs engaged in or supporting
the maritime transportation of goods and passengers or other
forms of maritime activity,
(ii) Officials and senior staff, as defined by the Council, employed
by the Union, and

Rules

The Objects of the Union:

A) To promote the highest possible level of safety and security within

the maritime industry for both members and the travelling public
alike;
B) To advise on all commercial, scientific, educational and technical
matters relating to maritime transport;
C) To advance the technical knowledge of members and potential
members and the maritime industry as a whole and to provide
training and learning opportunities;

D) To uphold the interests of members, improve their terms and

conditions, regulate relations with their employers and generally to
assist them;
E) To promote equality for all, including through:

(i) collective bargaining, publicity material and campaigning,

representation, union organisation and structures, education and
training, organising and recruitment, the provision of all other
services and benefits and all other activities;
(ii) the unions own employment practices;

F) Actively to oppose all forms of harassment, prejudice and

unfair discrimination whether on the grounds of sex, race, ethnic
or national origin, religion, colour, class, caring responsibilities,
marital status, sexuality, disability, age, or other status or personal
characteristic;
G) To establish for members superannuation or benefit schemes,
contributory or otherwise, in conjunction with employers or
otherwise;

H) To take all necessary action in the furtherance and observance

of national and international legislation conventions rules
recommendations and regulations as the Council may determine is
in the interests of the maritime industry and those engaged therein;
to include joining or participating in the work or activities of such
national and international bodies or conferences as the Council
may determine for the purpose of influencing such legislation
conventions rules recommendations and regulations;

L) To administer or manage trusts pension funds and residential

establishments for the benefit of members, serving or retired
seafarers, and others connected with the sea or their dependants

M) To employ the funds of the Union, as the Council may deem

desirable for all objects and benefits as provided in these Rules and
regulations made hereunder.

N) To do all such lawful things as are incidental or conducive to

the attainment of the above objects or any of them as the Council
consider to be in the interests of the members or likely directly or
indirectly to benefit the Union or any member of it;

O) For all or any of the above objects the Union by its Council shall
have amongst its powers;

(i) to utilise subscriptions entrance fees income from all sources

and monies invested by the Union and any other funds of the
Union;
(ii) to own purchase or lease mortgage or otherwise deal with
land or property;
(iii) to erect and furnish maintain such buildings as may be
considered necessary or desirable;

(iv) to raise funds by borrowing money on any real or personal

property of the Union or otherwise;

(iii) such other descriptions of persons, including persons

engaged in non-maritime activity, as the Council may from time
to time decide to be eligible.

3.2 There shall be four classes of member: (i) Full member; (ii)
Associate member; (iii) Affiliate member; (iv) Honorary member

3.3 Full membership shall be open to those persons eligible for

membership under Rule 3.1. Admission to membership shall be at
the discretion of the Council.
Full members shall be entitled to services and benefits as
determined by the Council from time to time and which may vary
between groups of Full members. Full members who have not retired
but who become unemployed may continue as Full members for
a period not exceeding 12 months from the date they first become
unemployed and shall on the expiry of that period cease to be Full
members and as a consequence lose all voting rights and eligibility
to stand for or hold elected office. They shall be transferred to either
Associate or Affiliate membership as appropriate.
In the event that a Full member is assigned to the NL Branch and
is eligible to be a member of FNV Waterbouw (FNV-W), for so long as
the Council determine and the rules of FNV-W permit, such a member
shall also become a member of FNV-W and shall remain such until
such time as the member is no longer eligible to remain a member of
FNV-W or terminates membership of the Union.

(v) to establish superannuation or benefit schemes, contributory

or otherwise for officials and employees of the Union;

3.4 Associate membership shall be available only to individuals

who have been Full Members but have ceased to qualify for full
membership. Admission to associate membership shall be at the
discretion of the Council.

