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EIGHT BELLS DECEMBER 2013 COMPANY OF MASTER MARINERS OF SRI LANKA SPECIAL YEAR END ISSUE

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EIGHT BELLS

DECEMBER 2013 – SPECIAL YEAR END ISSUE

JOURNAL OF THE COMPANY OF MASTER MARINERS OF SRI LANKA

CMM AGM 2013

CMM CALENDER

Bi-monthly Seminar *

Annual Cricket match Vs IMarET/SOCHEM

Fellowship * * Final confirmation and further details will be announced separately by the Secretary

*All Members are invited to encourage

All members are invited to encourage contributions from prospective “Guest” writers known to them, which contributions will be included, subject to value addition and availability of space in the

journal.

In this issue

People and Events

President’s message From the Editor Secretary’s Report AGM

2013 Bi monthly meetings NI corner Members contributions Need for New Maritime

Regulatory Structure Forty below part 2 Port & Shipping News Only for the Cricket crazy

CMM regains the Trophy For CMM parents and their

kids One for the road


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PEOPLE AND EVENTS

We wish calm seas and safe voyages to the following members who signed on recently: Capt.’s Patrick Rodrigo, Vijith Dias, Chandana Perera, Daminda Samaranayake, Vimarshana Vidanagamage, Thusitha Buddhadasa, Indika Palamakumbura, Sunny Wijesinghe,

Nalaka Wijewardane, DNI Samarasinghe, Dinuk Mendis, Chandana Samarasinghe, Prasanna Fonseka, Mahesh Kuruppu, Prawala Perera, Nishantha Hettiarachchi, Roshan Fernando and Chaminda Jayamini. And a warm welcome back to the following who have returned from sea on vacation: Capt.’s N. Jeyasriskandharaja, Roshan Perera, Palitha Vithana, Harsha Perera, Anil Mudalige, Yasas Sanjeewa, Sanjeewa Usgodaarachchi, Priyantha de Silva, Ajith Maldeniya, PA Gordon, Nishantha Jayakody, Jayantha Aluvihare, Sujeewa Dassanayake, Mangala Ranamuni, Rohan de Alwis, Ajith Liyanage, Nicholas Jesudas and Ajith Herath. Overseas members who visited Sri Lanka recently were Capt.’s Sam Jebananthan, Shanthilal Jayamanne, Rohitha Halangoda, Sardha de Silva, Darrel Silva, Kushlan Athuraliya, Samantha Walpola, Asitha Wijesekera and Hiranya Sagarachandra. Members who were awarded life memberships at the 21

st

AGM in 2012 are Capt.’s Darryl Rosairo, Robin Perera, Mangala Herath, Uditha Karunathilake, Nishantha Jayakody, Mangala Ranamuni, Gayan Gunawardane, S. Manivannan, Ranjith Kumarasiri, Ajith Herath, Nishantha Hettiarachchi, Nicholas, Jesudas, Chaminda Rajapakse, Yasas Sanjeewa, J.V.U.K. Jayalath, Prince Seneviratne, N. Kalainesan, M.M. Hemasiri, T.D.H.V. de Alwis, C.Y. Jegarajasingham and K.L.K. Silva. Members who were awarded life memberships at the 22

nd

AGM held at Galadari Hotel on 29th June 2013. Capt.’s

Prasanna Sedrick, Chandana Perera, Samidhdhi Dias, Premal Fernando, Upul Peiris, Nihal Dassanayake, HA Pushpakumara, Chandana Medagedara, Tony Lansakara, Simon Rasiah, Senaka Hemamal, Vadivelu Kaneendran, Vimarshana Vidanagamage and WA Gunawardane. CMM SL extends a warm welcome to the following new members who joined during the year 2013 - Capt’s. Prasanna Fonseka, Samantha Bandara, B.C. de S Sapukotana, Suren Gurusinghe, Suranga Pathirana, Udayanjana Ranatunga, Sugath de Silva, Hemantha Madanayake, Niroshan Dassanayake, Indika Palamakumbura and Tiron Coonghe. We wish good luck to the following CMM members who have shifted their anchorages and taken up assignments ashore or shifted berth to other companies since the last issue. Capt. Kolitha Gunawardena joined Sri Lanka Shipping Company, Capt. Nalin Peiris started on his own, Capt.

Joseph Ranchigoda took up duties as COO of Ceyline Shipping Ltd. And Ceyline Travels Ltd., Capt. Harendra Perera joined CINEC and Marine Survey and Technology Services of the Ceyline group, Capt. Ranjith Perera took up appointment as Director of the Maritime Training Centre in Seychelles on a project of CINEC Maritime Campus, Capt. Rohan Kaluaratchie took up duties as Operations Manager, MPV Division of Safmarine Container Lines N.V and is based in Antwerp, Capt. Darryl Rosairo is Examiner of Masters and Mates & Port Marine Surveyor in the Maritime Operations (South) Division and is based in Melbourne, With a few Pilots retiring after long years of service and piloting maybe 30,000 ships or more, we wish the new Pilots who are all CMM Members many years of safe piloting and a happy workplace directly connected to the ships and sea. The new Pilots are Capt.’s Nandika Peiris, Ajith Herath, Sampath Athukorale, Uditha Karunathilake and Sriyantha Arampath.

Member Achievements Dr. Capt. Nalaka Jayakody who was awarded visiting Professor status by the Dalian Maritime University also received Fellow status of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (U.K.) and Capt. D.J. Amarasuriya received Fellow status of the Nautical Institute (U.K.). Since we have not received any news of the academic achievements of our younger members, the following received from Capt. Chandra Godakanda Arachchi is a good eye opener for them to follow with regard to his batch (Lanka Kalyani – November 1975 batch) who won three Gold Medals in India. Capt. Nalin Peiris Second Mates (1980), Capt. Chandra Godakanda Arachchi Chief Mates (1982) and Capt. Rohan Kaluaratchie Masters in 1984. Coincidentally, all three did all the CoC examinations at the same time - Second Mates in 1980, Mates in 1982 and Masters in 1984. # Members are invited to bring to the notice of the Editor, any special achievements of our Members and their organizations to be included in the 8 Bells.

The new CMM website is operational and steered by CMM Secretary Capt. Sopaka Karunasundara. The new website was initiated and coordinated by CMM President Capt. Joe Ranchigoda until it was made live and accessible to our members. We all have to accept that it is a tough task to maintain in an updated status, so Members are kindly requested to log on to www.cmmsrilanka.lk and send in their feedback on-line. Kindly email your suggestions for improvement, additions, photographs of past and present events, and information updates as a matter of priority, direct to Capt. Sopaka. Please also send in any changes to your personal data. Meanwhile, we trust that all Members have received their much awaited CMM 2014 Diary which has been distributed. Please contact our energetic Vice President Capt. Nirmal Silva, who handles the diary matters virtually single-handedly, if you have not yet received your copy.

http://www.cmmsrilanka.lk/


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The CMM Membership stands at 241 with the following breakdown: 157 Life members, 56 pending Life members (on completion of 5 years) and 28 paid up annual members.

Since the CMM is a member of the OPA, members who wish to join the OPA as an "OPA Centre Member" can apply for life membership to use the OPA facilities. An application has to be made to the OPA through the CMM. Kindly note the only educational and professional qualification which is required from CMM Members, and which should be stated in the OPA application, is “Master

Mariner”. Please contact CMM Secretary for further details.

A new design CMM tie and an attractive new cap are the latest additions to CMM Member items, of which the price list is as follows: Tee-shirts (L & XL) Rs. 750; Tie Rs.

1000; Cap Rs. 250; Jacket Lapel Rs. 500. For purchases, please contact Capt. Rohith Fernando at No. 14, Collingwood Place, Wellawatte, Colombo 06. Phone - Residence 2588171 and Mobile 0777 543 444 email: [email protected]

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

CMM OFFICIALS & COMMITTEE

2013- 2014

Ashore Ravi Rohan, Gajaba, Gayan, Nandika SAILING Uditha Chandana Sri Nishantha Daminda Members are reminded that any views expressed by contributors to the “8 Bells” are strictly their personal views and do not reflect the views of the CMM. Any articles, suggestions, criticisms, comments etc., can be sent to [email protected] and will be duly acknowledged.

All members are encouraged to attend the bi-monthly meetings and meet CMM colleagues in fellowship. Announcements are circulated by email to the general membership.

From the Editor Finally, another edition of 8 Bells has come…with great difficulty in the making. Much water has flown under the bridge and over a year and an editor has passed without any of the 8 Bells ringing tones heard….and we can say better late than never! It certainly took some time and effort to get the rust off and the system oiled to complete this edition. This time in an electronic version as it was decided by the Council that the effort, time, physical labour and the cost of air mailing and delivery locally, can be avoided by simply getting the 8 Bells out on our website. It gets the issue out quicker and also gets our members used to logging into the new CMM website which is what is really needed as a matter of priority. Whilst wishing all our members a happy and Peaceful New Year, I would like to thank the regular contributors specially Capt. Mehran Wahid, Capt. Ranjith Weerasinghe and Capt. Chandra Godakanda Arachchi for their absolute support to make each edition possible. Capt. D.J. Amarasuriya

Editor

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Capt. Joseph Ranchigoda President

President’s

Message in full is

on next page

VP. Nirmal, Pres; Ranchi, VP. Ranjith

Editor. DJ Sec. Sopaka Tr.Palitha

A.Tr. Rohith ASec Kolitha

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


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THE CMM PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE AT THE AGM 2013/14

The other day somebody asked me what is the difference between a ship’s captain and a master mariner. I had to think a little and then I realized they complement each other. A ship’s captain needs not to be a master mariner, but master mariner will eventually be a ship’s captain. So it is the differentiation and the divide between the big boys and small boys. So I said to this gentlemen it’s like you have boats and ships, so there is a demarcation between the two in boats you will have captains, but in a boat you won’t have a master mariner. A Master Mariner takes many years to get that certificate. He has to go to sea and put in so hours on the navigation bridge, so becoming a captain on a ship is not a very difficult task. But to become a master mariner is a difficult task. And it is a process that takes about 10 years. So this is the answer I gave some of the gentlemen at OPA who are slowly getting to know what our profession is. As the secretary has already inform you our membership stands at 234 which is quite a sizable number of master mariners in this association. Recapping last year’s events, fortunately due to SOCHEM AGM most of the engineers are missing from this forum today. So we can without embarrassing them I think praise our tail today. The cricket festival between masters and engineers basically all matches we won hands down. Unfortunately due to the late hours of the evening the ladies were not present so that was the only match we had to concede to them as a walkover. This year in this cricket encounter between engineers and the masters all records were broken, while Captain Nandika Peiris scored 143 runs single handed. I don’t think that this record will be broken for many years to come, and we hope that will not be. The Christmas party also went of quite well and was well attended. Then we had a felicitation of Captain Vimarshana Vidanagamage at the OPA which were basically a joint seminar where the OPA members are gradually getting to know what the maritime profession is, because in Sri Lanka most people think that shipping is loading and unloading containers. Beyond that there does not seem to be much scope, and quite correctly our Vice President once said that there is a big scope for maritime industry which unfortunately still we have not explored. As far as the web site is concerned I think we need to address that issue more professionally this year and get it back on track. There are a few short comings that need to be addressed immediately. Unfortunately the 8 Bells did a bit of a nose dive with the exit of Captain DJ, but I presume that he will be coming back to assist us this year and we will get it back on the road, as somebody said get the show back on the road. Gentlemen I would like to add this point stress to you that the Editor of 8 Bells is

suppose to edit, he is not a writer or a reporter, and it is the membership who are the reporters. So if you don’t report anything the editor has nothing to edit. Just imagine a newspaper where all the reporters are sent home for one week, the Editor will have no work. I hope you gentlemen will pass on the messages to your colleagues to please assist in reviewing the 8 bells and give the chance to editor to edit something at least. There are few observations I have made I have found that the participation at the Dance, at the Fun Rallies and most of these events are generally dwindling in numbers. There is a general forum that we have a email that goes out to everybody, so please send your suggestions, the council is here to execute your decisions, please send your suggestions and ideas across to the secretary and the council will do the their best to accommodate them, while keeping in mind that the CMM is not the maritime policeman. Neither is it the ombudsman for commercial disputes between maritime entities. Keeping those two in your mind you are most welcome to send in anything. Now we come to a place where I will be failing miserably in my obligation if I do not make a special mention of Captain Rohith Fernando. He happens to be the Assistant Treasurer but he has functioned in various other capacities and what you see today was spear headed by him. So much so I am made to understand that his lovely wife has put sanctions on him, that if he continues in this manner doing work outside the scope of Assistant Treasurer he will be in dire straits in the year 2014. Coming back to the OPA we had quite a bumpy ride trying to get a Maritime Category slotted in to the OPA list of categories, and our Vice President Captain Ranjith Weerasinghe had been very vociferous there and basically bulldozed his way through and made it happen, that finally OPA has accepted a category called Maritime Profession. So on the last day at the finale unfortunately he was not present and he passed on the baton to me although I have not been following this to great depths in the last 2 or 3 years but I managed to berth the ship without the pilot. All they asked: would we have objections to other people in the maritime fraternity joining under this umbrella on maritime. I say we have no objections for such things, because all the organizations inside the OPA are professional organizations. They have equal or more superior qualification to us. So I do not think that should be an issue. More people under one category have more strength. Now they have finally accepted it and it will be included in their constitution and let’s hope for the best. Thank you very much gentlemen I conclude my message to you.

January 2014 President’s Update. It is with great pleasure that I take note that the 8 Bells Magazine has finally gone digital. The efforts of many years bore fruit at the Organization of Professional Associations, in them accepting a Category named “Maritime” in which the Company of Master Mariners is enrolled. This gives us a proper category which denotes our profession and trade. Representatives from the CMM of SL now sit on the Committee that recommends Annual Budget Allocations for the Ministry of Shipping, Merchant Shipping Divisions. The creation of a “Maritime Hub” is in the discussion stage with the DGMS, Sri Lanka Navy, Nautical Institute, CMM of SL, and the other commercial stake holders participating in regular meetings. The progress made so far is considered very encouraging by most of the participants. These discussions will culminate with the creation of a Maritime Council or Authority of Sri Lanka. I hope the above would satisfy all the members’ appetite to be recognized in the halls of power.


