Issue 223 may/jun 2013

Los artículos en español aparecen en las páginas 6 y 7

The Sea

Editor: Michael KeatingNews: David Hughes

The Sea is distributed free to seafarers through chaplains and seafarers’ centres. You can also arrange to receive it regularly at a cost of £3.50 or $5 per year (six issues). To find out more, contact:

Michael Keating, The Sea, The Mission to Seafarers, St Michael Paternoster Royal, College Hill, London, UK EC4R 2RL

Tel: +44 20 7248 5202

Email: Michael.Keating@missiontoseafarers.org

www.missiontoseafarers.org

�

Are ships too big to save?pages 4/5

Somali piracy on the declinepage 2

Статьи на русском языке приводятся на стр. 6 и 7

New on board fitness programme for seafarers launched

‘Missile case’ officers cleared

Seafarers need MLC knowledge page 3

Registered charity in England and Wales: 1123613

The Mission to Seafarers Scotland Limited,Registered charity: SC041938

A NEW web-based fitness scheme for seafarers has been launched “to persuade seafarers to pursue a healthy lifestyle and to help them to understand the link between physical training, nutrition, and fatigue”.

Training on Board is free to use and is run by the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) and funded by the ITF Seafarers’ Trust.

Seafarers can use an online calculator to work out their starting fitness then follow a programme of exercise specially developed for use on board ship. Users can record their workouts to document their progress.

As an added incentive to get fit, the scheme encourages crews to compete against each other.

Results are displayed on a league table online at www.trainingonboard.org.

After MSC Napoli ran aground in 2007, its containers washed up on a public beach, revealing discrepancies between the ship’s paperwork and its actual cargo. The Global Shippers’ Forum has now launched a new safety campaign to help prevent inaccurate descriptions and weights being included on ships’ manifests in a bid to improve safety at sea and to prevent incidents similar to the MSC Napoli accident from happening again. Full story on P2 (Photo: Reuters)

Founded in 1856, and entirely funded by voluntary donations, today’s Mission to Seafarers offers emergency assistance, practical support, and a friendly welcome to crews in 260 ports around the world. Whether caring for victims of piracy or providing a lifeline to those stranded in foreign ports, we are there for the globe’s 1.3 million merchant seafarers of all ranks, nationalities and beliefs.

The Mission to Seafarers

THE master and chief officer of the Isle of Man-flag, 3,810gt Thor Liberty have been cleared of criminal charges by a Finnish appeal court after missiles and explosives were discovered on the ship in December 2011.

The ruling overturned an earlier judgement in which the two men were fined for failing to ensure that their ship was seaworthy before sailing from Germany.

The men’s lawyers argued that they had not committed any offences under Finnish law and that the explosive consignments, although not correctly stowed in the ship’s containers, had not posed a danger to the lives of the ship’s crew.

THE Inte rnat iona l M a r i t i m e Organization (IMO)

has pledged its support for the implementation of a new Code of Conduct on the prevention and repression of piracy, armed robbery against ships and illicit maritime activity in west and central Africa.

The new Code was adopted at a ministerial meeting in Cotonou, Benin, and is expected to be opened for signature at the meeting of the Heads of State and Government of Central and West African States planned to be held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in May this year.

Welcoming the adoption of the Code, IMO secretary-general Koji Sekimizu said: “IMO has been working for a number of years with international development partners on a number of activities aimed at enhancing the ability of individual states in the region to build a sustainable marit ime capacity.

“We look forward to continuing to work with t h e m t o s u p p o r t t h e implementation of this Code

and to repress piracy, armed robbery against ships and other illicit maritime activity off the coasts of west and central Africa.”

T h e C o d e w a s developed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Communi ty

of Central African States (ECCAS) in response to UN Security Council resolutions expressing concern over the threats that piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea pose to international navigation, security and the economic development of states in the region. The

resolutions encouraged the relevant countries to develop a comprehensive strategy and framework to counter piracy and armed robbery, and to build on existing initiatives, such as those under the auspices of IMO.

IMO assisted ECOWAS in the drafting of the Code, which incorporates elements o f the IMO-deve loped Djibouti Code of Conduct, which was signed by 20 states in the region, as well as the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed by 15 of the region’s 20 coastal states, that aims to establish an integrated coastguard network in the area.