(vi) to invest in the names of the trustee all Union monies and
funds in such securities, shares, debentures, mortgages and loans
including commercial and industrial undertakings as the Council
may determine;

3.5 Affiliate membership shall be available to individuals who have

ceased to qualify for full membership having retired from regular
employment. Admission to affiliate membership shall be at the
discretion of the Council.

P) For the purpose of fulfilling any object the Council may establish
such separate fund or funds as may be deemed necessary. When such
funds are established the accounts of such funds shall be separate.
Q) The Council shall have the power to issue Regulations and amend
these from time to time, to give effect to the detailed implementation

3.6 Neither Associate nor Affiliate members shall have any say in the
affairs of the Union whatsoever, other than in the administration of
welfare trust funds, in the Dutch Residual Legal Entity called Nautilus
International or as determined by regulation under Rule 2 (q). They
shall not therefore have the right to attend or speak at any General
Meeting and are both classes all of whom are excluded from standing

ii
Nautilus UK Telegraph
JULY 2008

New rules tabled

new union
as candidates, nominating candidates, or voting in, any elections.
They shall only receive benefits at the discretion of the Council.
3.7 Honorary membership may at the discretion of the Council be
conferred on such persons that the Council may regard as having
rendered outstanding service in the furtherance of the interests of
the Union or its members. Honorary members shall not have any say
in the affairs of the Union whatsoever. They shall not therefore have
the right to attend or speak at any General Meeting and are a class
all of whom are excluded from standing as candidates, nominating
candidates or voting in, any elections. They shall only receive
benefits at the discretion of the Council.
The Council shall, under Rule 2 (q) determine detailed regulations
defining the benefits available to each class of member.
3.8 It shall be the duty of every member to provide the General
Secretary with details of changes of circumstances affecting which
membership class is appropriate to that member.
3.9 All members shall be allocated from time to time to a National
Branch. This allocation shall be determined by the General
Secretary, or other nominated staff acting on behalf of the General
Secretary, on the basis of the country of main residence of the
member or, where this is neither country, by reference to which
Branch is responsible for conducting negotiations with the members
employer and other relevant factors.

RULE 6

Professional Protection

6.1 Should a member be ordered to attend as a party or witness at

an official inquiry in the United Kingdom or the Netherlands the
Union, subject to the discretion of the Council in every case, may,
subject to such terms and conditions as the Council may from time
to time determine arrange for legal representation or advice for
such member and pay their reasonable legal costs not covered by the
State, employer or other person in connection therewith.
6.2 Should a member be ordered to attend as a party a naval court
or other court of inquiry held outside the United Kingdom or the
Netherlands the Union, subject to the discretion of the Council in
every case, may subject to such terms and conditions as the Council
may from time to time determine, and to the extent not covered by
the State, employer or other person, pay the members reasonable
legal costs for legal representation or advice in connection
therewith, provided always that such legal costs shall not exceed an
amount determined by the Council by Regulation under Rule 2(q),
without the authority of the General Secretary.
6.3 At the discretion of the Council, a member may be reimbursed
all or any part of the loss of salary directly arising from the
cancellation or suspension of any certificate or licence issued to them
by a competent or recognised authority, provided that no payment
shall be made in the event that the Council determine that in their
view the cancellation or suspension was as a consequence of a
deliberate wilful act by that member.

8.4 In the event of any subscription not being paid within three
months of the due date the defaulting member shall unless the
Council otherwise determines cease forthwith to be entitled to
any of the benefits or rights due as a member of the Union and be
considered a member no longer in financial benefit for the purposes
of these rules and in the event that the non-payment shall continue
for a further three months the defaulting member shall cease
forthwith to be a member of the Union.
8.5 In the event of a member falling into arrears all payments
subsequently received shall be used first to offset arrears. In the
event of an ex-member applying to rejoin, it shall, unless the Council
otherwise determine, be a condition of rejoining that all arrears, not
exceeding a sum equal to six months subscription be paid.