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The 22

nd Annual

General meeting was held at the Galadari Hotel Colombo 1800 Hrs Saturday 29th June 2013. This was one of the most successful AGMs of the Company of

Master Mariners, considering the ambiance, decor and the number of participants. Almost the entire executive committee remained from 2012, to continue the voyage on CMM’s charted course to successfully deliver the goods until the next AGM in 2014. Once the formality of the AGM was concluded, the spouses of members(who had another programme by way of a cookery demonstration) walked in. Immediately after, the Chief Guest for the occasion Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy arrived with the surprise Guest of Honour Mr. Victor Peiris, the former Marine Manager of CSC. Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage was invited to speak about ‘Making a mission of a vision to make Sri Lanka a Maritime hub’. The seasoned mariners curiously waited to hear what the Vice Admiral had to say on commercial maritime matters. To his credit, the Vice Admiral managed very admirably! It was most inspirational and with a serious purpose of intent that CMM obtained a written copy of his speech to include in this edition. Considering that the President of the country has given a big responsibility to the CofN to get maritime matters moving, and that Vice Admiral Colombage was subsequently appointed as Chairman of CSC, it is even more important from CMM’s point of view to join in this ambitious maritime venture. Mr. Victor Peiris spoke on his days with the Ceylon Shipping Corporation (CSC), from the time he was attached to the Sri Lanka Embassy in New Delhi and the late Mr. P.B. Karandawela, a visionary in his time, invited him to join the CSC. His speech stirred up a lot of nostalgic memories for a lot of the Senior Members who cut their teeth with CSC in the early seventies. Predictably, his presence left a trail of many people being reminded of the long gone "Glorious Days of CSC".

The assembly sat down to dinner to be thoroughly entertained by a duo of popular local entertainers providing classic comic relief. It was a witty gig based on maritime jargon and current affairs. Towards the end of the evening, the last of the "spirited" Master Mariners were seen unwinding and gyrating to good music. The next activity for CMM was a workshop on the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006, the purpose being to make CMM and the shipping community aware of the MLC and its implementation; its effect on the employment of Sri Lankan seafarers and manning agencies and the responsibilities of the Administration. This workshop attracted a full house at the OPA. The panel consisted of Capt. Rohan Codipilly (shipmanagement and manning), Capt. Ravi Jayaratne (flag state auditor), Capt. Taraka Telwatte (maritime administration) and Chief Engineer/ Surveyor Mr. Saman Kumarasinghe (Class / MLC Auditor). After a detailed introduction and explanation on the MLC, the session was opened to questions from the floor. The participation was so enthusiastic that some areas of interpretation were even debated amongst the panelists. The general acceptance by all attended was that MLC is a welcome change to benefit the seafarer and should have been implemented years ago. The workshop was followed by a fellowship at the beer garden and dinner. The final activity for the Year was the joint Christmas Party with the Chief Engineers held at the Orient Club. This too was a huge success with a record participation, mostly from the engineers. There are plans for another activity filled year in 2014 where, along with the bi-monthly meetings, professional seminars and workshops, there would be a visit to the new Colombo South Port, Fun Rally and Cricket Matches. The new web portal of CMM is also ready and will be launched soon at a given auspicious time!. There is also a plan to issue all members with a photo identity card. CMM wishes members and all their loved ones, the very best for 2014. Sopaka Karunasundera Secretary, Company of Master Mariners of Sri Lanka.

At the AGM 2013, the following Office Bearers were elected for 2013/4.

Office Bearers President : Capt. Joseph Ranchigoda Vice President : Capt. Nirmal Silva Vice President : Capt. Ranjith Weerasinghe Secretary : Capt. Sopaka Karunasundera Asst Secretary : Capt. Kolitha Gunawardena Treasurer : Capt. Palitha De Lanerolle Asst Treasurer : Capt. Rohith Fernando Editor : Capt. D.J. Amarasuriya

Representative Members Ashore - Capt. Ravi Jayaratne Capt. Rohan Codipilly Capt. Gayan Gunawardena Capt. Gajaba Sirimanne Capt. Nandika Peiris Sailing – Capt. Nishantha Jayakody Capt. Uditha Karunathilake Capt. Chandana Perera Capt. Daminda Samaranayake Capt. N. Jeyasriskandarajah

The Secretary’s Report and AGM 2013


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Felicitation of Capt .Vimarshana Vidanagamage - at OPA

CMM SEMINAR ON MLC 2006

AGM 2013 MAIN ORGANIZER

CAPT ROHITH FERNANDO


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Further to what was suggested in the last issue of 8 Bells by Capt. Ranjit Weerasinghe calling for a major revamp in the Maritime Administration, we have more matters suggested through the CMM of which a few selected members are now having meetings with the administration and the representatives of GOSL. The matters suggested for review are as follows.

NEED FOR NEW MARITIME REGULATORY STRUCTURE AS A PARADIGM SHIFT Preamble; Formation of Ceylon shipping Corporation in early seventies remains to date as the most significant landmark in the recent Maritime history of Sri Lanka. In facilitating the same, the Merchant Shipping Act 52 of 1971 (perhaps hurriedly enacted then) remains the central piece of legislation in the Industry to-date which at best can be described as archaic. In late seventies and early eighties saw the country entering into containerization and the conspicuous land mark of dawning that era was the Jaya Container Terminal. Co-incidentally, a new legislative enactment in the form of Sri Lanka Ports Authority Act 1979 was the premise upon that development took place. Historically, every major alteration of course of history in the Maritime Sector of this country has had a waypoint mark of new legislations to encourage and pursue the required new course towards development. In today’s context when the country is making all efforts ship shape to become the Maritime Hub of this region, it is natural that we see the need for such a legislative backing to go forward. Since passing the aforesaid major lank marks we also have had other relatively smaller but important versions of changes which were not backed up by proper dedicated regulatory structures. Prime example is Liberalized Bunkering; supposed to be one of the major maritime activities but not handled by a Maritime authority.

1. CHANGES PROPOSED In today’s context, not only the regulatory structure based on Merchant Shipping Act is inadequate, but also the Directorate of Merchant Shipping itself is poorly provided and lacks professional resources to manage its own affairs that bring revenue, to regulate a maritime industry which earns considerable foreign exchange and to facilitate further development of the industry. We have discussed at many other forums the need for changes in Regulatory structure to encompass three major areas of the industry which are hitherto not adequately covered by existing Act and regulations therein; They are,

. 1 SHIP OPERATIONS (INTERNATIONAL & COASTAL TRADING)

. 2 COMMERCIAL SHIPPING

. 3 MARITIME AFFAIRS

. 1 SHIP OPERATIONS (INTERNATIONAL AND COASTAL TRADING)

I. Coastal Trading Vessels; There are no dedicated Coastal Ships

Regulations in the country other than the Boats

Ordinance. Thus Provisions of international

conventions are being implemented on coastal

ships, which results in higher costs for the

operators. Most countries have dedicated

regulations for coastal vessels from smallest boat

to largest coastal vessel.

II. Boat operations Any Coastal vessel (be it a boat or any type of

vessel) operations in the Sri Lankan Coast has

been governed only by the archaic ordinances

given below,

i. Master Attendants Ordinance of 1865

ii. Boat Ordinance of 1900 iii. Launches Ordinance 1907

Although they are archaic, above ordinances are still the only applicable regulations for licensing of commercial vessels to be used in Sri Lankan Coastal Waters and in our ports. But whilst the need for dedicated coastal vessel rules are yet to be met, the incorrect and ad-hoc use of current Merchant Shipping Rules for them causes confusion and undue costs

III. International Trading Vessels Most importantly, Sri Lanka does not have adequate own regulations to deal with internationally trading vessels either, but partly uses provisions of international conventions even without having given legal effect to them by own legislations of the country. While doing so, it very often does not distinguish between coastal ships and international trading ships so that undue burden is placed on coastal ships.

IV. Regulatory Functions

a. Sri Lankan Ship Registration under “National

Registry” b. Foreign Ships Registration under “Flag of

Opportunity” c. Coastal Ships and Boats Registration under “Sri

Lanka Coastal Registry” d. Coastal Vessel Categories & Govt. Classifications


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e. Requirements for Seaworthiness f. Initial Survey for Registration g. Periodical Surveys and Certifications h. Manning and Management requirements i. Safety of Navigation and Reporting Procedures j. Transfer, Lien and Mortgage of ships k. Engagement of Seamen l. Welfare of Seamen m. Obligation of ships in Sri Lankan waters n. Giving effect to International Convention o. Port State control

. 2 COMMERCIAL SHIPPING There is no proper frame work of commercial shipping laws in the country either. For example, Many International shipping rules including the “Carriage of Good by sea” are used by the country although the Merchant Shipping Act does not have such provisions or even a clause to refer to them. As far as Sri Lanka’s commercial shipping is concerned, the local cargo volume remains around 20- 25 % of the total cargo volume handled at national ports whilst, transshipment cargo volume remains at 75-80%. The commercial shipping activity is thus comparatively less compared with transshipment activity which in fact is a Port Activity. Commercial Shipping being an indirect demand based on needs of other industries it can only develop in direct proportion to development of other economic activities of the country. Amongst other areas, the following subjects of Commercial Shipping are not properly addressed or not addressed at all by the Act

. 1 Defining and separating “Coastal Cargo” and

“International cargo” in Shipping . 2 Laws for shipping of cargo within and outside the

territory . 3 Export and Import of International Cargo, . 4 Transshipment of Cargo through Sri Lanka Ports . 5 Out ports, Container Yards and entre-port

operation . 6 Freight Forwarding Regulations . 7 Shipping Agency Regulations . 8 Local rules for ‘Carriage of Goods by sea’

. 3 MARITIME AFFAIRS

The Maritime Affairs can be further categorized to

I. Maritime Activities II. Maritime Training

III. Maritime Jurisdiction

.3.1 The Maritime Activity is the most active economic

activity in the industry which mainly takes place in and at

anchorages of our ports and at Off Port Limits (OPL) and

further offshore activity is anticipated if oil exploration

succeeds.

The current maritime activities includes the following

a. Bunker Supply Operation b. Fresh Water Supply operations c. Ships Supplies (Provisions, and Stores) d. Ship Repairs e. Marine Diving work f. Ship Surveys g. Crew Changes h. Armed Ships Security Services i. Slop/Sludge Collection j. Towage, Salvage and wreck removal k. Operation of ships, Tugs, Boats and Barges for

i. Supply of Bunkers ii. Supply of Fresh water, iii. Supply of Provisions and stores, iv. Ship Repairs v. Diving operations vi. Technical services and Surveys vii. Crew transfers viii. Armed Guards movements to /from ships

ix. Collection of oily water slops and sludge (Reception Facilities as per MARPOL)

x. Towage, Salvage and Wreck Removal

.3.2 Maritime Training There shall be encouraging regulatory regime for Maritime Training, Examination and Certification and to be responsible for following Regulatory Functions.

a. Accreditation and approval of Maritime Training Institutes

b. Continuous Monitoring of Training facilities and Control of quality and quantity of trainees

c. Accreditation of Maritime Qualifications in line with academic qualifications

d. Setting out Training Courses as per accreditation of academic qualifications and licensing requirements

e. Certificates of Competency (as per international conventions - STCW)

f. New Coastal Certificates of Competency g. Issue of CDC h. Examinations and Certification of Seafarers i. Recognition of Foreign certificates j. Recognition of Naval Service Certificates and

other Certificates

.3.3 Maritime Jurisdiction

The Maritime Regulatory body shall have regulatory functions and be responsible for Maritime Jurisdiction which includes the following

a. Defining Sri Lanka’s Coastal Trading Limits, Anchorages, Off Port Limits (OPL Positions) for STS operations

b. Maritime Jurisdiction and Marshal of High Courts c. Authority over Maritime Activities within Sri Lanka

Excusive Economic Zones d. Authority over Wrecks and Salvage e. Vessels in Distress and coordination of Rescue f. Accidents and casualties and investigations g. Marine Pollution Prevention h. Maritime Piracy Prevention


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2. STAKE HOLDERS The Shipping and Maritime Industry identifies the following organizations as its stakeholders and they all must be taken on board for consultation to do develop a new Maritime Regulatory Structure. Professional and Welfare Associations Company of Master Mariners of Sri Lanka (CMMSL) Nautical Institute Sri Lanka Branch (NI) Institute of Marine Engineering Science and Technology IMAREST, Society of Chief Engineers Marine SOCHEM, Institute of Chartered Ship Brokers (ICS) National Seafarers Union (NSU), Mission To Seafarers National Seafarers Welfare Board,, Industry Associations Lanka Association of Ship Owners (LASO), Ceylon Association of Ship Agents (CASA), Sri Lanka Association of Vessel Operators (SLAVO) Lanka Association of Bunker Suppliers (LABS) Sri Lanka Freight Forwarders Association (SLFFA) Sri Lanka Ship Suppliers Association (SLSSA) Sri Lanka Shippers Council (SLSC) Association of Inland Container Depot Operators ACDO Services Ship Repairers Slipways, and Dockyards Diving Services Ship Security Service Agents Slop, Sludge and Waste Collectors Lubricant Dealers Classification and Survey Organizations Class Societies Independent Surveyors, P&I Correspondents

Maritime Training Institutes 3 State Organizations 4 Private Maritime Training Institutes Ports and Terminals Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Jaya Container Terminals Lltd (JCT) South Asia Gateway Terminals (SAGT ) Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT) Government Organizations Sri Lanka Navy SL NAVY Ceylon Shipping Corporation CSC, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation CPC, Sri Lanka Coast Guard AuthoritySLCA Marine Environment Pollution Prevention Authority, Sri Lanka Customs Department (SL CUSTOMS) Dept of Immigration and Emigration (SL IMMIGRATION), Export development Board (EDB) Sri Lanka Met Department (SL WEATHER BUREAU), Colombo Radio Exchange Control Department Central Bank of Sri lanka National Council of Economic Development (NCED) Maritime Hub Committee Interest Groups Maritime Lawyers, Maritime Bankers, Capt. Ranjith Weerasinghe Vice President, Company of Master Mariners of Sri Lanka

# If a drop of water falls in a lake, there is no identity…But, if it falls on a leaf of lotus, it shines like a pearl. We need to choose the best place where we can shine.

Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

******* Another aspect linked to the above is the certification and employment of seafarers, where all stakeholders should put their collective effort to promote employment of our seafarers, especially those who are looking for new employment opportunities on board. In this regard, it is noted that the Deck Watch Keeping Certificate issued to seamen who have completed mandatory sea time on NCV vessels has an endorsement stating; for example “with the following limitations only ; Below 500GT”. (“below 500GT” is inserted on scratched space previously occupied by “none”) There being restrictions on watch keeping certificates issued to Oiler trainees completing their sea time on coastal vessels due to smaller Horse Power capacity of engine or absence of Boiler etc. has resulted in their employment prospect on foreign vessels being almost impossible, as the only available vacancies require a “Ratings Watch-keeping Certificate” without such limitations. This even blocks the chances of a few who get the opportunity to join as trainees on the NCV vessels. Since the STCW Convention or new local Regulations to its effect by Sri Lanka Gazette 1818/37 does not specify Watch Keeping Ratings below 500GT or below 750 Kw propulsion engine or a limitation ‘per se’, it would be in the greater interest of our seafarers if such endorsement is not made. DGMS, Maritime Schools, Manning Agencies and other stakeholders, this is over to you!


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VISION TO MISSION: TO BE THE MARITIME HUB OF ASIA Speech delivered by Navy Commander at the AGM of Company of Master Mariners, on 29th June 2013.

Hon. President of CMM, Executive Committee, Dear Members, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is indeed an honour and a privilege for me to address this august gathering of eminent maritime professionals, and I must thank you for inviting me to deliver my speech ‘Vision to Mission; to be the Maritime Hub of Asia’. My Office as the Commander of the Navy and my affiliation as the President of the Sri Lankan chapter of the Nautical Institute, which hosted the AGM of the Nautical Institute in Colombo in May 2013, have given me an insight to the maritime affairs. We are at the cross roads of maritime affairs today; a watershed which I believe is an opportunity that is available once in a life time, in exploring new potentials and to exploit from where we stand today. At this maritime renaissance today, either we explore and expand or exhale and expire!

It was the great King Parakrambahu who ruled the our country 1153-1186 AD who said not to release even a drop of water falling from the sky, to flow into the ocean, without being used. Not stopping from a mere statement, the king built an irrigation network that comprised of reservoirs, tanks, canals, feeder waterways to ensure the kingdom is agriculturally flourished. Not stopping from having an in-ward look, the great king developed a Naval force with an out-ward look to ensure trade and foreign relations are kept and maintained. That, Ladies and gentlemen, as per chronicle, was indeed a golden-era of our island nation. However, since then, we being an Island nation ironically had to wait for some ten centuries to hear and have a visionary statement from a Head of State on how to transform a country with the water, this time by using the ocean. In His Excellency the President’s policy statement ‘Mahinda Chithana’ 2005, he stated ‘My determination is to transform Sri Lanka to be the Pearl of the Asian silk route once again, taking advantage of its unique geographical location. I will develop our motherland as a naval hub serving as a key link between East and West”. This is clearly a case of history repeating itself; in which,

just like our forefathers, we are in a time window to revitalize the long lost maritime heritage of us We were a great Maritime nation; some of our kings had understood the importance of the sea and those who did are venerated in the history. A deeper study in to chronicles illustrates that, whenever we had kings of vision of what could be done with the oceans, and used the oceans for advantage; that kingdom had flourished. King Vijayabahu in the 12

th century fought with Myanmar

over a trade dispute, where islanders used to get elephants; a symbol of royalty. King Parakramabahu was deeply engaged in trade and propelled to interfere even in South Indian Chola and Pandyan politics. King Buwanekabahu is reported to have sent delegations to Suite of Egypt whilst King Bathika Abaya dispatched similar delegations to the Court of Rome. The most notable maritime trade link in the chronicles was that of King Devanampiyatissa, who sent precious gift to Emperor Asoka and in return got Buddhism, the tooth relic, the sacred Bo Tree and the ‘Mehini Sasana’. From these historical points of view, I wish to divert my attention to science; the science of maritime power. Maritime Power is defined as the ability of a nation to use the seas to safeguard and progress its national interests. The term national interest is very broad; it ranges from trade to science, infrastructure to facilities. To be a maritime power several enablers are needed; the concept of Maritime power does not balance well in absence of these enablers. The geography is the first enabler, which gives access to sea authority over navigable routes. Even in the era of sails; Sri Lanka, known as sihaladveepa, Taprobana and Ceylon, happened to be at a crucial geographic position. This Island was easily reachable in both monsoon winds, which at that time were known as trade winds. The traders whether from the Arabian Peninsula or from the Chinese mainland through the Strait of Malacca could make it across the Indian Ocean. The Island nation had sea-port access to both coasts and uninterrupted navigability was there through Mantota, the ‘Great Port’. This had been a unique feature that even the mighty Indians did not enjoy, with India’s predicament being that it does not have a continuous navigable channel around its coast. The second enabler is the Maritime affinity of leaders and people. The leaders can formulate the strategies; but unless the people are partners to that strategy, the affinity would be lost. Policies are very instrumental in focusing the national efforts to achieve such affinity. The combination of leaders and people with a strong maritime affiliation have created many nations to be sea powers. Our colonial history is a proof of this prowess, where comparatively smaller countries dominated the world through maritime prowess for many centuries. The size of the seafaring population is another enabler. The seafaring population on the form of sea-going merchant mariners and a shore-based skilled


11

workforce for associated peripherals are a decisive factor in determining the maritime power. Take the example of Philippines, with every one out of five among the seafarers in the world being a Filipino; and in 2011 alone generating a revenue of five (05) Billion US $ for the country, isn’t the Merchant Marine community of the world taking Philippines seriously? These are the opportunities that are on offer, and we are yet to make any headway in this regard. The capacity to fish & to engage in the deep-sea fishery industry is another enabler under the Concepts of Maritime Power. Although we are being vested with an EEZ of nearly 7 times the land mass, our fishery industry has yet to come of age to exploit the resources that are on offer. It is not only the number of trawlers that matter, but also the supporting industry to facilitate the fishing, post-harvest preservations and techniques of the trade that consolidate the position. I see good signs that the fisheries industry is on the right track for sustainable development. Offshore commercial activities, such as Oil & Gas is an enabler that determines the industrial capacity of a nation. Such activities also encompass the sporting and leisure industry. Whilst many initiatives are in the offering or on the planning board; unfortunately, there’s little headway we have made in this sphere of activities, except for the achievements in the oil & gas exploration activity within our maritime jurisdiction. Having a Naval prowess is a very decisive enabler, and in this regard Sri Lanka Navy, having become a victorious navy after comprehensively defeating the asymmetrical threats at sea, is looking at expending the blue-water capability as well as developing the in-house capabilities to exercise with authority in the assigned Search & Rescue Region (SRR). The Navy is eyeing the over-the-horizon responsibilities whilst ensuring the coastline is secured from any sort of aggression. The Coast Guard is another component in law enforcement which would add muscle to the country’s legislature. With capacities and capabilities to enforce law at varying maritime jurisdiction being addressed, the future seems comfortable in managing our huge stake in the maritime sphere. The ship building capability and support industry is another key enabler. It was recorded in the chronicles that in 11

th&13

th centuries we were thriving in the

shipbuilding industry. The Arabs from Oman and Yemen arrived here to obtain items such as ropes, timber and even had placed orders for ships; ten ships per year! It seems very natural because we had wide varieties of timber suitable for ship building. These timber logs were floated down the rivers to river mouths where the thriving ship building industry made sea-going ships to meet the demand. The coconut tree was used for the mast, coconut fiber made the ropes and they were saline friendly. The coconut oil was the lubricant for pullies and blocks that ran the ropes in spreading the sails. Having Major& Minor Ports are a very critical enabler and in fact one key aspect why we are doing extremely well even today. There is archeological evidence that we

had ports that dealt trade with seafarers, sometimes from faraway places like Rome. The great port of Manthota, present day Mannar, was the gateway to the kingdom of Anuradhapura, through Malwatu Oya; whilst Gokanna in the present day Trincomalee was the gateway to the Polonnaruwa Kingdom through Mahaweli. The ports such as Dambakola Patuna in the North, Urathurai in Kayts, Lanka Patuna in the East and Godawaya in the South are associated with major happenings in our history. We have now developed mega ports that can dock the biggest E Class vessels without any hindrance. The availability of deep water ports blessed with favourable tidal conditions are bound to make our ports the most attractive in the region. The merchant fleet is another key enabler in the concept of maritime power. However, this happens to be one of our key weaknesses. What is our strength in the coastal and ocean-going fleet of ships? Although being an island nation, we are not even on par with Mongolia, a land locked country that boasts of a higher tonnage of merchant fleet than us. The Import & Export trade is an enabler of importance. Trading economy was something we inherited due being an island nation at the cross roads of the Indian Ocean. Our ancient ‘Vanija’ had relationships with China, Sri Vijayans in present day Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam to the East; Parsis and even present day Ethiopians, who at one point of time in their history were a very powerful Kingdom. They traded spice, gems, ivory, pearl etc., and these commercial ventures were never of a conquering nature. Ladies and Gentlemen, I have, during my address taken you through history to the present day. The historical evidence were based on not only ours, but also from foreign inscriptions. For example, the Chinese inscription of 8

th century vividly describes the kinds of ships coming

from this island nation, over 200 feet with a hundred crew! That was our heritage, history and our honour. Since our independence, this is the first time we have a visionary outlook towards the ocean and is very significant as Indian Ocean had been identified as the focal point in the 21

st century. The present conducive environment, after

eradicating the menace of terrorism; to focus our attention to the unique position we are in should not be left to be ignored. Hence, let us get together and make the vision comes true, let us join hands in making the vision a reality, as all indicators points out that we can make it happen to convert Sri Lanka as a maritime hub of Asia. Thank you very much. I wish you a pleasant evening. Good luck!

Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage,

RSP, VSV, USP, rcds, psc, MSc (DS), MA (IS), Dip in IR,

Dip in CR, AFNI (Lond) Commander of the Navy Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.


12

NI Corner News updates for the benefit of CMM Members who are members and those who are interested in joining NI.

The NI Sri Lanka Branch, under Rear Admiral Jayanath Colombage as the Chairman and ably assisted by our own Ravi Jayaratne as Secretary and the council consisting of many CMM Members were successful in getting Colombo as the venue for the 2013 AGM and international conference, the first time it was held in Asia. The event was held at the BMICH on 31

st May full day and

01st June until and including lunch. Many eminent

international speakers made presentations on various important topics and many matters regarding the seafaring industry was energetically discussed. From Sri Lanka, Capt. Ranjith Weerasinghe, Capt. Nalaka Jayakody and Mr. Leslie Hemachandra made presentations. Organizing an event of such magnitude takes a great effort, meticulous care and much planning and execution. All in all, the event was a success and the committee received due commendations by the participants. It also made a very positive impression of Sri Lanka in the minds of the overseas visitors. CMM Members can get Associate Fellow status when they apply for NI membership and the benefits of joining the NI also include the following. - worldwide professional recognition, including being able to display your Nautical Institute membership on your CV and business card - monthly copy of Seaways, keeping you abreast of key developments in the maritime industry (now also readable online) - 30% discount on all Nautical Institute specialist maritime books and practical guides - big discounts on attendance at many Institute and industry events together with the opportunity to network with colleagues, employers and customers - £100,000 worth of legal defence insurance cover, protecting you against criminalisation - support for your continuing professional development through our ‘CPD Online’ programme - an online Jobs Board - a representative voice at IMO, IALA and other industry bodies on key policy issues - personal copies of our human element Alert! Bulletin and The Navigator - online knowledge forums and a monthly e-newsletter As a step forward to provide legal assistance to seafarers, NI is continuing with a free (limited) legal defence cover to its members, due to the now common ‘criminalization of seafarers’ as it is most convenient for local authorities to throw Masters in jail for almost any small maritime offence. For further details on joining the NI, please contact capt. Nish Wijayakulathilaka, Secretary CMM.

For full details of NI publications and information on how to become a member, visit www.nautinst.org The Nautical Institute, a registered Charity Number 1002462 VAT Number 547 9635 93, is registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee Number 2570030 and whose registered office is 202 Lambeth Road, London, SE1 7LQ.

NI Membership Benefit - Legal Defence Cover November 2011

The Nautical Institute is able to offer all members legal defence cover of £100,000 per case to combat

criminalisation.

Insurance terms Type: Liability insurance

Insured: The Nautical Institute Additional insureds: As declared and agreed by leading

underwriter

Period: 12 months from date to be agreed local standard time (1

April 2011)

Interest: Legal defence costs insurance

Limit of liability: £100,000 any one occurrence

Deductible: £500 any one occurrence

Trading: Worldwide

Conditions: This insurance is to pay legal defence costs only

for Nautical Institute members who have been investigated,

charged, arrested or detained at home or abroad while undertaking their professional duties.

Excluding: Claims arising by virtue of perpetrating a deliberate

criminal act.

For purposes of this insurance, a criminal act shall be as defined

by the laws of England and Wales, with reference to the United

Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea [UNCLOS] and the

recommendations of the International Maritime Organisation

[IMO],

as appropriate.

Where a criminal act is not established immediately, this policy will cover costs in defending a member until such point as a

criminal act is established.

(Re)insurer’s liability several not joint LMA3333

Institute radioactive contamination, chemical, biological, bio-

chemical and electromagnetic weapons exclusion clause

(10/11/03)

CL 370.

Institute cyber attack exclusion clause (10/11/03) CL 380.

Institute service of suit clause (USA) CL 355.

Express Warranty: All rights of recourse are to be maintained against the owners of insured vessels and the P&I insurers of

such

vessels and insured premises, as appropriate.