T h e C o d e r e q u i r e s s i g n a t o r i e s t o s h a r e intelligence, intercept suspect ships or aircraft, apprehend and prosecute suspects and to protect and care for victims of maritime crime.

IMO is also helping the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) and the Government of Ghana to develop the Maritime Trade Information Sharing Centre (MTISC) in Ghana.

Continued on P2

IMO chief Koji Sekimizu (Photo: IMO)

IMO gives support to new West Africa piracy code

Code aims to prevent piracy and armed robbery as threat continues to grow in the area

2 the sea may/jun 13

Chemical tanker safety notes

Pilot ladder rigging dangersRIGGING a pilot ladder while working over the side of a ship can be a hazardous task and it is imperative that all the precautions necessary to prevent a person falling overboard are taken, according to an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) inquiry into a fatal accident in November 2011.

A wave knocked the seafarer off containership MSC Siena’s accommodation ladder while he was rigging a combination pilot ladder in preparation to embark a harbour pilot off Fremantle.

An immediate search for the seafarer was initiated by Australian search and rescue agencies but the search was unsuccessful.

The ATSB’s investigation found that a risk assessment for the task of rigging the pilot ladder was not undertaken and a number of precautions, including taking into account the poor weather conditions, were not taken.

With regard to this task, the ship’s safety management system was not effectively implemented and documented procedures, including issuing a work permit, were not followed, measures which could have prevented this accident.

Number of worldwide pirate attacks continues to fall

Somali pirates now being faced with ‘effective’ counter-measures

THE measures in place against Somalia-based piracy are having a

marked effect, but continued v i g i l a n c e i s e s s e n t i a l , according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

An IMB spokesperson told The Sea that, as of early April there had been just five attacks reported this year and only one hijacking – of a dhow – which was quickly retaken by naval forces.

T h r e e f a c t o r s w e r e combining to make the Somali pirates’ “business model” less a t t ract ive , discouraging the money men behind the pirate gangs from financing the raids, said the IMB spokesperson. The IMB went on to say that the naval presence was “vital” and the interception of gangs at sea, leading to the destruction of pirate skiffs and equipment,

was having a beneficial effect. The hardening of merchant ships and the widespread use of armed guards was also making life much more difficult for the gangs.

The other factor coming into play was the increasing effectiveness of the Somali Government’s on-shore measures, including a recent amnesty for young pirates. Nevertheless, five vessels and 65 hostages were still being held by Somali pirates as the The Sea went to press.

Ken Peters, director of justice and welfare at The Mission to Seafarers, said: “The international community should not be lulled into reducing anti-piracy resources based on very recent trends in the incidents of attack. Seafarers still need significant protection.”

In 2012, Somali pirates

forced owners and insurers to pay about US$31.75m, according to a new report from Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP). The Economic Cost of Somali Piracy 2012 notes that this represents an 80 per cent decline compared to 2011, when $159.62m was handed over. However, the cost to the international community remains considerable. The report estimates the overall cost for 2012 to be close to $6bn, a fall of about $1bn from 2011.

The report conf i rms n o t a b l e g a i n s a t s e a , achieved mostly by private armed security guards and by aggressive naval activity. But, says the report, while the numbers of attacks and hostages held by Somali pirates are down significantly, seafarers being held hostage face deplorable conditions.

The report’s author, Jon Bellish, said: “The money spent fighting pirates has started to pay off, but even with fewer attacks reported in 2012 there was very little movement of resources toward investing in the long-term solution ashore.”

Among the many figures presented in the report, seafarers collectively earned an additional $471m in hazard pay for transiting the High Risk Area (HRA) in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea.

The most pronounced increase in the cost of piracy was a result of the increased number of armed guards used to protect merchant vessels transiting the HRA.

The report estimates up to $1.5bn may have been spent on armed guards in 2012, roughly three times as much as the 2011 figure, $530.6m.

A NEW comprehensive information paper on the requirements for Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for chemical tankers has been published by a key group of shipping organisations.

The paper outlines the key information that should be contained in an SDS and is intended to serve as a single point of reference for seafarers, owners and shippers.