RULE 9

Trustee

9.1 A corporate body with up to four Directors appointed by the

Council shall be established to act as trustee for the Union. The
Directors of such body shall be entitled to attend and speak in an
advisory capacity only at any Committee of the Council, may submit
a report to the Council on their role as director and shall at the behest
of the Council attend at any Council Meeting to report on the same.
For these purposes they shall be provided with notices of meetings,
agendas and supporting papers of all meetings of the Council and its
committees as if they were members of the Council and its committees.
No salaried employee of the Union shall act as such Director.

Rules

3.10 Neither the Council nor its employees nor its lay representatives
will accept any liability for the consequences of any member acting
upon or failing to act upon any advice or information given by,
nor for any action or omissions of, the Council or its employees or
representatives unless and until a written request for such advice or
action is made on the appropriate form which is available from any
office of the Union.

RULE 4

Admission of Members

4.1 Any application for admission for membership shall be

considered by the General Secretary or by other nominated staff
acting on behalf of the General Secretary. If approved, then upon
payment of the appropriate subscription and/or entrance fee, the
applicant shall be an admitted to membership. If an application
for admission is rejected the General Secretary shall give notice to
the applicant of rejection and of the right of appeal. The General
Secretary shall be entitled to reject any application for membership
on the grounds of the conduct of the applicant, or because of
the applicant's membership or activities of any political party
determined, to the extent permitted by law, by the Council under
regulations determined in accordance with Rule 2 (q) to have objects
contrary to the objects of the union.
4.2 On admission a member shall be sent a membership card as
evidence of membership and a member shall produce the card if
called upon to do so by a duly authorised member of staff or lay
representative or when requesting benefit or service. A member may
request a copy of the rules from Head Office, which shall be provided
free of charge.
4.3 Every person upon being admitted a member of the Union shall
be deemed to have agreed to abide by the rules of the Union.
4.4 Any person whose application for membership has been rejected
may appeal against the decision. The appeal shall be in writing and
must reach the General Secretary not more than 90 days from the
date of the notice of rejection. The Council may at its discretion
either confirm the rejection or decide that the applicant shall be
admitted to membership.
4.5 It shall be the duty of every member to provide the General
Secretary with their name and address as may be required under
legislation to be included in the records of the Union and of any
changes to that information.

RULE 5

6.4 No payments shall be made under Rule 6.1 or 6.2 in the

event that, and from the time that, the Council determine in their
discretion that any cancellation or suspension of a Certificate or
Licence is likely to be as a consequence of a deliberate wilful act by
that member.
6.5 Where the Union has agreed to fund the legal defence costs
payable under Rule 6.1 or 6.2:

(a) they shall be paid for by the Union irrespective of the findings
of any Court of Inquiry,
(b) such funding shall not be taken as an express or implied
agreement on the part of the Union to indemnify the member
in respect of any adverse costs orders made against the member
howsoever arising.

6.6 For the purposes of Rule 6 the word member means a Full
member as defined in Rule 3.3, and the definition of a deliberate
wilful act shall be at the discretion of the Council in every case.

6.7 The Council shall, under Rule 2 (q), determine detailed

regulations for the operation of this Rule but without limiting the
discretion of the Council in each individual case.

RULE 7

9.3 Any three such Directors shall together form any appeals
committee established under regulation for the purpose of Rule 25 and
in that capacity shall have the power and authority in their absolute
discretion to confirm, reverse or amend the decisions of the Council.

9.4 A Director may sign cheques or otherwise authorise the transfer

of monies from the bank accounts of the Union for such amounts
and in such manner as the Council may determine.
9.5 A Director or any of them in signing any cheque or otherwise authorising or delivering or producing or handing over any deeds documents
of title securities or property of the Union authorised and required by
these rules shall be fully indemnified and held harmless. A Director
shall be reimbursed for any expenditure incurred under these rules.

9.6 A Director in fulfilling any duty under the aforesaid rule may call
upon the General Secretary for any explanation or information.

Provident Benefits
RULE 10

The Council shall be entitled to provide such provident benefits as it

may decide by assuring to any person a sum not exceeding 4,000
by way of a gross sum or 825 a year by way of annuity or such
higher levels as may from time to time be authorised under section
467 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 as amended or
under any successor legislation.