Choice of Law & Jurisdiction: This insurance shall be

governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of

England and

Wales and each party agrees to submit to the exclusive

jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

# As we sail through life…. Don’t avoid storms and rough waters…. Just let it pass… just sail….Always remember, calm seas never make skilful sailors…

http://www.nautinst.org/


13

THE MERCHANT SHIPPING ACT - ACT NO 52 of 1971

The Merchant Shipping Act needs to be re-written completely as it does not meet the requirement of a shipping regulatory structure suitable in today’s context of shipping and maritime activities of the country. Written in pre-republic constitution of 1972, and starting from the terminology itself, the contents are obsolete. It can be seen that all 12 Parts, their sub sections and all 333 clauses need some form of amendments ranging from minor change such as names and terms used; to major changes where an entire clause is unsuitable and obsolete and needs to be reviewed and reworded. Further, some Parts are completely obsolete. It is paramount that a totally new concept of an act for today’s regulatory requirements of ships and shipping of international trade and those of Sri Lankan coastal waters is separately adopted. This is further emphasized by the fact that there are so many international conventions to which the country is a signatory but are not given legislative effect in that respect, whilst treating the smallest coastal vessel also as ‘a vessel’ under the same regulations. There is no such clause available in the Act to give effect to those conventions or to separate the coastal shipping matters from them. It is necessary to have a separate Part in the Act on Coastal Regulations as applicable to ships not engaged in international trade, as separated from all International Conventions. It is also imperative that new training requirements needed for coastal vessels and international trading vessels, training institutions, examinations and certification are addressed in the Act. The registrations, surveys and certification of all vessels from ranging from Off Port, Sri Lankan Coastal, SL Greater Coastal and to International trading should also be addressed in the registration part of the Act; The 1971 Act has taken on board some parts of the 1960 SOLAS in Part V, 1966 Load lines convention in Part VI, obsolete Collision Regulations of 1960 in part VII etc. It is difficult to include all the conventions in an Act as they progress and change from time to time. The general practice is to have necessary clauses in the Act to give effect to an International convention when signed by the country and append them subsequently as schedules of the act in consecutive order. It is however necessary to present to the parliament what the Minister proposes to implement as regulations derived from the convention (but not the convention itself) which would be gazetted. An attempt was made below to give a brief account of needed changes of the Act but it turns out to be no less than a whole revamp. Where necessary in each appropriate PART, there should be a separate chapter to deal with coastal Ships.

1. PART I; INTRODUCTORY; needs complete

redrafting as all terminology and the officer carder

given are obsolete and an appropriate cadre

of the Merchant Shipping Division is to be

included to execute the provisions of the new Act

and new regulations therein, including New

Coastal Shipping, Seafarers Training & Training

Institutes, Examinations and Certifications, Ships

Surveys and Certification, Licensing of ships in

the coast, Licensing of Agents, Chartererss,

Operators and Managers etc.

2. PART II; CONTROL OF SHIPPING ; Totally

irrelevant as no licensing is required for chartering

of ships by Sri Lankan companies; What must be

drafted in is clauses to allow any ship to obtain a

license to run in the coast deleting the parallel

registration requirement;

3. PART III ; Registry; 2 Chapters; to be rewritten

completely giving effect to registering coastal

vessels and international trading vessels

separately wherein coastal vessels need only to

have Government Classification and Survey and

no international classification except for new

buildings.

4. PART IV; MASTERS AND SEAMAN ; 9 chapter;

to be re- written as per changes emanating from

new Crew Articles, ILO Conventions, STCW and

local certification requirements for international,

NCV and anticipated Sri Lankan coastal vessels

5. PART V ; CONSTRUCTION, EQUIPMENT AND

SURVEY; 4 Chapters; Old SOLAS 1960

requirements in this has to be repealed and one

Clause to be included to empower the minister to

seek parliamentary approval to give effect to

international conventions signed by the country

with necessary amendments suited to the

country. Such approved regulations to be

promulgated as gazetted regulations. And to be

subsequently appended to the Act as Schedules

in consecutive numbers

6. PART VI ; LOADLINES; 4 chapter; As in 5 there

has to be a clause or continuous clauses to adopt

Load lines as another convention.

7. PART VII; SAFETY OF NAVIGATION; 5

Chapters; on Collision Regulations, Safety

reporting, Lighthouses, Assistance to other ships,

unseaworthy ships; all needing redrafting.

(it may be easier to adopt PART V, VI, VII in one PART

as STATUTORY SHIPS REQUIREMENTS and divide in

to Chapters to deal with requirements related to Tonnage,

Load lines, Safety Construction, Safety equipment, Safety

Radio, Safe Manning, Safety Management, Marpol etc)

8. PART VIII; COURTS OF SURVEY; to be

completely repealed and replaced by section to


14

introduce Ship Surveys, Ship Surveyors,

accreditation of Surveyors from Recognized

organizations, Master Mariners and Marine

Engineers.

9. PART IX; WRECK AND SALVAGE 6

Chapters ; to be re written to suit today’s context

10. PART X; LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 6

chapters need redrafting to suit all other parts.

11. PART XI; SUPPLEMENTAL to be suitably

amended with new carder and definitions in line

with those used in International conventions, port

state control, documents etc.

12. PART XII; REPEAL AND TRANSITIONAL

to be suitably amended

Sent in by Capt. Ranjith Weerasinghe Vice President CMM, Coastal Ship Operator

Editors note : The following true life incident contribution from Capt. Mehran Wahid now based in Bremen comes in 2 parts. Part 1 was in the last edition of 8 bells and is again reproduced here as there are many new members who would have missed it. Reading both parts together give an idea what it is like to go through the below freezing temperatures. For our members who have not yet experienced winter, this is a good indication of what one can expect!

PART 1 – A

reasonable

minus 20 deg C I met the coldest temperatures I have ever experienced in my 35 years at sea, on a Chinese bulk carrier in northern Canada, in the middle of one of the meanest winters that area had had. The port was called Port Alfred and is near Chicoutimi on a little river branching north-west towards Saguenay from the St Lawrence somewhere between Sept-Iles (Seven Isles) and Quebec. We were calling there to load Aluminium ingots from a huge plant which seemed to be the heart and soul of Port Alfred – the only people you saw walking around there were the townsfolk (who all seemed to work at the plant) and my Chinese crew (if you could call their shuffling slipping and sliding gait on ice which felt like frozen steel, walking). To begin with as the ship approached the turn off from the St Lawrence we were met by a blood-red Ice-breaker which would not only guide us but would plough a blue-green channel for us through the thick white ice which encrusted the river-branch from then on. The vessel would be constantly shuddering as we struggled to stay in the water-channel and as we slowly made our way up into northern Canada. At that point the temperatures were still a reasonable minus 20º C at night and funny things had not started to happen yet. For example while indoors you could still manage with the heating on to remove your gloves and touch the bulkheads (walls for any landlubbers rash enough to read this) without risking your skin getting stuck onto any metal and likely to get ripped off if you were in a hurry. Of course the ship wasn’t meant for trading in sub-zero conditions so we were only now learning what this really meant. The Pilot thought it was necessary to emphasize the cold temperatures here and casually said we were lucky (something my crew had already had strong doubts

about), to have come at this time of year since the river had not frozen hard as yet, enabling us to make it this far up the river branch since usually the ice was much thicker at this time and the Army would drive their tanks on to it practicing Arctic manoeuvres. He also apologetically explained to me that there was a speed limit (like I was not concerned about the beating the steel ship sides were getting from the edge of the ice upto which the ice-breaker had cut our path). We were not allowed to go any faster in case the ice cracked further towards the banks where people dressed in comfortable colourful polar bear type clothes were strolling gaily on the river while the hungrier ones had cut holes in the ice and sat in chairs fishing through these. Obviously the townsfolk thought themselves lucky as well. The operation for berthing (for landlubbers who cannot spell, this is not to do with having a baby but means getting the vessel alongside the quay and tying up), which usually took about 30 minutes to an hour, took all of about 3 hours but at those temperatures it felt more like 10. In order for the vessel to make it through the ice-choked water to the quayside two special tugs were at hand with Voith Schneider propellers which moved around and between us and the berth breaking up the ice long enough for us to make it alongside before hell – sorry, the water – froze over. I’ll come to that later – but well before your blood freezes while reading this. Well before arrival the Pilot had warned us to keep all the mooring ropes inside the stores otherwise they would be useless for berthing – only later when unberthing did I realize why.


15

This is one of the few photos I have from that

time and is the view on the port quarter –

remember, we are starboard side alongside. That’s frozen water, not the moon’s surface.

But now several hours after berthing I heard our Pakistani Chief Officer calling me on the walkie-talkie with merriment in his voice to say he had gone ashore to read the draft marks on the port side. This startled me – we were starboard side alongside. The nearest land on the port side was way across on the other side of the river. I had a nasty feeling, but to check I had to go outside – the already sub-zero temperatures were plummeting, and going outside from the relative warmth inside the accommodation gave you some idea of how astronauts had to prepare when getting ready to leave their spacecraft. Inside the accommodation the Chief Engineer had learned to cope with our strange but new environment – he had learnt to control the humidity. This may sound rather banal – humidity, so what? While it is high you sweated a bit more if it was warm (okay so you think that’s not a problem at sub-zero but it can be since you wear so much woolen clothing there’s a risk of tropical diseases such as Athletes’ Foot), or if the humidity is low your wet clothes dry faster. There’s also the problem of condensation inside the accommodation on the portholes glass since the temperatures are sub-zero indoors this freezes and when this happens on the bridge navigation is impossible! We discovered this the hard way en-route here when the Sea Pilot refused to proceed up river until I ordered industrial hot-air blowers and thawed out the ice inside the wheelhouse windows – suddenly the visibility improved! So once again, getting back to the astronaut-feeling. When you first dressed (this wouldn’t be happening again for some days as it was too cold even indoors to change), you wore thermal underwear, normal winter clothes, thick socks and finally woolen gloves and woolen cap. This was indoors. To go out you added on more winter clothes and finished off with a heavy coat, additional thick gloves (over the first pair) and that thick woolen cap (really a balaclava which was special in that it could cover your entire face leaving only the eyes exposed or could be rolled up to only cover the top of your head) could be unrolled to cover your whole head except for the eyes. Before all this at least once a day or more the skin was anointed with Vaseline or equivalent and the lips covered thickly with a balm – not to do so would guarantee you looking like something from a horror movie with cracked and bleeding lips.

Having dressed up now for the outside I went out on deck and to my horror discovered that the Chief Mate was out walking on the ice with a rope tied around his waist and to the Jacobs ladder which he had gone down and a stick of sorts to feel the ice ahead of him and whether it was safe or not. I did not think we had that kind of experience or know-how and ordered him back on board at the double. Afterwards the temperatures would plunge a further 20º and all such tours would be out of our minds as anyone going outside did so only because they had to – lock-jaw suddenly became a real possibility. But my lips are not sealed on this subject and I will tell you what happened later, when the temperatures outside dropped to minus 40º C. That was when hell froze over.

[The picture behind the main title is a distorted image of a

photo taken at the time of the main deck, showing the river to

port frozen solid but faintly visible are the tracks made by the

tugs leaving before the ice got thicker. Faintly visible are red

lead patches hurriedly painted on the cranes where the paint

came off exposing bare metal as the steel contracted].

[The picture behind the main title is a distorted image of a

photo taken at the time of the main deck, showing the river to

port frozen solid but faintly visible are the tracks made by the

tugs leaving before the ice got thicker. Also faintly visible are

red lead patches hurriedly painted on the cranes where the

paint came off exposing bare metal as the steel contracted].

PART 2 – An unreasonable minus 40oC

With a sound ranging from a dull boom to a loud crack, something which from the corner of my eye looked like the accommodation front started to collapse in slow motion. I was standing on deck with the Chief Engineer whose camcorder I had borrowed to film our (hopefully) once in a life-time experience when it finally happened. The steel of the ship that had been shrinking to various degrees without our knowledge due to the intense cold, finally reached a critical point on the more exposed accommodation front and the paint was forced to release its hold – and it did so dramatically. The paint came off down to bare metal in entire sheets. This was why it looked like the accommodation was collapsing. To me, the most memorable part of my experience at the coldest temperature I had ever experienced was this. Entire sheets of paint including the primer would pop off with a dull boom and the paint would lean forward and then come off with a huge cracking sound. We had the crew on stages applying primer in no time (there was of course no need for preparation). We were on a Chinese bulk-carrier in northern Canada having reached the little town of Port Alfred near Chicoutimi on a little river branching north-west towards Saguenay from the St Lawrence somewhere between Sept-Iles (Seven Isles) and Quebec. The ship was not built for ice which is why we had come here – our usual run was deep into the heartland of the North American continent in the Great Lakes which, this first week of January, were well and truly frozen or on its way to being


16

Being presented with The Aluminum Cockerel as the first

ship in for the new year – other than officials of the

Aluminum Plant, seen here are the Pakistani Chief Officer

Shaukat Hussein and Chief Engineer Jeevaka Gunadheera.