It has been produced jointly by: tanker owners’ body INTERTANKO; the International Parcel Tankers Association (IPTA); the Chemical Distribution Institute (CDI); the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic); and the Dangerous Goods Advisory Council (DGAC).

The paper can be downloaded from the INTERTANKO website, www.intertanko.com

Garbage training scheme launchedDISTANCE-learning provider Videotel says new updates to international anti-pollution regulations that entered into force on January 1 have “revolutionised the way the industry must look at the issue of waste disposal”.

Garbage is not high on the agenda for many senior executives in most businesses according to Videotel Marine International, which has produced a new garbage management training package.

The company’s managing director, Nigel Cleave, says: “The whole onus of responsibility has changed. Effectively, the regulations are now about preventing the discharge of waste at sea. Port State control officers are empowered to inspect ships for compliance.

“Where there is clear evidence that the master and crew are not familiar with procedures relating to the prevention of pollution by garbage, the vessel can be detained until this is rectified.”

An EU NAVFOR boarding team investigates a suspicious vessel in the High Risk Area (Photo: EU NAVFOR)

Watch out for diversACCIDENTS to divers carrying out underwater inspections or maintenance work on ships are often due to a crew member overlooking the fact that the work is under way, and performing a task that could injure or kill somebody in the water, according to liability insurer the London Club.

The insurer says diving should only be carried out under the control of the ship’s permit to work system.

New dangerous cargoUNTIL recently mill scale was regarded as a waste product of the steel milling industry but increasingly the iron oxide flakes are being refined and traded globally.

Liability insurer the London Club warns that carried by ship as bulk cargo, mill scale can, if wet, behave like a liquid and become a dangerous cargo.

The insurer says that unless testing proves otherwise mill scale should be treated as a Group A cargo under the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code.

IMO said: “Following its successful operational trial during a recent naval exercise, it is intended that the MTISC

will become operational as soon as possible. It is intended that the MTISC will receive and promulgate information

to and from merchant shipping operating in the area in order to assist them to develop situational awareness.”

IMO gives support to new anti-piracy codeContinued from P1

A NEW safety campaign addresses growing concerns about incorrect and misleading descriptions and inaccurate weights being declared in manifests and so putting ships in danger.

The Global Shippers’ Forum (GSF), representing the owners and forwarders of cargo, has launched an initiative to make sure cargo shipments are safe before they are loaded on to ships.

The GSF says: “Shippers have a legal and moral obligation to ensure that when goods are presented for shipment they are correctly declared, stowed and secured in compliance with international rules and standards. While the vast majority of shippers comply with the rules, it is a regrettable fact that instances of misdeclaration and poor standards of loading and securing take place. Much of this is down to a lack of understanding of the rules and packing and securing know-how.”

The shippers’ body has pledged its strong support for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and especially

for its Maritime Safety Committee’s work on issues such as verification of weight declarations. It also praises the “excellent work” undertaken by the International Labour Organization and the UN Economic Commission for Europe and IMO in finalising a new code of practice for the safe stowage and securing of transport units. The GSF is urging all three UN organisations to ratify the new code in 2013 so that this can enter into force in 2014.

The issue was highlighted by the 2007 MSC Napoli incident when it became clear that many consignments, including those of hazardous materials, on the 4,400 teu containership had not been properly declared. The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report into why the ship started to crack in rough weather and had to be deliberately run aground found that mis-declaration of the weight and contents of the ship’s containers was a contributory factor to the accident.

Continued from P1

Shippers’ group starts new cargo safety campaign

may/jun 13 the sea 3

Fatal collision off Singapore coast

New study shows seafarers still do not know much about the impact the MLC will have ahead of its introduction on August 20

Seafarers ‘need to know more’ about the MLC

Call for casualty report to be published

SEAFARERS s t i l l do not think they know enough about what the

Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) will mean to them when it comes into force on August 20 this year, according to a new survey.

The survey, commissioned by the German Seaman’s Mission, showed that while 95 per cent of the 116 seafarers questioned agreed working conditions for seafarers needed improving, a third still did not feel they knew enough about what the MLC would mean to them. For example, they didn’t know how it would create minimum standards for working and living conditions, or improve safety.