RULE 8

Subscriptions

8.1 Each member of the Union shall pay a subscription at such time
and of such amount and currency as the Council may, from time to
time, in its absolute discretion determine.
8.2 The Council may impose, for new members, an entrance fee
and, for those persons rejoining the Union, a re-entrance fee, in
both cases of such amount as the Council may from time to time
determine.

Termination of Membership by a Member

A member of the Union may terminate membership at any time by

giving notice in writing to the General Secretary. Membership shall
terminate three months after the date on which the notice is received
by the Union and the member shall pay all arrears of subscriptions
up to that date. On the termination of membership the member shall
forthwith forfeit all rights, benefits and offices, paid or otherwise.

9.2 The corporate body shall hold or control and take reasonable
measures for the preservation and safe custody of all deeds
documents of title securities and property of the Union and may
use the services of a nominee company or companies for these
purposes. The Directors of such corporate body shall produce such
deeds documents of title securities and property of the Union when
required for inspection by the Auditors or General Secretary or by
Resolution of the Council or Executive Committee.

8.3 On cessation of membership, a member shall not be entitled to

a refund of any part of the subscription or entrance or re-entrance
fee except that, if requested at the same time as giving the notice
of termination of membership under Rule 5, the General Secretary
shall after the effective date of termination refund the balance of any
subscription which has been prepaid and covers the period beyond
the effective date of termination of membership.

Funds

10.1 The funds of the Union shall be paid into such banks or financial
institutions as the Council may from time to time authorise.
10.2 The General Secretary shall cause proper receipts to be given
for all monies received.
10.3 Transfers between accounts and holdings held in the name of
the Union shall be authorised by the General Secretary or such other
staff as specified by the General Secretary.
10.4 Any payments or transfer from an account or holdings held in
the name of the Union to an account or holding in any other name
shall be authorised:

(i) below such figure as decided by the Council, by any two of

the General Secretary and such other staff as specified by the
Council and;
(ii) subject to sub paragraph (iii) below, in any other case by the
General Secretary and an elected member of the Council,
(iii) except that if it exceeds a higher figure specified by the
Council it shall additionally be authorised in writing by a
Director of the Trustee Company referred to in Rule 9.

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10.5 Any financial amounts quoted in these Rules or under
Regulations adopted under Rule 2 (q) in a particular currency will be
converted to other relevant currencies at exchange rates determined
by the General Secretary but based on commercial rates used by
major banks.

RULE 11

Auditor

The accounts of the Union shall be audited each year by a firm of

chartered accountants, qualified to do so under the Trade Union
and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 and any successor
legislation, to which the General Secretary shall cause to be
produced all books and papers necessary for the proper examination
of the Union accounts. Auditors shall be appointed by the Council
on such terms and for such period as the Council shall determine
but may be removed from office only by a resolution adopted by a
General Meeting.

RULE 12

Powers and Composition of the Council

12.1 The absolute control and administration of the affairs and

property of the Union and the furtherance of the objects of the
Union and the provision of all the benefits together with the
necessary power to utilise Union funds and monies shall be vested
in the Council subject only to any direction of the Union given by its
members at a General Meeting convened in accordance with these
rules. The Council may delegate any of its powers to an Executive
Committee that shall be composed solely of members of the Council
and be of such number as the Council shall determine.

the event that a ballot had not been required in the previous election
the selection shall be undertaken using objective criteria laid down
by regulations made by the Council under Rule 2 (q).
14.3 A Scrutineer shall be appointed at each General Meeting and
shall hold office until the next General Meeting. Casual vacancies in
the office of Scrutineer shall be filled by the Council.
14.4 Nothing in these rules will prevent the Council determining
Regulations for the Council and General Secretary elections
permitting electronic voting conducted in accordance with the Trade
Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 and any
successor legislation.
14.5 The Council shall, under Rule 2 (q) determine detailed
regulations for the operation of this Rule.
14.6 For the purposes of Rule 14 and any Regulation made
under Rule 2 (q) an eligible member is a member who is in full
membership as defined in Rule 3.3 and in financial benefit. A
nominee must be an eligible member but shall not be an employee
of the Union.