so. An ice-breaker had brought us here and special tugs broke the ice at the berth to allow us to get alongside before the water froze solid. The temperature had been a reasonable minus 20 deg C when we arrived and I heard the river had not been as frozen as it usually is because then the Army brought their tanks here to practice arctic manoeuvres. The authorities were pleased to inform me that I was the first ship in for the year and there would be a little celebration. I imagined a few people coming on board and advised the Cook that he would have to do better than rice and boiled cabbage (those who were not familiar with cooking on board a Chinese ship would be forgiven for imagining it being like in Chinese restaurants)! That night the pipes on the most exposed part of the accommodation (mine – think about it), gave up the battle as water froze in sections close to the cabin walls which were already covered with frost and ice. It was bad enough not being able to change clothes due to the freezing conditions inside – to feel freezing water sloshing around my cabin floor was worse. I spent a lot of time in boots thereafter. The next day half the town turned up to welcome us in as the first ship for the new year – and so did the local television station, complete with translator (the language here was French). One of the questions I still remember being asked was how it felt to be here (I refrained from saying that it was so damned cold I could not feel anything). I replied that it was the first time I had taken a ship on a river where people were also walking on it! (When coming up the river we had to observe a speed limit as people were walking on the frozen river while some were seated around holes they had cut in the ice, fishing. The interview appeared on local television that evening and we were also featured in the local newspaper. I was presented with an aluminium cockerel by the Plant which was the heart and soul of this rather remote like outpost (see photo below). It was a good thing this happened on that first day because the next day I would put them on notice. It started when I woke up the next morning, and as was my practice, looked out of my forward porthole to see what ghastly surprise awaited me. With Chinese crew anything was possible such as a huge gash across the body of the crane or a patch of oil in the water around the vessel etc. This time the surprise was not caused by the crew. Around us on the off-shore side was what would become a familiar sight over the next several days here – frozen water. Solidly frozen, not just a thin crust. It freezes damned fast when the temperature is this cold. In Siberia it is quite normal I hear to dig up frozen mammoths and make steak out of the 'fresh' meat millions of years after the creature went into deep cold storage. They also sell milk by the block there. Think about it. They do not have refrigerators there. I felt strange looking out of my porthole – it wasn't the ice-encrusted bulkhead inside the cabin (we had already got used to that and I had a scraper with me to enable me to clear the ice before I could look outside). My eyes were now tearing from the cold (that usually happened only when we went outside). I began to realize what it was as I

looked around outside – the layers of ice were more 'solid' and the difference between ship, wharf and sea was non-existent as it all merged into one. And then it dawned on me – tracks from the departing tugs in the frozen water. They weren't supposed to depart. They were here to wait until we finished and then help us break out of the ice-encrusted prison which was our berth! I raced up to the bridge and called Port Control who confirmed my worst fears that the temperatures were fast falling and expected to reach an unreasonable minus 40 deg C tonight. The tugs would not be safe here they said. But, what about us?? I sent a message to the Terminal and Charterers putting them on notice for anything happening to us and for not having allowed us to have departed with the tugs. That evening I wore additional warm clothing and together with the Chief Engineer went on deck looking like two polar bears. In addition to all the usual extra clothing (thermal underwear, double sets of heavy woolen socks, double sets of gloves etc), we also wore balaclavas which covered our heads completely leaving only holes for the eyes exposed. As our eyes would continuously tear from the unexpected exposure to arctic temperatures, the tears would stream down the sides of our faces and freeze into icicles. The breath coming through our mouths in gasps would cause condensation on the balaclava which would freeze and thereafter we had ice masking that area as well! Needless to say you could not stay outdoors for very long and had to come inside to painfully thaw out. When the time did finally arrive to depart, I remember the problem with the mooring ropes. They were completely frozen. They were like poles stretching from the ship to the bollards ashore. Taking each one in was a major operation involving thawing them out as they reached the deck in order to stow them on board. In hindsight it might have been better to have not put them out at all – the river froze so fast the tugs could have simply held the vessel alongside until the water froze... Sent in by Capt Mehran Wahid From Bremen

“Don't compare your life to others. ….You have no idea what their journey is all about!”


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MONITORING HULL STRESSES AND REMOTE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS ………………..………………………… food for thought – IMO

All mariners no doubt remember MOL Comfort, 316 meter long container ship breaking into two and partially sinking followed a fire on board of the surviving section. Quite rightly, all sister ships have been taken out of service until investigations are conducted. The ship was built in Japan in 2007. Following the incident, the Classification Society carried out an investigation using models, dynamic wave action etc, on behalf of the owner Mitsui OSK Lines. The preliminary report to the incident has been released recently. It has been revealed that a buckling type of deformation (about 20 mm) was observed in bottom shell plates of sister vessels, and further strengthening of bottom plates were done as a precautionary measure. A couple of recommendations passed onto the ship owner by Class NKK are as follows:

Ships’ crew to inspect the mid ship section of the

bottom shell plates to the extent possible to find

any buckling, deformations or any other damages.

NK will then attend to inspect free of charge at the

request of ship owners

Occasional survey is recommended if consecutive

deformations in the transverse section are

observed,

As can be seen from above, the ball has been again put on crew’s court to play the game. The question that should be asked is “How feasible is that to carry out regular inspections, given the work load already crew is burdened with?” In this instance, the inspection should be conducted by a competent person on board. The Chief Officer simply cannot rely on a Cadet’s observations. The writer is aware that this is currently not IMO’s recommendations though eventually this methodology will most likely be seen as a good system by IMO. With the technology now available, the decision makers will have to think outside the box to find a solution to the ever burdening the work load of crew. Technology is so advanced today, a sensor to monitor hull stresses should only be a simple bit of equipment to manufacture. Such sensors can be positioned at various critical locations along the hull and bottom sections (from inside the hull), particularly in sections subject to varying and heavy stresses such as in the amidships section. These sensors can be hard wired to a computer, probably to a Programmable Logic Computer (PLC), thereby providing facility to live monitoring of the stresses. PLC

can be programmed to alarm the bridge when the stresses are beyond the acceptable limits so that crew can take corrective action such as transferring ballast etc. Additionally, the ship can be equipped with a purpose built simulator to model hull stresses, sea and wave conditions (sensors again) for finding ballast solution easily. PLC can be programmed to transfer simulator data by a manual command into corrective action so that transferring ballast etc is taken care of rather than the manual intervention. Technology can be used to make decisions and implementing corrective action thereby eliminating the risk of human error too, particularly 0200 hrs in the morning if the Chief Officer has to wake up to make the decision. The above proposed methodology should be trialed on a long ship initially until the reliability is proven, prior to implementation on other ships. Once the reliability is proven, the methodology can then be extended to remotely monitor from ship owners office (Central Control Room for all ships), the hull stresses, wave action (through sensors and CCTV monitors etc), important records such as log books (for regular weather observation etc) in order to take corrective action as may be necessary. This can be done through PLC, a satellite data link to a remote desktop connection to a Central Control Room (CCR). The CCR should be able to monitor hull stresses etc., to do the needful. In brief, a ship in the middle of Pacific Ocean can be controlled from Tokyo in terms of managing stresses. This is the essence of the proposed technology without going into much detail, which is very much achievable. If IMO is serious about the issues the mariner is facing today, the anticipated shortage of officers in future etc., and to improve the safety of ships significantly, IMO itself should be serious about research into new technology as proposed or any other new technology.

Sent in by a concerned member

Editor’s note : Whilst on the subject of rest hours, fatigue, inspections, surveys et al, the following are reminders of what Masters, senior officers and crew on board experience today…. In spite of IMO regulations, Flag state and Port state controls (are they really doing their job?), Classification Societies, Vetting inspections etc., there seem to be no effective solution to solve crew matters (hopefully MLC 2006 should get us somewhere), unlike the commercial airlines.

PORT AUTHORITIES’ HARRASSMENT Various Authorities come out frequently with new shipping regulations and ship owners pass these on to the ships. The final burden is on the crew. Many regulations cannot be implemented strictly as specified due to various practical difficulties, which I will explain later. I am not sure

if many of these authorities have any idea of the present shipping situations. Maybe, they simply do not care. There is no doubt that Port State Control inspections have improved the all round condition of ships. The problem is about the authorities who are abusing the powers given to them. In some countries PSC has become a money


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spinner to detain ships and impose penalties and for some PSC inspectors it has become a personal money making racket. In a West African country, the PSC officer directly asked the Master for some gratification (over US$ 500) not to make trouble to the ship. The big question is who will reimburse this money to the Master as it is paid from ship’s cash, which does not belong to the Master. The owner/operator will put the blame on the ship's staff if the ship is detained. In certain Chinese ports, PSC officials visit ships with the intention of detaining the ships. With a global understanding of PSC inspections and the rules and regulations applicable to PSC Inspectors, why are organizations such as the IMO unable to, or do not take any action against such corrupt officials? In Brazilian Ports, new local regulations are imposed very frequently and they expect the ships to follow these. The problem is that most of these regulations are unrealistic. For example, Brazilian Health Officials require all food items to be marked "Expiry Date .........". They do not accept wordings such as "Best Before", "Consume Before", "Best By", "Use Before" etc. If the ship has to replenish provisions in USA and many other countries, most of the items are marked "Best By" or similar wording. What can a shipmaster do about these provisions if the ship has to call at a Brazilian port? Throw the provisions overboard? This is one way for the corrupt Brazilian Authorities to make money. If they find any such provision items in the stores, they will impose heavy fine and then expect the Master to pay a substantial bribe to avoid an official fine. Who then will reimburse this money? Why can’t the World Health Organization and IMO not take any action? Surely, they cannot be unaware of such violations of the norm? In Argentina, Customs want the vessel to declare each and every item on board. Is it practically possible to count each and every nut & bolt on a ship? The Customs raiding party the board the vessel and want to count every item against the declaration. Obviously, there will be discrepancies. The customs then will create such a problem for the ship and demand fat bribe to settle the matter. Any shipowner will surely not agree to settle such bribes paid. Who then, will pay this money? Of course the master can get the P & I Club to intervene, but then the ship will get delayed and the Master will finally be blamed. It seems that this disease has spread to many African Countries as well. The MLC 2006 gives many new regulations supposedly to help seafarers, but can we implement all of them? One example is the Rest Hour period. If the ship has to call at a River Port such as New Orleans or a port upriver in Argentina, the Master has to stay alert on the bridge sometimes for two days. Where can he get the stipulated Rest Hours? Can the Master take a rest even after calling the Port? Various port officials will board the ship when they are free and everyone will want to see the Master. Not only the Master, it is also the same with other senior officers on board. Obviously, the records have to be manipulated to satisfy officials. Many other requirements are similar. Are any of these officials who impose these

regulations actually seafarers? Do they have any idea of actual situations on vessels? In my opinion these officials should be given an opportunity to sail on a ship trading worldwide before they come out with such Regulations. In fact it should be made compulsory! According to the new Garbage Regulation, ships cannot throw any garbage into the sea except food waste. In many ports, there are no garbage reception facilities. Even if there are, it will be extremely expensive to dispose. Many owners will definitely not pay such a big amount of money for disposal of Garbage. So what is the ship’s crew going to do with this Garbage? Where can it be stored? There are many such regulations that cannot be practically implemented. The Regulatory Requirements are becoming more and more difficult and no wonder many seafarers are leaving sea. …………………………………God Help the Seafarers…!!. Sent in by a sailing member

On the same topic, a Chief Engineer friend who just signed off a Cape size bulk carrier told about the horrors he faced during contract. This being a new ship had many problems with the liner rings (a manufacturing defect) and he had to pull out 7 units and replace the rings during his few months on board. Inspections were always the order of the day in port where the Inspectors were pushing to the extent of harassment on the OWS, Emergency Generator and all equipment – in spite of being a new ship and having inspection records on board. Bunkers supplied in China were actually mixed with SEA water (not even fresh water) causing huge problems on board (40 tonnes of SW in a 1000 tonne bunker delivery), which was discovered only a few days later at sea. This caused so much extra work and stress to the crew. Bunkers supplied in Singapore were sent with compressed air causing the tank oil to froth and give an incorrect sounding. Some of the bunker surveyors are paid by the bunker barges… what it results in is again a huge problem for the Ship Chief Engineer, Master and crew on board. The deck crew simply has no time for maintenance, looking after cargo; cleaning cargo holds take all of their time. This brings us to the point of law enforcement on bunker suppliers by the Port Authority? Why is the bunker license of such bunker barges not suspended or cancelled? (Refer the new bunker regulations below, can this be implemented unless rogue bunker suppliers are stopped?). It’s not only the Surveyors and Bunker barge operators who are crooks, ship staff are also involved in a few cases.

Chief Engineer Jailed In Singapore Over Bbunker Scam

The Singapore court has sentenced a chief engineer to two weeks' jail over a scam involving $18,000 worth of marine fuel, local reports said. Russian national Antonov


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Sergey, who was also fined SGD30,000 ($23,400), had secretly struck a deal with a bunker supplier to shortchange his vessel by 120 metric tonnes of bunker fuel. The shortchanged fuel was then sold to an unknown buyer and in return, Sergey corruptly received $8,400 for covering up the botched bunkering operations.

Sergey's ship, Front Splendor, had ordered 2,700 metric tonnes of bunker fuel when it called at the port of Singapore in January. The Russian national had then agreed to accept only 2,580 metric tonnes after being bribed, allegedly by cargo officer Jason Choo. Sergey then falsified documents to his employers to cover up the bunker fuel shortfall. Choo and two other alleged accomplices have been charged and their cases are pending.

A joint operation earlier this year involving the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) had uncovered the corrupt bunkering deal. Deputy public prosecutor Asoka Markandu said Sergey should be jailed “to send a strong message to the international community that Singapore takes a serious view of illegal bunkering activities”. Source: Seatrade Global

EU PROPOSAL FOR

REGULATION ON SHIPPING

EMISSIONS The EU has hinted for some time at pushing forward with a regional initiative when it comes to CO2 and shipping, and now we have it. In late June, the industry was presented with their new draft regulation on monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of CO2 from shipping. Lloyd's Register has prepared the following summary of European Union Proposal for Regulation on Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of CO2. On 28 June 2013, the European Commission published its finalised proposal for a European Union (EU) regulation on Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) of CO2 emissions from ships. The regulation, No. 525/2013, is introduced further to the EU's Climate and Energy Package, adopted on 23 April 2009, which seeks international agreement including emission reduction targets through the IMO or the UNFCCC. The regulation will apply to certain vessels conducting voyages into, out of and between EU ports and will require annual reporting of their CO2 emissions in line with a verified monitoring plan. The purpose of the regulation is to provide reliable information on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within maritime transport. As a first step the regulation is intended to focus on, and establish, CO2 emissions which will then allow the EU to define reduction targets associated with this and finally the means to achieve those reduction targets, as appropriate. If the regulation is approved by both the European Council and European Parliament, then it will enter into force on 1 July 2015.