When asked what their expectations were regarding improvements to the i r

working lives under the MLC, comments included: “We have no life on board, it is hell . Working and sleeping like in jail,” and, “I expect that everything will be in order if MLC will be implemented fully, because some companies are abusing seafarers [to cut costs].”

Despite difficulties of access to the internet at sea the seafarers surveyed, who included Filipinos, Germans, Indians, Swedes and Russians, said they wanted to be able to find MLC information online. “We need wif-fi and free internet in all ports so we know more about the MLC,” said one participant.

Ken Peters, director of justice and welfare at The Mission to Seafarers, and an ILO-accredited trainer of trainers on matters related to

the MLC, commented: “There is little point in providing for seafarers’ rights and the responsibility of the industry towards them if seafarers remain unaware of the MLC.

“The industry real ly does need to ensure that the provisions of the MLC are known and understood by seafarers.”

M e a n w h i l e , v a r i o u s sources of information about the MLC are being distributed to maritime employers. For example, mutual l iabil ity insurer the UK Club is providing a package of the International Shipping Federation’s (ISF) guide publication, Guidelines on the Application of the ILO Maritime Labour Conventions (2nd edition) and the Lloyd’s Register/UK Club ILO MLC Pocket Checklist to help ensure

its members’ compliance.UK Club Loss Prevention

director Karl Lumbers said: “The MLC represents a significant change to the regulation of employment terms and working conditions for seafarers. It consolidates and updates more than 65 international labour standards adopted over the last 80 years. For the first time, it creates a system of certification and inspection to enforce those standards.”

He added that the vast majority of the club’s members should not find it difficult to comply with MLC standards. “But,” he noted, “the system of enforcement is new and it would be frustrating for our owners to face detention due to simple teething problems with documentation or other proofs of compliance.”

THE International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), which represents shipowners, has called for new measures to ensure that the results of casualty investiga-tions are published and important safety lessons are not missed.

In February the ICS board reviewed the con-tinuing response at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to the Costa Concordia cruise ship tragedy, and welcomed the proposals that have so far been taken forward relating to passenger safety and evacuation procedures. But the ICS also said that the incident highlighted the seemingly inade-quate obligations on the part of flag states to submit the results of accident investigations to IMO.

Nautilus general sec-retary Mark Dickinson said he welcomed the ICS intervention, which followed the union’s recent renewed calls for Panama to publish a long-awaited report on the loss of the livestock carrier Danny F II in 2009.

“It is appalling that major flag states are failing to publish the results of investigations and we fully support the ICS on this issue,” Mr Dickinson added.

ONE seafarer was killed and five were rescued when the Indone-sia-flag coaster Budi Jasa 18 sank following a collision in Singapo-rean waters.

The Budi Jasa 18 sank as a result of a collision in the West Keppel Fairway with the ferry Sea Hawk, which was on her way out from Pasir Panjang Ferry Terminal to Pulau Bukom.

Eight of the Sea Hawk’s 200 passengers were injured in the accident and were sent to local hospitals for medical treatment.

The search and res-cue operation, which involved several patrol craft and divers, was co-ordinated by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.

THE Russian President, Vladimir Putin, is thought to have become involved in the case of 15 Russian seafarers held in Lagos, Nigeria, since October 20, 2012 after they were accused of the illegal possession of arms.

The detention of the Myre Seadiver, owned by the Russian-based Moran Security Group (Moran), was widely reported to be on the agenda during Mr Putin’s visit to Nigeria in late March, although there have been no reports as to whether discussions actually took place.

A court hearing, set for April 10, was postponed until April 30 because, an owner’s representative told The Sea, the judge due to hear the case was “unavailable”.

The Cook Island-flag 541gt vessel was being used for anti-piracy operations off West Africa and had been at Lagos for about a month for maintenance and a crew change. She was about to sail from Lagos when she was seized by the

Nigerian navy. As of mid-April the ship was still being held.

Moran says the men were kept in a Lagos prison without charge until February, when they were accused of illegal entry into the country and arms smuggling and now face possible life imprisonment. They were then released on bail to Russia’s ambassador.