capacity during his unavoidable absence, his appointee as

a recorder of the meeting or in the event that the General
Secretary has not made such an appointment, the Deputy
General Secretary, if any, or an Assistant General Secretary
appointed by those members of the Council present for this
purpose.
16.5 Voting shall be by a show of hands but the Chair of any Council
meeting may decide that a vote be taken by ballot and shall do so if a
majority of the members present so request.

Rule 17

National Branches and National Committees

17.1 There shall be National Branches to which all members shall

be assigned in accordance with Rule 3.9. Each Branch shall have a
National Committee accountable to the Council.
17.2 The Council shall delegate to each National Committee the authority to deal with policy issues relevant only to the specific Country.
17.3 The NL National Committee shall consist of:

Rules

12.2 (A) The Council shall consist of the General Secretary and a
maximum of 32 and a minimum of 24 places to be filled by elected
Full members of the Union or such smaller numbers as the General
Meeting shall from time to time decide.

12.2 (B) At the first meeting following each election of the Council,
there shall be elected by and from members of the Council, other
than the General Secretary, a Chair of the Council, a Vice-Chair and
a Deputy Vice-Chair.
12.3 The term of office of members of the Council shall be four
years, or as provided for under Rule 14.1 or 14.2 or 22.1 or 22.2. The
composition of the Council shall be decided from time to time by
the Council with a view to providing appropriate representation
between branches, for each category of full members, and for full
membership levels in the National Branches.

12.4 Prior to the commencement of each Council election under

Rule 14 the Council shall determine the number and composition of
the Council under Rules 12.2 (a) and 12.3.
12.5 The Council shall have power and authority to construe the
rules and to determine on all matters where the rules are silent. Any
such construction or determination by the Council shall be binding
upon all members and shall remain in operation unless reversed by
the Council or by the members in General Meeting.
12.6 The Council may, under Rule 2 (q) determine detailed
regulations for the operation of this Rule.

RULE 13

Submission of Questions to Members

Without prejudice to the powers vested in the Council under these

rules the Council may submit any matter or question to the vote of
the members of the Union. The vote shall be taken in such manner
and of such members as the Council shall determine.

RULE 14

RULE 15

Cessation of Membership of the Council

(a) ex officio the General Secretary and the Council members

elected to represent members in the Netherlands;

15.1 Should a member of the Council be suspended or expelled from

membership of the Union that members membership of the Council
shall terminate forthwith.

(b) five full members of the Advisory Committee and three

members of Executive Board representing members in the
Netherlands elected by members of the NL Branch; and

15.2 Should a member of the Council become engaged or employed in

a category other than that which s/he was elected to represent then:

(c) up to three senior staff appointed by the Executive Board.

17.4 The UK National Committee shall consist of:

a. either there shall be an election to replace that member in the

next following two yearly election and the member shall cease
to be a member of the Council at the Declaration Date of that
election; or

(a) ex officio the General Secretary and the Council members

elected to represent members in the UK; and
(b) up to five senior staff appointed by the General Secretary.

b. if earlier, the member shall cease to be a member of the

Council on the expiry of 12 months from such engagement or
employment or, if earlier, at the end of the period for which the
member was elected.

15.3 Should a member of the Council fail to attend any meetings of

the Council for a period of 12 months without giving the Council a
satisfactory explanation, the Council may terminate the membership
thereof after previously notifying the member at the address
appearing in the records of the Union of its intention to terminate
the membership.

RULE 16

Meetings of the Council

16.1 Meetings of the Council shall be held as required and may be

called by either

(a) resolution of the Council or

(b) the General Secretary when deemed by the General
Secretary expedient to do so, or
(c) on a notice in writing to the General Secretary signed by not
less than eight members of the Council stating the business to be
considered.
16.2 The General Secretary shall convene all Council Meetings by
communication in writing and, except for business deemed urgent
by the General Secretary, not less than seven days notice thereof
shall be given to the members of the Council.