The Proposed Regulation - What is MRV? A monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) scheme for GHG emissions provides a standard framework to produce a GHG emissions inventory, which may form part of a regulated GHG emissions reduction scheme and therefore is the basis for setting a GHG reduction trajectory or may be applied voluntarily across an industry specific sector to develop an emissions inventory. The EU proposal for an MRV regulation focuses on CO2 only at this stage, recognizing that, despite estimates, the amount of CO2 from shipping is unknown. The Commission's view is therefore that a system for monitoring and reporting these emissions is a pre-requisite before the introduction of any further energy efficiency measures or GHG reduction measures. Why is this being implemented? In 2010, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), recognized that global warming must not exceed pre-industrial levels by more than 2 degrees centigrade; and, in order to do so, this would require GHG emissions reductions of 50% less than 1990 levels by 2050. In committing to this, the EU stated that it would consider further action on shipping GHGs should there be no international agreement and possibly implement a regional market based measure (MBM) if the IMO failed to introduce an international scheme. In late 2012 the EU stated that it would no longer seek to do this and the focus from the EU is now to take steps towards setting up the MRV framework which could provide the first step towards achieving their absolute emissions reductions. How will it be implemented? The EC plan a phased approach to regulating CO2 from shipping as follows: Phase 1 - Implement MRV and establish CO2 emissions from maritime transport. Phase 2 - Establish an agreed global energy efficiency standard as part of the regulation. Phase 3- Identify whether the efficiency standards are achieving the EU's desired absolute CO2 emissions reductions and what else should be done e.g. introduction of an MBM. How does it apply? The regulation will apply to all ships greater than 5,000 GRT undertaking one or more voyages into, out of and between EU ports and will require per-voyage and yearly monitoring of CO2 emissions, as well as other parameters including energy efficiency metrics. Annually, 'companies' (DOC holder) must provide an emissions report for the previous calendar year's activity. In addition, this will include the technical efficiency of the ship (the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) or the Estimated Index Value (EIV) in accordance with IMO Resolution MEPC.215 (63), where applicable). When does reporting occur? Reporting periods are defined over a calendar year. At present the EC acknowledges that further clarification is required in regard to the precise closing date of the


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current reporting period and whether this should occur at the end of the previous voyage, at the exact point mid voyage that coincides with the actual date/time of the end of the reporting period or the end of the current voyage. To simplify the preparation of monitoring plans, reporting and verification of emissions and other climate relevant information, electronic templates will be provided by the EC. The following timescales have been proposed as part of the regulation: • 31 August 2017 - Monitoring plan to be prepared and submitted for verification • 1 January 2018 - Commence per-voyage monitoring • 2019 onwards - By 31

st April each year, submit a verified

emission report to the EC and relevant flag state. • 30 June 2019 onwards - Ships will need to carry a valid document of compliance relating to the relevant reporting period. • 30 June each year - EC will make each ship's emissions reports publicly available including information specific to that ship, its fuel consumption, CO2 emissions, technical efficiency (EEDI or EIV as appropriate) along with other parameters. Source: Lloyd's Register. SHIPPING SHOULD BE HELPED WITH COST OF LOW-SULPHUR FUELS, SAYS SEKIMIZU by Craig Eason Sekimizu: reiterated the need for an assessment of low-sulphur fuel availability to start almost immediately.IMO chief tells Maritime Cyprus that society as a whole should bear the financial burden of emissions curbs. The financial burden of switching to environmental fuels cannot be borne only by the shipping industry, International Maritime Organization’s Secretary General Koji Sekimizu has told a shipping audience in Cyprus. Speaking at the opening of Maritime Cyprus in Limassol, Mr Sekimizu reiterated the need for an assessment of low-sulphur fuel availability to begin almost immediately, but also hinted that the costs of the switch to new fuel types needs to be borne by society as a whole, and not just by shipping. Emissions regulations are beginning to impact shipping. Vessels operating in designated emission control areas have to use ultra low-sulphur fuels in a little over a year, and a potential global limit on SOx emissions drops from 3.5% to 0.5% in 2020. A fuel availability study may cause a delay on this latter date if it reveals a lack of supplies. Shipping needs time to react to the fuel availability study findings. Mr Sekimizu said it was important for the IMO to push ahead with the research, which will need to include what oil refiners can deliver - i.e. the amount of low-sulphur fuel that will be available in 2020. The growing interest in liquefied natural gas as a marine fuel could well influence future demand of distillate low-sulphur fuels, which are the product of the refining industry, with fuel oils, known as residuals and with higher sulphur content, often seen as refiners’ leftovers.

Mr Sekimizu believes new fuel types and the impact, if any, of slow steaming on demand also needs to be factored into a study of fuel demand. Crucially, he said, there was the need to understand if the oil majors’ investments in refineries are sufficient to meet future demand when the global limit on sulphur emissions drops. He raised the question of what could be done if there was not enough fuel available, or it it was prohibitively expensive, and if pressure can be put on to the refiners. “The oil industry says there will be enough, but the point is the price may be higher due to the investment,” said Mr Sekimizu. He pointed out that if the refineries put the cost of this on to shipping through higher prices, then this was not fair on shipping, and the costs needed to be borne by the greater society. How this could be addressed, though, is unclear. The secretary-general’s belief is that there is enough fuel available for the global emissions rule change. Shipowners’ organisations have generally welcomed the call for the fuel availability study to be brought forward, but many have also expressed disappointment that it was not thought feasible to raise the study ahead of the SOx emission reductions in the ECAs as of the end of next year.

Article from Lloyd's List

A Master’s experience Another master took over an 8 year old Japanese built geared container ship that was on short voyages where the crew simply had no time for maintenance. There had been no proper maintenance possible due to a lack of knowledge of crew and superintendents and the hectic schedule with a few hours in each Port. Engine Room Defects # General condition poor compared to other vessels of the same age. # Main sea water cooling pump not working. Engineers use the ballast and bilge pump for M/E cooling which prevents ballasting and de-ballasting operations at sea and in port. In river ports these pumps work continuously and any failure will disable the M/E at sea # Three generators are unable to operate simultaneously. The bow thruster cannot be used at any Port resulting in the Charterers complaining due to extra tugs utilized for mooring and unmooring operations. Generators not properly maintain and no sufficient cooling for generators. # Main Engine failed to respond for astern movement two occasions during maneuvering with pilot on board and also has a delayed response which can result in a serious accident # Chief Engineer’s first contract with company and track record unknown, 2/Engineer’s first contract as 2/E, new 4/Engineer last contract was Cadet. # Many other problems with ballasting & de-ballasting resulting in poor trimming of the vessel and complaints by pilots.The matter was solved with the Charterer agreeing to layup the ship for a week to effect shore repairs. No wonder why Masters and Chief Engineers are reluctant to sail these days.


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“Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship”.

OF WEATHER AND WEATHER FORECASTING... (nothing has changed in the last edition!

Only more issues) “In few places there would be few showers accompanied by thunder…..”Are the common words that are heard via our media by the authorities in the Meteorological department, personnel which hitherto has not been accurate at all, more often than not? These predictions had been in complete in contrast to predictions and forecasts made the same authorities of other countries who always give precise forecasts and predictions. In our country the predictions made by our meteorological authorities are considered correct only by a handful. It has been a long standing joke that in Sri Lanka we should expect the opposite of what the Meteorological Department forecasts—“sunny skies” is a forecast for a gloomy afternoon. When the only inconvenience the forecast can prevent is being caught without an umbrella in a light shower, the punch line may be funny. However when the difference is between life and death that line is more like a punch in the gut. During the recent inclement weather, the Meteorological Department has been dreary in its approach and thoroughly unprepared. Government officials have only offered weak replies and apologies. However someone needs to be held responsible for the loss of life and damage to property, but moreover to ensure that when natural disasters strike we are informed and ready to deal with them It was also announced that the Met Department, which faced much criticism due to being unable to predict strong weather which affected all people along the coast and the fishermen who put out to sea resulting in many boats lost or damaged and a few lives lost, had stopped giving “voice-cuts” to the radio stations. However, they had to get back on line due to more embarrassment faced. When our local Met station cannot predict a low pressure affecting the island, how then did a CMM Member, based far away in Bremen, send in timely reports with satellite photographs for us to take the necessary precautions? The Director of the Meteorological Department when questioned had given a very lame answer. According to him, he says our equipment are now outdated and we need modern equipment to predict precise forecasts. He too emphasized that the department need more experienced staff to give accurate readings and forecasts. In the face of this embarrassment he has made a request to obtain any weather forecast when needed by calling the department.

It is accepted that fully accurate whether forecasting cannot be expected, but the least that could be done is to use new technology to ensure the Ships, Fishermen and those living in coastal areas are given proper and timely

warnings. The lives, monies and properties lost to the country could be saved at a fraction of the cost! The above was from our last issue! Since then, a few months back very strong weather, as usual unpredicted by our met authorities resulted in the loss of around 40 lives of our fishermen who put out to sea due not receiving any bad weather warning. Many boats were also lost in rough seas and the Sri Lanka navy ships along with the Air Force Helicopters did yeoman service over a few days rescuing many fishermen in distress. The question still remains unanswered??? Why cannot we have a reliable weather forecasting system in place?

For graphical forecast information and further details please visit http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com/ To change your TSR Email Alert registration details please use the online form at http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com/chg_prefs.html To unsubscribe from the TSR Email Alert please use the online form at http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com/unsubscribe.html. This alert is provided by Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) which is sponsored by UCL, Aon Benfield, Crawford & Company and Aon Benfield UCL Hazard Research Centre.

The name of this tropical storm which caused heavy damage was given by the Meteorological Department of Sri Lanka. As explained by Capt. Mehran Wahid in a previous issue of 8 Bells, the names are given in rotation by the regional countries. The last one was TS Bandu a few years ago which hit the Somali pirates quite hard! It so happened that Mahasen is the name of a great and respected former King of Sri Lanka and to give a TS such a name caused a huge public outcry of protest. As the name could not be withdrawn or substituted, it resulted in the Director of the Met Dept giving a public apology on TV and radio. As the saying goes, the dept always stays in the news!

The December TS is named Amara (quite q popular name in Asian countries) and probably related to our editor as well!!!

Sent in by a Member living near the coast

………………………………………

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ISON: THE WANNABE COMET OF THE CENTURY The giant dirty snowball had been orbiting in the huge cloud of comets and asteroids which swirl around about 7.5 million kms away from the sun nearly a quarter of the distance out from the solar system to the next nearest star. This area called the Oort Cloud, contains billions of such comets consisting of a mixture of rocks, frozen gas but mostly frozen water. This is now thought to be the source of all the oceans on Earth as comets have fallen on the planet for millions of years after it formed to give us the water we have today (the early scorching formation of our planet could not otherwise have retained water after cooling down to form the seas we have today). Gradually over the 4.5 billion years since the solar system formed this comet had been pushed and pulled by the 'tides' of passing stars and the sun until finally the sun's gravity overcame all other forces and began to pull the comet into the heart of the solar system. After hurtling in for millions of years and getting faster all the time, finally about two years ago, it slipped past the vicinity of Saturn quite unnoticed by mankind but not by the growing armada of satellites and space probes which are quietly going about their business of photographing and analysing the space environment almost automatically most of the time – later studies of these records would show images of the comet which initially went unnoticed by astronomers. Then about a year later in September 2012 it finally came to the notice of an East-European astronomical organisation called the

International Scientific Optical Network (ISON) and thereafter nearly every satellite and probe in the solar system be it in orbit around the Earth, Mars or the Sun which could be used, was turned towards Comet ISON (officially labelled C/2012 S1) to observe it in as much detail as possible. This is a new practice which has gradually been used by scientists desperate to use their limited resources to maximize their observations of space – satellites such as the ones around Mars which were only meant for observing that planet were turned around to observe the comet as it went past. Never has a comet been studied both by the professionals and even by amateur astronomers on the ground in so much detail. Comet ISON is a 'sun-grazer' – it would pass so close to the sun it would appear to be grazing the sun or just skimming over its surface at about a million kilometres off. When compared with the Earth's distance of about 150 million kilometres, the distance ISON would pass is unimaginably close! Comets, like many other large astronomical bodies today, can, after being observed over

a period of time, have their paths predicted in great detail now. Also with many comets which pass further away from the Sun, their visibility can today be predicted after determining their size. Comets themselves do not emit light and are small compared for example to planets and asteroids, hence they are not visible to the naked eye while far away from the sun and are difficult to pick up with advanced equipment as well. However as they get near the sun and pass a point (known as 'the frost-line')

Here is another one!

N Indian Ocean: Storm Alert issued at 15 May, 2013 6:00 GMT

Tropical Storm MAHASEN (01B) currently located near 17.5 N 87.8 E is forecast to strike land to the following likelihood(s) at the given lead time(s):

Yellow Alert Country(s) or Province(s) Bangladesh probability for TS is 65% in about 24 hours Myanmar probability for TS is 60% in about 24 hours Yellow Alert City(s) and Town(s) Chittagong (22.3 N, 91.8 E) probability for TS is 55% in about 24 hours Cox's Bazar (21.4 N, 92.5 E) probability for TS is 55% in about 24 hours Green Alert Country(s) or Province(s) India probability for TS is 40% in about 24 hours Green Alert City(s) and Town(s) Barisal (22.7 N, 90.3 E) probability for TS is 45% in about 36 hours Comilla (23.4 N, 91.2 E) probability for TS is 35% in about 36 hours Sittwe (20.1 N, 93.1 E) probability for TS is 35% in about 36 hours Note that Yellow Alert (Elevated) is CAT 1 or above to between 10% and 30% probability, or TS to above 50% probability. Green Alert (Low) is TS to between 31% and 50% probability. CAT 1 means Severe Cyclonic Storm strength winds of at least 74 mph, 119 km/h or 64 knots 1-min sustained. TS means Tropical Storm strength winds of at least 39 mph, 63 km/h or 34 knots 1-min sustained.