A Nigerian Navy spokesperson, Lieutenant Commander Jerry Omodara, was reported to have said: “Preliminary investigations show that the MV Myre Seadiver was laden with assorted weapons. There is no indication that the vessel was authorised to come into Nigeria, and worse still, to carry arms.”

However, Moran spokesperson Alexey Maximov said: “The vessel called at the Port of Lagos with all Customs paperwork in place and I possess all the appropriate documentation for presentation. A declaration of the weaponry on board was made clear in

that paperwork in advance of arriving at the Port of Lagos and the crew had valid Nigerian visas. It is a fact that the crew boarded the ship at the Port of Lagos after flying into Nigeria through Lagos and entering the country through the airport’s border control which they could not have done without visas.”

A spokesperson for the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) told The Sea: “Assistance is being given by the ITF-affiliated Seafarers’ Union of Russia, and the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme is also helping.”

Commenting on the issue, Ken Peters, director of justice and welfare at The Mission to Seafarers, said: “For anti-piracy measures to have the desired effect, such as the protection of seafarers, coastal states need to facilitate agreed measures and ease the process and not unduly hinder efforts to protect seafarers. Partnerships are needed for a robust and effective resources.”

Anti-piracy crew’s vessel held by Nigerian authorities

‘Magic pipe’ case companies finedIN A recent ‘magic pipe’ case two Columbia Shipmanagement group companies admitted that three oil tankers and one containership had intentionally bypassed required pollution pre-vention equipment and falsified oil record books over a period of several years.

The cases involved senior officers lying to the US Coast Guard and ordering junior crew members to do the same.

In a plea agreement, German-based Colum-bia Shipmanagement (Deutschland) and Cyprus-based Columbia Shipmanagement agreed to pay a US$10.4m penalty fine and also to be placed on probation for four years.

The guilty pleas were entered before a US district judge in Newark federal court and sen-tencing has been set for June 24.

During the proba-tion, both companies will be subject to the terms of an environ-mental compliance programme that requires outside audits by an in-dependent company and oversight by a court-ap-pointed monitor.

New VLCC design to reduce ballast weightJAPANESE classification society Class NK has given approval in prin-ciple to a new VLCC design developed by Namura Shipbuilding, in co-operation with the Shipbuilding Research Centre of Japan.

The design incorpo-rates a “revolutionary” new hull form and reduces the weight of ballast water required in normal ballast con-ditions by around 65 per cent. This will pave the way for the use of smaller ballast water treatment systems and reducing fuel con-sumption.

The development is important because ship operators will soon have to comply with the strict standards of the Ballast Water Management Conven-tion, which is expected to be ratified and enter into force soon.

Uncertainty about how to meet the

Convention’s technical standards, coupled with the high cost of installing ballast water treatment equipment, is widely seen as the most pressing challeng-es facing shipowners today.

Thomson Majesty lifeboat accidents deaths probed

AN OFFICIAL Maltese inquiry into a fatal accident during a lifeboat drill on February 10 has found that the falls were severely corroded.

Five seafarers died during the lifeboat drill on board the Malta-flag cruise ship Thomson Majesty at Santa Cruz de la Palma in the Canary Islands. Three Indonesians, a Filipino and a Ghanaian died and three crew members were injured when the falls snapped as the lifeboat was being

recovered from the water, causing it to plunge 20m into the sea and land upside down.

Malta’s Maritime Safety Investigation Unit (MSIU) has issued a safety alert following the discovery of significant corrosion on inner strands of the fall wire. The investigation is continuing and the full safety investigation report will be made publicly available on completion.

Meanwhile, says the MSIU, all

owners and masters should be alert for the potential hazards related to fall wire failure. The report states they should “ensure that the falls are continuously well lubricated with an approved type of grease, particularly those areas that are difficult to inspect, where the falls pass through and around sheaves”.

The MSIU also instructs crews to “inspect regularly, frequently and thoroughly all visible parts of wire falls in order to detect general deterioration and deformation, including corrosion, abrasion, and mechanical damage”.

It also reminds seafarers to review the International Maritime Organization’s circular, Measures to Prevent Accidents with Lifeboats and act accordingly.

The director of justice and welfare at The Mission to Seafarers, Ken Peters, said: “The health and safety of crew and passengers should be the highest priority for a cruise company. This tragic incident should focus the corporate mind on seaworthiness.”