17.5 Further provision regarding the National Committees,

including the power to establish further such Committees, and the
Advisory Committee including the Standing Orders and the quorum
for meetings shall be provided for in regulations determined by the
Council under Rule 2 (q).

Rule 18.

Nautilus NL

All members of the NL Branch shall also be members of the Dutch

Residual Legal Entity called Nautilus International (RLE) on such
terms as may from time to time be agreed between the Council and
the RLE.

RULE 19

General Meetings

19.1 Any General Meeting shall consist of a maximum of 200 Full

members or such smaller number, as the General Meeting shall from
time to time decide. The composition of any General Meeting shall
be determined from time to time by the Council in such a manner
as to provide appropriate representation between branches and for
each category of members. Prior to notice being given of a General
Meeting under Rule 19.2 or a Special General Meeting under Rule
20.2 or a Rules General Meeting under Rule 27.2 the Council shall
determine the composition and numbers in each category including
by reference to membership levels in the NL and UK Branches.
19.2 A General Meeting shall be held in 2011 and every fourth year
thereafter at such time and place as the Council may determine and
to which only Full members shall be eligible to attend.

Election of the Council

14.1 Elections shall be held every two years with a Declaration Date
determined by the Council. Where possible half of the places in each
category on the Council shall be subject to election on each occasion.
The places to be the subject of each election shall be determined by
the Council to achieve these principles and also to provide for any
changes in the numbers and composition under Rule 12.3.

16.3 The business shall be decided by a majority of the Council

present and voting. The Chair of any Council meeting shall upon
equality of votes have a second and casting vote.
16.4 The Council shall not have power to determine on any business
unless there be present:

19.3 Any resolution carried at a General Meeting shall be binding on

the Council.
19.4 The Council shall, under Rule 2 (q) determine detailed
regulations for the operation of this Rule.

RULE 20

Special General Meeting

a. a quorum of one-quarter of the elected members plus

14.2 To provide for such a change in composition or numbers the
Council may reduce the term of office of a Member or Members in
any category providing that the Member or Members so selected
shall be the successful candidate or candidates receiving the lowest
number of votes in the relevant category in the previous election. In

b. either the Chair, Vice-Chair or Deputy Vice-Chair of the

Council, plus
c. the General Secretary, or in a non-voting, non-advisory

20.1 A Special General Meeting may be called for the purpose of

considering any specified recommendation either by resolution
of the Council or at the request in writing of not less than
200 Full members of the Union setting forth the terms of the
recommendation for consideration.

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20.2 Notice of a Special General Meeting shall be given at least
30 days beforehand by circular posted to the Full members or by
publication in the Telegraph or any other official journal of the
Union and circulated to Full members. Such notice shall state the
nature of the business to be transacted thereat.

RULE 21

Procedure at Meetings

21.1 The Chair of the Council, or failing him the Vice-Chair, or failing
him the Deputy Vice-Chair, shall take the chair at every General
Meeting of the Union or the Council or Executive Committee
meetings. Every voting member present at any meeting shall have
one vote; except that the chair shall have a casting and second, vote.
Voting shall be by ballot or show of hands at the Chairs discretion
except that, a ballot must be held where a majority of the meeting
so resolves. Every member attending may be called upon to produce
his membership card and failure to produce such card may at the
discretion of the Chair cause the member to forfeit the right to vote.
21.2 Minutes, in such form as may from time to time be decided by
the Council, of all proceedings of General Meetings of the Union
and of meetings of the Council and its Committees and the results of
all ballots shall be entered in a book or books kept for that purpose.
Minutes entered in any such book or books when signed by the Chair
of the next succeeding meeting shall be evidence of the proceedings.

22.8 The Council shall, under Rule 2 (q) determine detailed

regulations for the operation of this Rule.