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where the solar wind (the charged particles emanating from the sun) starts to vaporize their ice, a so-called 'tail' begins to form which reflects sunlight and makes the comet more visible – at first to telescopes, and then if the ball of ice and rocks is big enough to produce a large tail and close enough to the sun to make it bright enough it will become visible to the naked eye. The 'tail' always streams away from the sun due to the solar wind and is not an indicator of the direction of movement as it will still appear 'ahead' of the comet when it is moving away from the sun. Some comets orbit the sun in hugely elongated orbits, returning time and time again (Halley's Comet takes 70 years to do so), and these are well-known and can be predicted. Comets like ISON however are one time visitors – even if it had survived its near brush with the sun it would simply have got flung back out into deep space never to return again. The outcome for sun-grazer comets is difficult to predict as they get so close to the huge fiery hot sun, its gravity tends to pull them apart and the several thousand degrees heat vaporizes them – survivability is hard to predict. In the distant past there have been comets which appeared so large and bright they could even be seen during the daytime and it was thought this comet might be such a one too (hence the title “Comet of the Century”). Furthermore, it is very rare for a sun-grazer to have been spotted so early before its encounter with the sun, and as excitement mounted in the astronomy world, scientists and space organisations had a lot of time in which to prepare for the comet's passage, planning just how they would observe it and with which satellites at each stage of its journey through the solar system. As Comet ISON got close to the sun it was being carefully monitored by a phalanx of sun-observing satellites, (SOHO, STEREO, SDO) and at first seemed to disappear in what is now believed to be its initial disintegration and to then reappear and disappear again. Even when objects flying through space disintegrate, the debris continues in the original track they were following – in this case the comet debris consisting of rocks and fast melting ice (which is actually sublimating and going from solid to vapour) could have been tumbling and as it did so, parts of it containing remnant ice might have been exposed to the searing blast of the sun's heat in turn to produce the repeated brightening which made scientists think the comet had survived. Even though the comet is mostly ice, it is huge and shedding layers in the form of vaporized ice which removes heat and keeps it relatively cool until all ice has disappeared. Hence there was always a hope the comet would survive – but apparently it did not. While the show for ground observers may be over and 'the comet of the century' may have turned into a non-event, scientists and astronomers are continuing to observe the remnants of dust and how they interact with

the solar wind and even the magnetic field of the sun which gives them far more information than just a glorious fireworks display. Indeed, there were many scientists who had hoped the comet would break up because of what they would learn from this. This comet's visit has been equivalent to sending a spacecraft to meet it without actually doing so and receiving the kind of data that would normally result from such an encounter. However that is exactly what the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission hopes to achieve. It was launched in 2004 to rendezvous with a comet and will arrive there late 2014. It carries a small lander which will separate from the main spacecraft and actually land on the comet – the first space mission to do so. Additionally the year 2014 promises to be good for comet studies as later in the year another comet (Siding Springs) will pass very close to Mars and provide more grist for the mill. Out at sea especially during clear nights such as in a high pressure weather system, the best conditions will be found for observing comets. Unfortunately these details cannot be found on board such as in Almanacs since they are usually short term astronomical objects and anyway cannot be used for navigation.

[The author has a fleeting link with a comet. About 15 years ago NASA was promoting public awareness of their “Stardust” mission, their first dedicated space probe to a comet. They called for a million volunteers online to include their names on a micro-chip which would be carried aboard the spacecraft and returned to earth as part of their public outreach program. The list is displayed on the following NASA web page and the name can be found by using 'search' for “Mehran” - http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/overview/microchip/names2w1.html The Stardust spacecraft was launched in 1999, it successfully met and flew through the tail of Comet Wilde 2 in 2004 and retrieved dust which was returned to earth in 2006 on a sample-return capsule while the main spacecraft flew on for further missions. The micro-chip was to be displayed at an US science museum while the list remains on display to this day at the above web page. Numerous other such space missions have continued to include names of volunteers due to the popularity of such publicity ventures.]

Sent in by Capt. Mehran Wahid

"We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love... and then we return Home." - Aboriginal Philosophy-

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/overview/microchip/names2w1.html


24

NEW CHAIRMAN OF CEYLON SHIPPING CORPORATION Creating a precedence, the Commander of the Sri Lanka Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage was appointed as the Chairman of Ceylon Shipping Corporation with effect from 29

th October 2013. This is in addition to his present duties

as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy. As per newspaper reports, Vice Admiral Colombage who is a friend of CMM and the invited speaker at the 2013 AGM is an expert in maritime security, with a distinguished naval career spanning 34 years. As a renowned scholar of international repute, he has published papers and conducted national-level seminars on maritime security. He is a Fellow of the Nautical Institute of the United Kingdom and currently the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Branch. It is expected that his vast knowledge and professional expertise should effectively contribute to the island-nation working towards being a key maritime hub in the region. After assuming duties as the CSC’s 20

th Chairman, Vice

Admiral Colombage stated that he will do his utmost to develop the company’s stature to new heights emulating the laudable efforts made by the late Ministers Hon. P.B.G. Kalugalle and Hon. Lalith Athulathmudali. He further stated that he would not receive any perks and privileges for his new appointment and it will be his greatest pleasure to render his services for the uplift of the shipping industry in Sri Lanka.

SHIPPING IS A DIFFERENT BALL GAME ALTOGETHER …………………..But

It is not news anymore, the appointment of Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage (JC), the current commander of the Navy, as the Chairman of Ceylon Shipping Corporation (CSC) though opinions, positive and negative of the appointment are yet a hot topic. Jayanath’s association with the Merchant Navy goes a long way back since his contribution to merchant navy particularly in terms of security (ISPS), his association with mariners in the common platform, the Nautical Institute. Yet, it was from out of the blue that the announcement came of the appointment. CSC in seventies and into early eighties was the leading government outfit in terms of the financial bottom line. In fact, CSC was performing far better than the Port Cargo Corporation or any other government organization of that time, thanks to the genuine efforts of all those who contributed and steered the company, the likes of Ranjith De Silva (GM), Muthumala and P.B. Karandawela. It is no secret that CSC lost the freight monopoly in early eighties, which was probably the turning point of CSC. It is arguable that this turning point did not necessarily have to be the turning point, if CSC had a proper business plan in place to face the eventuality. Unfortunately, most of the genuine administrators had left by then and CSC was probably just floating handling day to day affairs with no

real future plans for sustenance and growth until the era of new ship buildings. The writer is yet to see any justification as to why CSC built its first new ships, the gearless Lanka Siri and Lanka Seedevi at a time when Colombo port did not have a single gantry available for container operations. Did any administrator have a plan of national interest (emphasizing National interest not any other interests) then? The slide had begun and the cancer had spread to CSC manning as well where manipulation and politicization had begun too. That was the sad state of affairs throughout the new buildings with only day to day running of a big shipping company. One does not have to be a rocket scientist to realize the fate of CSC without a proper business plan; no doubt then CSC was doomed. CSC had fallen so deep resulting in it not being able to come out of the hole for a long time, in fact it was never in a position to come out. It is in this backdrop that the President may have decided to appoint Vice Admiral Colombage to revive the organization. So what’s the problem. In view of the precedence, some say it is a conflict of interest between the navy and the merchant navy. Possibly the answer is yes but what’s the alternative. One option could be to appoint someone from a strong shipping background. Will it solve the problem? Probably not, as seen with some of those who are occupying big chairs not genuinely interested in job but other interests (hats off to the shipping professionals who genuinely do their job in some big chairs). It is noteworthy to mention here that shipping industry world-wide will be experiencing a heavy shortage of skilled seaman and officers from 2015. Sri Lanka should be able to capitalise on the skilled market shortage and target to have a good slice of the market to give the opportunity for our youngsters to work on foreign ships. The new Chairman is probably the best person who could make it happen. There will be a plenty of pitfalls for the Chairman in the future. He will need to make a careful investigation into the current status of CSC, and not rush into any major decisions. A proper business plan (including a feasibility) before embarking on any project requiring high investments is a must. One advantage the new Chairman will have when wearing the CSC hat, is less political interference due to him being the Commander of Navy. He should drop the Navy hat when comes to the CSC office and wear the CSC hat prior to making any decisions. There will be many who will give advice to him on how to run CSC. Shipping is a very competitive industry with the margins being not very high, therefore each major investment decision will have an impact on the future of CSC and the country and the Chairman should be very mindful of whom he relies on. A genuine track record with ethics is probably where to begin. All in all, given the circumstances, the decision to appoint the Navy Commander as the head of CSC may probably turn out to be a good decision as he is a person with a proven track record and a commitment to make things work out to achieve results. He is also know to be a


25

friendly and amicable person and should be able to rally round the existing staff and the external expertise such as CMM of whom most of the seniors got their first break through CSC and would genuinely offer their expertise. Most importantly, all those in other government establishments who are occupying big chairs and not delivering the goods should consider this appointment as a warning shot fired across the bow! I would like to take this opportunity to wish Vice Admiral Colombage all the very best to make CSC the pride of the nation once more! Send in by a Senior Members who started as a cadet with CSC

PORT AND SHIPPING NEWS

Port of Colombo - New South Port Terminal The Port of Colombo recently commissioned its new Colombo South Port by opening one of its three terminals, the South Terminal, which was completed at an estimated cost of US $ 500 million. The container ship CMA CGM Pegasus which is 363 meters long and can carry over 11000 TEUS was berthed on 05

th August 2103. The

vessel has a summer draft of 15.5 meters though new Colombo port can berth even bigger ships (Triple E Class ships carrying 18000 TEUS and a draft of upto 17.5 meters), now in world-wide service. President Rajapakse was the chief guest for the opening of New South Port Terminal which marked an important milestone in the growth of shipping industry in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka was a pioneer in the region in handling of container ships by converting part of Queens Elizabeth jetty into a container terminal in the mid 1980’s. Sri Lanka Ports Authority has made excellent progress since opening Queen Elizabeth Container terminal. JCT or Jaya Container Terminal was completed in early 1990’s with modern facilities at the time for handling large container ships. Local Shipping experts at the time foresaw the potential of Port of Colombo in terms of its geographical location, being in close proximity to main East / West shipping route, the ability of the Port of Colombo to handle large container ships (even though the Colombo port was built over 100 years ago to cater for much smaller ships) and the forecast growth of container business. No doubt Marine Pilots too over the years have significantly contributed by navigating even bigger ships into the harbour, particularly during South West Monsoon in rough seas and strong winds, day or night, without interruptions to container ships schedules, as maintaining schedule is paramount for any container ship to avoid the domino effect. Now with the commissioning of deep draft Colombo South port, having capability to berth the biggest container ship in the world, and with two more similar terminals to be completed, Colombo has the ability to maintains its

current competitive edge over any other container hub port in the sub continent, particularly Vallarpadam, the port in Kerala off Cochin, which India is currently promoting as a Special Economic Zone. It is interesting to note that approximately 70% of transshipment containers which Colombo currently handles is Indian cargo. India is slowly but steadily progressing in container transshipment business by developing container ports in both its West and East coasts, the latest being converting Chennai Coal terminal into a container terminal. India is promoting Vallarpadam not only as a container hub port but also looking into the future with a proposed Refinery, LNG terminal, Bunkering terminal, Bulk Cargo terminal, Ship Repair Complex, Petro Chemical complex and a terminal for Cruise ships. It is also interesting to note that the Sethusamudram Canal which is currently being dredged, has completed over 50% of its project. Sethusamudram Canal is being dredged in Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka, which will reduce the voyage of a ship sailing from one Indian coast to the opposite coast by over 430 nautical miles or 36 hours. This is a huge reduction sailing time and distance. However, Sethusamudram canal has its own limitations, a major one being the maximum draft allowed being 10 meters, in addition to a speed restriction of 8 Knots. Once the canal is completed and in operation India may have the advantage of speedily transporting East coast containers on feeder ships to Vallarpadam, thereby with the objective of further promoting Vallarpadam as a hub port. However, the biggest drawback appears to be its ability to handle big ships with its draft restrictions, in addition to being located further away from East West shipping route, which adds more time and money for a container ship diverting to Vallarpadam. It will be interesting to know, how India plans to gear up in future to manipulate its container cargo volume now being transshipped via Colombo, also taking into account the high growth forecast in container business in sub continent and using the entire infrastructure currently being built around India. In the meantime, Colombo should be having a smart strategy (including LNG receiving facility as LNG will be the cleaner and cheaper fuel for ships in future) in order to consolidate its current position, advantages of location and deep water harbour. Improving efficiency and productivity to give a faster turnaround to ships is vital too due to ever increasing operation cost of ships, where the ship owner is looking to save every dollar that possibly can.

Sent in by a concerned Member

AND NOW ON TO HAMBANTHOTA

CONGESTION AT HAMBANTOTA PORT: VESSELS ANCHORED IN OUTER HARBOUR AWAIT BUNKERING Expansion on the cards to meet growing demand October 19, 2013, By Suresh Perera


26

It has been quite some time since matters on Hambantota were published in the 8 Bells, but not really so when looking at the interval from the last issue. Many are the debates in parliament where the Opposition has asked many questions on the investment and performance. We will leave it to the readers to judge for themselves after going through 3 articles reproduced from 3 different sources below.

Hambantota Port receives only 24 vessels during 2011-12

Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port (MMRP) in Hambantota has received only 24 vessels in total during the years 2011 and 2012, the latest Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) Annual

Report disclosed. The first phase of MMRP, built using Chinese funding, was opened for operations in November 2010. The port which was touted as a landmark project that could challenge ports in India and Singapore had only received six ships in 2011 and 18 ships in 2012. The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) last year announced that all vessels carrying motor vehicles, except heavy vehicles, would be directed to MMRP in an apparent bid to increase the ship traffic at MMRP. However, the reasons cited were the berthing delays and space constraints at Colombo Port. The total estimated cost of the first phase of MMRP according to the SLPA was US $ 361 million and out of which 85 percent was funded by Exim Bank of China. However, in August 2011, the SLPA said it would need additional funding of US $ 148 million to cover equipment including cranes, cost escalations in building the port and digging the basin and entrance channel. According to the COPE report, the annual interest payable by the SLPA on MMRP amounts to: Rs.2,208 million (2012), Rs.2,479 million (2013), Rs.2,233 million (2014), Rs.1,987 million (2015) and Rs.1,742 million (2016). To increase the income of MMRP, the SLPA said it had invited interested—both local and foreign— parties to set up business within the MMRP premises in two stages. Under the first stage, the Cabinet has approved seven investment proposals and business venture agreements with two of the investors have already been signed. The SLPA has informed the COPE that nine investors had been considered under stage two, who would invest US $ 1,105 million.

The government will go ahead with the proposed expansion of the newly-built, US$ multi-million Hambantota port as more berths are required to handle the prevailing shipping congestion, a top industry official said. "The two existing berths are fully occupied and there are vessels anchored in the outer harbor awaiting bunkering", says Dr. Priyath B. Wickrama, Chairman, Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA). Dismissing as "absolute nonsense" claims that this maritime facility in Sri Lanka’s Southern province is a "white elephant", he asserted that the port is very active now and a few more general cargo

berths are needed to cater to the growing demand from shippers.