After the accident, The Mission to Seafarers launched a fundraising appeal to support the families of those who lost their lives. For details, visit www.missiontoseafarers.org/thomson.

Thomson Majesty in port following the accident in February 2013 (Photo: AP)

4 the sea may/jun 13

NEWS MICHAEL GREY

Mission aids abandoned crew in Kenya

BEN BAILEY

Fighting for what’s due to our seafarers

Are ships too big to save?As ships continue to get bigger and bigger, and crews get smaller and smaller, Michael Grey asks: what can seafarers really do when things go wrong on board?

N OWHERE is the fight for crew’s wages tougher than in the ports where The

Mission to Seafarers works in the Middle East.

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE) especially, our traditional model of ship visiting and provid-ing seafarers’ centres and access to communication has been over-taken by the need for a roaming counselling service and assistance in securing what seafarers are rightfully entitled to.

The Mission also runs the world’s only purpose-built seafar-ers’ support vessel in the world, the Flying Angel, from the port of Fujairah, enabling seafarers with-out access to shore leave to spend some time off their ships, talk to their families and pick up extra supplies.

Unions are not recognised in this part of the world and the Mission provides the only full-time help on offer. The welfare team covers the entire UAE which can see them drive two hours north to Ras al-Khaimah or two hours south to the bright lights of Abu Dhabi, and with at least three new cases a week, there is always a lot to do.

Such is the need in this part

of the world that I headed out to the UAE to meet our chaplains to see for myself the problems non-payment brings – not only to seafarers, but for their families back home.

“We are owed three months’ wages, and only receive fresh sup-plies when the owner remembers,” a Filipino seafarer tells me as we stand on the desert quayside in Ras al-Khaimah, and he’s not alone.

“There are some pretty nasty people about,” says the Revd Dr Paul Burt, senior chaplain of The Mission to Seafarers in Dubai. “The seafarers we assist are not working for big multinational companies. They’re in the employ of very small, often local companies who maybe own one or two ships. Crews put up with it because it’s the only way they know how to support their families.”

On a bright, sunny morning I drove to the port of Hamriyah to meet seafarers with Fr John van Deerlin, who’s been working in the region for over 30 years. As the Mission’s manager and case work-er, he cuts an authoritative figure on the UAE maritime scene with his long grey hair, dark sunglasses and fluent Arabic.

At the port gates, the ISPS Code seems to have been forgotten. Cars queue off into the distance when a guard appears, writes us an entry ticket and takes our admission fee. I’m momentarily confused and wonder if Fr John has taken the wrong exit and that we have, in fact, arrived at a theme park.

But all thoughts of a nice day out are soon washed away as Fr John explains the role of the Mis-sion in the UAE.

“There are many places a ship-owner can hide, but once we’ve started an investigation, we do our best to hunt them down, but we never promise the seafarers any-thing,” he says. “The best we can do is collect the facts and sit down with shipowners and managers and try to find a solution.”

The Mission doesn’t need to do much publicity to reach seafarers who need assistance. In this part of the world word of mouth is all that’s needed and the drop-in session gets very busy very quickly. It seems that every seafarer I meet has had some experience of the Flying Angel and knows that we are there to help.

I group some tables together outside a café inside the port.

Seafarers often fall victim to shady employment practices in the Middle East. Ben Bailey finds out what support they can receive.

THE year is 1953 – 60 years ago for ease of memory – and your

6,000 ton cargo liner has become disabled, mid-ocean, with the rudder having rather unexpectedly fallen off. You are, however, not unduly dismayed. You all turn to, lash a couple of hatch-slabs to a derrick, which is slung over the poop, with a wire to each cap-stan, to effect a very servicea-ble jury-rudder, and you’re on your way again.

Until 30 years ago, oral examinations for master’s and mate’s certificates would ask questions which would test your ability to respond to all sorts of terrible accidents at sea. The answers would invar-iably begin with the phrase “take three stout spars...” and while the scenarios they asked about might have appeared unlikely, the fact was that somebody sailed a 10,000 ton cargoship half way across an ocean after its engine had broken down by spreading out hatch tarpaulins as sails. Some-one else had carried out stream anchors slung between two lifeboats, while another crew

fashioned an effective sea an-chor out of canvas and...wait for it...three stout spars. Their crafty interventions made an impact.