(i) resolution of the Council for the purpose only of considering

a rule amendment proposed by the Council or,

RULE 23

(ii) by notice in writing to the General Secretary signed by not

less than 200 Full members and setting forth the proposed rule
change(s), in which case a Rules General Meeting shall be called
within 6 months of the receipt of such notice by the General
Secretary.

Officers and Officials

23.1 The Officers of the Union shall be the Chair, Vice-Chair, Deputy
Vice-Chair of the Council and the General Secretary. They shall be
elected and removed from office in accordance with the provisions of
these rules and their powers and duties shall be as specified therein.
23.2 Officials of the Union who are not Officers shall be appointed
by the Council and shall hold office at the pleasure of the Council.
Their powers shall be determined by the Council and their duties
shall be determined by the General Secretary.

RULE 24

Industrial Action

Only the General Secretary, any Deputy General Secretary or any

Assistant General Secretary shall have the power to give instructions
to members of the Union to take industrial action. Other Officials
and members shall not have the power to give instructions to
members of the Union to take industrial action.

27.3 Any proposals for change adopted by a Rules General Meeting

shall come into effect at 2400 on the Sunday following the date
of the Rules General Meeting, unless otherwise specified in the
proposal.
27.4 The Council shall, under Rule 2 (q) determine detailed
regulations for the operation of this Rule.

RULE 28

Notices

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein contained, any

notice required to be given under these rules shall be deemed to
have been duly given if such notice be set out in an official journal
of the Union, or sent by email to the last known email address of
the member or posted on the website of the union provided
always that:

Rules

21.3 The declaration made by chair at any General Meeting that a

resolution proposed at the meeting has been carried or lost shall be
conclusive.

RULE 22

General Secretary

22.1 The General Secretary shall hold office for a period of four
years, or as laid down in Rule 22.2 unless the employment is
terminated for whatever reason in accordance with the contract of
employment, in which case the term of office shall terminate on the
date of termination of the employment. The terms and conditions of
employment of the General Secretary as an employee of the Union
shall be determined by the Council.

22.2 In the event of the General Secretary having reached normal

retirement age for the post, the term of office shall cease at the end
of the period for which the General Secretary was elected, or within
three months of the next Council or the Declaration Date for the
General Secretary election following his reaching normal retirement
age, whichever is the earlier. For the purposes of this Rule the
normal retirement age shall be 65.

22.3 The General Secretary shall be the Chief Executive of the

Union under the direction of the Council and in that capacity
shall attend regularly at the Head Office of the Union and shall be
responsible to the Council for the general administration of the
union, the conduct of negotiations and the supervision of other
offices. The General Secretary shall also cause to be kept proper
books of accounts and shall when called upon to do so give the
Council such financial statements and explanations as it may require.
22.4 The General Secretary shall be responsible for the giving of
such notices as may be required by these Rules; shall prepare the
agenda for and attend the Council and General Meetings; and shall
cause to be kept Minutes of proceedings of such meetings.

RULE 25

25.1 The Council or the Executive Committee if so authorised by

the Council shall have the right to expel or suspend from the Union
any member who in the opinion of the Council or of the Executive
Committee has (a) acted in breach of these rules or prejudicially to
the interests and objects of the Union or (b) has behaved in such
a manner as to render his further membership detrimental to the
interests of the Union or its members or (c) participated in the
activities of a political party determined by the Council, to the extent
permitted by law, under regulation to have objects contrary to the
objects of the union .

22.6 In the event of either the death of the General Secretary while in
office or circumstances in which the General Secretary is unable to delegate authority, the duties and responsibilities of Chief Executive of the
union shall devolve upon the Deputy General Secretary, if any, or upon
one of the Assistant General Secretaries appointed by the Council who
shall exercise all the powers conferred upon the Chief Executive in Rule
22.3 until a successor is elected. The duties of the General Secretary,
set out in Rules 16.2 and 22.4, shall for the same period devolve jointly
upon the Vice-Chair and Deputy Vice-Chair of the Council.
22.7 In the event of any serious breach of the Rules or an act of gross
misconduct, the General Secretary may be removed from Office if so
determined by at least 75% present and voting of the whole Council.