As a regional transhipment port, Hambantota offers

immense potential, the Chairman underscored. "After

Phase 11 of this ambitious project is completed, we can

go for more shipping lines and generate greater volumes

of business". The Hambantota port, built at an estimated cost of US$ 361 million by M/s China Harbor Engineering Company and Sinohydro Corporation Joint Venture, began in January 2008 and was completed within the targeted 39 months. Reacting further to flak that "Hambantota is a port without vessels", Wickrama said, "The port is now doing brisk business. As a long-term infrastructure development project, it took us some time to reach full capacity. After three years, the port has now reached its full potential". Referring to the Jaya Terminal of the Colombo port, he pointed out that it was after a lapse of 20 years that the one million TEU (container) target was achieved. It took another four years for this turnout to climb to six million. Long-term infrastructure development projects such as ports do not achieve their full potential overnight, the SLPA boss continued. "It takes time and the wait pays in the end". "These are huge investments. The benefits of long-term developments projects are passed on to future generations. They are for posterity. We are now reaping the full benefits of such projects launched years ago", Wickrama noted. It is unfortunate that there people who project a negative image without understanding the fundamentals of a long-term infrastructure development project, he opined. "We have to move step by step with confidence".

Q: At the Hambantota port, how many new berths are

you looking at to handle the growing demand?

A: Three more general cargo berths. We will need seven

to meet the demand over the next 10 years. Thereafter,

we have to expand again. This is considered a free port

and there is significant investor interest in the zone itself.

Q: Does this port have the depth to accommodate any

wide-bodied, modern vessel?

A: Yes, it can handle any big ship. In fact, there are only

15 ports of this depth in the world which can take in the

big vessels. Even ports in some developed countries don’t

have the depth and crane reach to handle wide-bodies

vessels. We have installed cross cranes at an enormous height. The Colombo port has the world’s largest cranes. Q: How would you respond to criticism that Hambantota was not a suitable location for a port?

A: This is totally unfounded. This was the best location for

a port in Sri Lanka. Around 1,000-2,000 years ago one of

the world’s busiest ports was at located at a place called

Godavaya, about 2-3 km from the present site.

Hambantota at the time was the main base for trading. It

was after colonization that Colombo and Galle were

converted as their bases.

http://www.dailymirror.lk/business/economy/32866-hambantota-port-receives-only-24-vessels-during-2011-12-.html

http://www.dailymirror.lk/business/economy/32866-hambantota-port-receives-only-24-vessels-during-2011-12-.html


27

Building Hambantota port now is “debatable” says expert By Sunimalee Dias

An international shipping expert and academic has found it “debatable” as to whether it’s the right time to construct a new port–, referring to the country’s Hambantota port, due to market instability.

“Whether it’s the right time is very debatable as the lead time is five or eight

years but in the meantime we have had the worst shipping market caused by the world recession and consequently markets have collapsed,” Bruce Ogilvy, International Vice President of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (UK) said in an interview last week in Colombo with the Business Times.

Mr. Ogilvy arrived in the country on invitation from the ICS in Sri Lanka for their annual awards ceremony where was the chief guest. He observed that if the markets proved to be good when the Hambantota port started then it would have been good however, today it would be hard to convince major companies to actually start using the port as a container port.

Commenting on the prospects of the new port, Mr. Ogilvy said it would be able to cater to the largest containers in the world but noted the government would have to take an effort to ensure adequate education and training was provided for those entering the sector. He explained that in a bid to establish a hub status in the country it was important to concentrate on these two areas in shipping as this would prove beneficial in

competing with their counterparts in Singapore, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

With the markets “disastrous” due to very low freight levels in all sectors it was pointed out that ship’s assets have declined resulting in a number of ship owners facing issues. This is mainly due to ship mortgages taking a different

stance since banks have now begun to realign the value of ships in terms of today’s markets, Mr. Ogilvy explained. However, the expert noted that there was an interesting development this time despite the market downturn, that ship owners were not slashing their education and training budget.

The annual awards ceremony of the Sri Lanka Branch was held on February 15 to felicitate the successful candidates of the international examination conducted by the ICS UK.


28

Only for the “Cricket Crazy”

CMM’s Annual Festival of Cricket with the Marine Engineers held at the Wesley College Cricket Ground on 18

th November 2012, jointly organized by IMarEST (SL),

SOCHEM and CMM. This is a quote from the last edition of 8 Bells for the benefit of our new members. The carnival continues, gathering popularity and enjoying increased participation each year. The history book was re-written in 2011, with CMM winning the main GL trophy after a lapse of 3 years. CMM Ladies did much better and with a great on-field performance, broke the Engineer Ladies unbeaten record after 08 years and taking the DNV Trophy.

The Annual Encounter between CMM and IMarEST/SOCHEM commenced in 2003. This was limited to the main encounter and a few fun events for the children. However, as the years passed, it became a “Big match” that everyone looked forward to. Subsequently, the popular the Ladies, Children’s and Senior Mariner's events were introduced year by year. The Classification Societies DNV, LRS, BV and IRS joined hands with IMarEST, SOCHEM and CMM by way of sponsorships. Tanthri Marine led the way in the inclusion of the future generations and extended their support for Maritime students to take part. The first match was between the University of Moratuwa (NDT) and TTI in 2007. UoM won

the trophy consecutively in the years 2007, 2008 and 2009. In 2009, CINEC Students were invited along with Lanka Academy to join in. CINEC team was the runner-up in 2009 and went on to win the final in 2011. In case you are wondering about 2010, the games had to be cancelled due to inclement weather inundating the grounds. Colombo experienced heavy rainfall in the preceding days. Now back to the prestigious GL main trophy. The record books indicate the winners as follows. Inaugural match in 2003 was won by CMM who followed it up with another win in 2004. The tide turned soon after with SOCHEM/IMar EST winning in 2005, 2006 and 2007. After a bitter battle, CMM regained the GL Trophy in 2008 only to lose it in 2009. IMarEST looked after the trophy for

another year due to rain being a spoiler in 2010 (Water polo was

seriously considered

that year!). Team CMM did their

members proud by

winning back the trophy in 2011. We wish our Cricketers the best of luck to keep the trophy with CMM at the next

encounter. Unquote: Now back to the last encounter. The toss was won by CMM who elected to field on a spicy batting track. Frsh with the renewed energy of the previous match victory, CMM fired all guns but could not restrict the Engineers total of 208 for 6 wkts, thanks mainly to two big innings by Lanka who made 59 inclusive of 7 sixers and Navaratne who made a breezy 61 inclusive of 7 sixers. Going for a strong reply, CMM faltered on the way losing 3

quick wickets to be 68/3 in the 7th over, but Nandika Peiris

performed a near miracle in scoring a new ground and match record of 143 not out. Nandika was ably supported by Prasanna Sedrick who made 29 to keep the partnership going until sight of victory. Summary of scores are as follows: Main T20 match. Engineers 208/6 (20.0 Overs)- Herath 13, Tanuja 29, Lanka 59, Kingsley 28, Navaratne 61, (extras 15) Bowling : Senaka 2/34, Peiris 3/31, Nandika 1/37 CMM 209/3 (19 overs) - Nandika 143 n.o.,Senaka 07, Sedrick 29 and Nishantha 07 n.o. (extras 14) Bowling : Tanuja 1/35, Navaratne 3/48 Result - CMM won by 07 wickets.


29

Seniors – CMM Vs Chief Engineers The Senior Engineers won the toss and not having learnt from the last match, still elected to field. The CMM Seniors, aided by 33 extras, scored 84 for the loss of 2 wickets in 6 overs with Nalaka scoring 31 and Hettiarachchi scoring 13. The Senior Engineers, aided by 16 extras, scored 53 for the loss of 3 wickets. Final Match (Students) - CINEC Vs TTI Katunayake In the triangular in which UoM, TTI and CINEC took part, the final was between CINEC and TTI. CINEC, who won the toss, elected to bat and posted a total of 62 in their allocated 6 overs, losing 4 wickets in the process. Siriwardena excelled hitting 3 sixers in his unbeaten knock of 21, whilst Thilina who opened the innings scored 18 runs. TTI could muster only 52 runs for the of 2 wickets in their allocated overs amidst some tight bowling and fielding. Openers Janith scored 30 and Lakshan scored 14 for TTI. Children’s U15 Match for the IRS Trophy. Children of Engineers batted first and scored 34/5 in their allotted 6 overs. This time the opening pair of CMM children did the honours and comfortably got home in 2.3 overs with Rashmal scoring 16 n.o. and Nisal scoring 14 n.o.

Sent in by “Power Play”

# The most important thing in any game is not to win but to take part… Similarly, the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle…. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of Trial and Suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved."

THE TALE OF THE MISSING DENTURES – AN EMBARRASSING INCIDENT ON BOARD

As soon as the ship berthed, the local customs boarded to conduct a search for smuggled drugs. They pulled the deckheads and bulkheads apart with professional thoroughness and fitted them back again with matching expertise. The crew was annoyed at the inconvenience caused, except for one solitary seaman who had had his dentures stolen one night by a cheeky rodent prom its place inside a glass of water. His embarrassment and anger at the resulting jokes and nicknames from his mates was finally put to rest when a customs officer found the valued object deposited in the rodent's treasure trove within a deckhead. Contributed by Doyne E Joachim from Kings Langley, NSW Australia.

IT RAINED FROGS – SOUTH CHINA

SEAS EXPERIENCE

When my good friend Rohith, who keeps me updated on

local happenings while I am posted in Germany, wrote to

me that there had recently been green rain, yellow rain

and red rain in Sri Lanka, I pointed out that the residents

who experienced this were luckier than I was! When my

vessel was in the South China Seas close to the Chinese

coast I experienced a rain of tiny frogs! Tiny, horrible slimy

creatures they were, falling from the sky in their

thousands during a thunderstorm. There were so many of

the frogs on all the outside decks that they had to be

washed off

with the fire-

hoses. Until

then, walking

around

resulted in an

unpleasant

squishing

sound!

The main

quality of

these frogs

however is

that they were


30

small and light. Tornadoes are violent powerful localized

low pressure systems which are capable of sucking up

very large objects and lifting them off the ground with their

fast vertically moving winds. Waterspouts however, are

weaker similar systems forming over water and which can

even pass over marshy land from where small objects like

these frogs or even fish are carried up even into the

clouds and deposited with rain far off, sometimes in the

frozen state!

While it's not the most common weather phenomenon in

the world, it is not as rare as you may think. It happens all

over the world, at least since the first century A.D. -- when

the Roman naturalist known as Pliny the Elder described

the event - and as recently as 2005 in Serbia.

You might hear a report of raining frogs -- and other unexpected objects, some not even organic -- at least once a decade or so. Amphibian rain seems to be picking up in frequency. In the last 20 years, newspapers have mentioned more about frogs falling from the sky. For unknown reasons, Britain appears to be especially susceptible in recent years. That final scene in the 1999 film "Magnolia," which left most movie goers jaw-droppingly disgusted and a little impressed, is fairly really how it is! Sent in by Capt Mehran Wahid From Bremen

FOR CMM PARENTS AND THEIR KIDS NEVER GIVE UP….. NO MATTER WHAT……..THE MOTIVATOR…. TRUE STORY DOWN UNDER Life is all about overcoming hurdles, whether or not one is at sea. All hurdles are of a different kind from one another in magnitude; no doubt some being huge. Challenges at sea can be much more severe than ashore. Motivation is the key to come out from any hole one is in; no matter what “never give up”. This is a true incident of a 21 year old man who used to abuse drugs and alcohol, falling off a cliff. He sustained shocking injuries, yet went through the recovery process by motivating himself and 20 years later ended up as a motivational speaker for university students in Australia. It was just another day back in 1989 for three young men in Victoria Australia, having a bit of fun as usual, this time on a cliff overlooking the beautiful ocean. Suddenly, one of them fell from the cliff 30 metres down on to the rocky beach below. One quickly ran down to help the man and commenced CPR straightaway, while the other called the emergency services. Despite the two friends witnessing horrific injuries, a shattered skull though closed injuries (skin intact fortunately), blood and cerebrospinal fluid

coming out of his ears and nose, the two friends commenced with CPR and continued for 45 minutes until the paramedics help arrived. The injured man was flown to a hospital by a helicopter. The extent of injuries was of severe magnitude, a dislocated and fractured spine, ruptured internal organs etc. He spent five days in a coma and spent seven months undergoing treatment in three different hospitals prior to recovering to a certain extent that he could go home. He lost a lot of weight during his hospital time, down to about 53 kg which is pretty light for a six footer. He lost the ability to speak, read and write, was in constant pain and not able to move about freely. Simple day –to - day tasks anyone would take for granted, such as dressing himself became a huge task for him. His life was shattered and he went through depression, fear, panic and rage. Speech pathologists and Neurosurgeons at the time were not much client focused unlike nowadays resulting in him having to undergo so many difficulties. Despite all obstacles and hurdles, he refused to surrender and committed himself to the path of recovery by motivating himself. He never gave up and committed himself on recovery for 10 years until he rebuilt his life. It was very tough for him, as one could imagine. Now that he has achieved his first major goal of rebuilding his life in terms of injuries, speaking, reading and writing etc., he committed himself to the path of economic recovery. He started talking to people about his tough life and motivated youngsters. He has a passion for motivating people and started his own business motivating people, employed by some of the leading universities such as University of Queensland (UQ) to motivate university students. Recently he delivered a speech to Speech Pathology students in UQ. He has written a book too “Bouncing Back When You Hit Rock Bottom”. So folks, no matter what never give up despite what the challenge is. Just Do it! Sent in By Capt. Chandra Godakanda Arachchi from down under

ONE FOR THE ROAD Be careful as Cops are on the prowl for drunken driving… news broadcasts on radio confirm more than 600 offenders caught in the 3 days from Christmas, and news on the grapevine indicates one CMM Member among them! So, if you really want to enjoy a drink, ask your wife to drive! Better not take a cab as there was a person who took a cab home and next morning had forgotten at which place he parked his car! Happy motoring all!

PERMANENT NOTICE - for non-life members only! Kindly contact the Treasurer Capt.Palitha de Lanerolle or Asst.Treasurer Capt. Rohith Fernando to check if your subscriptions are due. Thank you.

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