Fast-forward 60 years and just imagine what you might do when an alarm rings on your 15,000 teu container-ship and somebody bounds into the wheelhouse to tell you the rudder has fallen off. Or if there is a horrible crash from the engine room of your 400,000 dwt bulk carrier in the middle of the ocean and it turns out the crankshaft has sheared. Where is your ability to intervene in the same way that your energetic forebears had rushed around with ropes and canvas and winches and derricks? Sorry, not a chance.

Of course, there is no comparison between then and now. Back then, your 6,000 ton cargo liner probably had a crew of 60 tough hands aboard and the ship would be well-found with derricks and tackles, ropes and canvas, and plenty of stout spars. Well-trained seafarers were still able to intervene in maritime accidents, and prevent them from becoming

maritime emergencies. Human beings were not dwarfed by the

The MS Explorer sinks in the Antarctic after colliding with an ice drift (Photo: ABC News)

THE Mission to Seafarers in Kenya has come to the aid of an abandoned crew who have been left without food and wages on a cockroach-infested vessel.

The crew of the Lanka Mahapola have been left without pay since October 2012.

“The shipowner has promised money for wages and supplies, but the crew don’t believe him,” said the Revd Ben Humphries, the Mission’s Mombasa chaplain.

To help them, Ben has worked with the ITF to start the process of getting the stranded seafarers sent home and helping them claim their hard-earned wages.

Mr Humphries has also helped provide the crew with emergency supplies.

“I hope that this will tide the men over until their wages come through or they are sent home,” he said.

The Mission to Seafarers in Mombasa is the only provider

of welfare services in the area. Working in the region since 1921, it provides access to communication and recreational facilities, as well as family liaison and counselling services to victims of pirate attack.

Anti-piracy support group backs new film

T H E M a r i t i m e P i r a c y H u m a n i t a r i a n R e s p o n s e Programme (MPHRP) is backing the anti-piracy film, A Hijacking, which it describes as “brutally accurate in its depiction of the horror inflicted on the victims of pirate attacks”.

The film has been released in Europe for showing in cinemas. Directed by Danish director Tobias Lindholm, the film was shot on a ship that had previously been hijacked by Somali pirates and with expert help from those with knowledge of the realities of such attacks. The film also features extras who have been

held hostage by pirates during their lives at sea.

The film is partly based on the 2008 hijacking of the Danish-owned CEC Future, which was released after a ransom was paid following two months of captivity.

A Hijacking tells the story of cargo vessel MV Rozen which is heading for harbour when it is boarded in the Indian Ocean by pirates who demand millions of dollars in ransom to free the crew.

The film explores several sides of piracy, including the ordeal faced by the crew and the effects it has on their

families, as well as looking at the negotiation process and the shipowner’s response.

MPHRP chair Dr Peter Swift, said: “A Hijacking may well be the first genuinely realistic portrayal of the sheer horror and brutality of modern piracy.”

Dr Swift went on to say that “despite the world’s reliance on goods shipped by sea the plight of seafarers running the daily risk of pirate attack and capture is not widely recognised. We hope that A Hijacking will help the public understand the horror that they face.”

The film is due to be released in Europe in May 2013.

A Hijacking is partly based on the 2008 hijacking of the CEC Future (Photo: Nordisk Film)

ATSB issues complacency warning on routine liftingAFTER an investigation into a fatal accident, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has warned that routine lifting operations involve inherent risks.

It warns that established procedures must be followed, reinforced and audited to ensure vigilance is maintained and complacency avoided. The ATSB stresses that the basic precaution of standing well clear of suspended loads must always be taken.

On December 15, 2011 products tanker, British Beech, was berthed in Brisbane and its crew was taking on stores from a barge. During the return of a stores container from the ship to the barge, the container came free of its slings. It fell to the barge below, striking the master of the barge, who died from his injuries while being taken to hospital.

The investigation found that the container had not been appropriately rigged on board the ship and the ship’s crew had not warned the barge crew of its return. The ship’s crew did not view the storing operation as dangerous

and had, over time, removed identified safety barriers which would probably have prevented the accident.