(a) every ballot paper circular or notice required by the rules to

be sent to any member shall be sent to the member by prepaid
letter in the ordinary course of post addressed to the member
at the address appearing in the records of the Union;
(b) any accidental or inadvertent omission to send or any
failure to receive any ballot paper circular or notice shall not
invalidate any ballot or meeting.

RULE 29

Dissolution

25.2 The Council, on information supplied or obtained from any

source, may instruct the General Secretary to cause inquiries to
be made within the provisions of this rule as to the conduct of a
member or members with a view to the Council considering the
expulsion or suspensions of such member or members.

29.1 Notwithstanding the provisions of Rule 20, the Union may

be dissolved only by the consent of five sixths of the Full members
present and voting at a Special General Meeting duly convened by
the Council for the purpose.

25.3 If the Council or Executive Committee decides to expel or

suspend a member such expulsion or suspension shall be operative
from the time notice of the expulsion or suspension is posted by
registered post to the member concerned.

29.2 Upon the dissolution of the Union, its assets shall be realised
and its debts and liabilities satisfied and any balance available shall
be divided equally amongst the Full members in benefit at the date
of the resolution for dissolution.

25.4 Any member expelled from the Union shall forthwith forfeit all
rights benefits and offices, paid or otherwise, and, notwithstanding
Rule 8.3, shall have no right to the return of any subscriptions
and/or entrance fee. The Council may, or if directed by the appeals
committee shall, reinstate such rights.

RULE 30

25.5 A member on suspension shall forfeit all rights benefits

and offices, paid or otherwise, but the Council may in its absolute
discretion reinstate such rights on hearing any appeal made by the
member or members.
25.6 The Council shall, under Rule 2 (q) determine detailed
regulations for the operation of this Rule.

RULE 26
22.5 In the event that the General Secretary is absent from the
duties of the post through illness or any other cause for a period of 12
consecutive months, the Council may terminate the General Secretarys
tenure of the office and if so shall proceed in accordance with the
provisions of Regulations determined by the Council under Rule 2 (q).

Expulsion and Suspension of Members

A) Official shall mean:

(i) Any member elected by a group of members to represent

them under arrangements expressly approved by the Council or
contained within these Rules; and
(ii) any employee or member of the Union who has been
appointed to represent members by the Council by way of a
Resolution individually naming the employee.

An employee who has been appointed other than by way of such a

Resolution of the Council shall not be an official of the Union.

Complaints by Members

26.1 Any member of the Union who wishes to complain that there
has been a breach of rules may make a complaint. The provisions
of this Rule shall not apply to members who are employees of
the Union in respect of actions taken under any Disciplinary or
Grievance Procedures of the Union.
26.2 The Council shall, under Rule 2 (q) determine detailed
regulations for the operation of this Rule.

B) Number and Gender: Words importing the singular number

include the plural number and vice versa. In these rules the
expressions member, officer, applicant for admission and person
are understood to refer equally to men and to women.
C) In these rules the expressions maritime industry and maritime
transport and similar are understood to include reference to Inland
Navigation.

RULE 31
RULE 27

Definitions

Jurisdiction

Rule Changes

27.1 The power to make, alter or revoke any rule of the Union shall
be vested only in a Rules General Meeting, which shall be convened
in accordance with the following provisions.
27.2 A Rules General Meeting shall be held concurrent with the
General Meeting in every fourth year, commencing with the General
Meeting held in 2011, and may be called at other times either by:

The Rules of the union shall be interpreted in accordance with, and

be governed by, the laws of England.

Rule 32

Transitional Rule

The Protocol entered into on 2 October 2007 between Nautilus UK

and Nautilus NL shall have effect until determined otherwise or
amended by the Council under the terms of the Protocol.