The report says that the barge master had placed himself in a position of danger under the suspended load and the barge crew had not followed their company’s procedures for storing operations. The report also says that the barge owner had not adequately implemented compliance auditing or incident reporting schemes and so had not acted on, or learnt from, previous less serious incidents.

Since the incident, the method used for handling containers of this type in Brisbane has been altered.

The tanker’s manager, BP Shipping, has implemented a review of lifting and slinging processes, procedures and equipment as well as job hazard analyses for roles related to the task. A fleet-wide safety review has been carried out and a training workshop for lifting and slinging has also been held in a bid to improve crew safety.

The Lanka Mahapola crew with the Revd Ben Humphries

may/jun 13 the sea 5

Fighting for what’s due to our seafarers

Are ships too big to save?As ships continue to get bigger and bigger, and crews get smaller and smaller, Michael Grey asks: what can seafarers really do when things go wrong on board?

At the port gates, the ISPS Code seems to have been forgotten. Cars queue off into the distance when a guard appears, writes us an entry ticket and takes our admission fee. I’m momentarily confused and wonder if Fr John has taken the wrong exit and that we have, in fact, arrived at a theme park.

But all thoughts of a nice day out are soon washed away as Fr John explains the role of the Mis-sion in the UAE.

“There are many places a ship-owner can hide, but once we’ve started an investigation, we do our best to hunt them down, but we never promise the seafarers any-thing,” he says. “The best we can do is collect the facts and sit down with shipowners and managers and try to find a solution.”

The Mission doesn’t need to do much publicity to reach seafarers who need assistance. In this part of the world word of mouth is all that’s needed and the drop-in session gets very busy very quickly. It seems that every seafarer I meet has had some experience of the Flying Angel and knows that we are there to help.

I group some tables together outside a café inside the port.

Already there are a few seafarers sitting in the shade, waiting to talk about their issues. But it’s what happened next which struck me.

I have been in this job long enough to know that when a sea-farer has a problem, he’ll come to you and will explain it fairly and quietly. Traditionally, seafarers are stoic and will only complain if ab-solutely necessary. You don’t want everyone to know your personal business, right?

This, however, is completely different. As the sun glares down on the dusty pavement, a stream of seafarers arrive, all of them try-ing to show us contracts, promises of payment and other documents. We’re soon overwhelmed.

Restoring order, Fr John and I spend time with each of the seafar-ers, listening to their problems and helping them to complete one of the Mission’s ‘justice and welfare forms’. Each individual or crew is assigned a unique case number and every seafarer’s details are taken down and investigated by Fr John or Dr Burt.

Most, if not all of the seafarers I met, alleged they had not been paid. For some, the non-payment period had been relatively short –

perhaps one or two months. For others, the process had been drawn out over an agonising 52 weeks. Fr John tells me that most of the seafarers with problems cannot get out of the port because if they do, they’ll be arrested because they do not have the right paperwork to be on shore. On the other hand, there is wide acceptance in this part of the world that if you cut your loss-

es and go home, you might as well wave goodbye to your cash.

To put this into some sort of perspective, the average monthly salary of the seafarers I met today is between US$300 and US$500 per calendar month. That’s to sail the oceans, endure hurricane winds, rain, storms, long contracts, bul-lying, harassment and for some, physical abuse.

“I just want to go home,” said one Indian seafarer who is owed 14 months’ pay. He’s 25 years old and recently got married. His wife is living with his parents because he cannot send money home to support her. He said that the shipowner placed a new crew on board and, because he hasn’t paid or sent home the remaining crew, they have been forced to sleep on deck, or on other ships. They’ve been here so long that they are known to most of the other crews within the port who offer to house and feed them. These seafarers know that it’s against international regulations to do this, but in order to survive, they simply don’t have a choice.

I’ve often written about what many refer to as the shipping industry’s disreputable minority – those who are prepared to exploit their seafarers in order to increase their profits. But if I’m honest, I thought it was such a tiny minor-ity that it would be rare to come across such a really large group of people facing such a difficult time. However, here, in these seemingly unregulated waters off the Persian Gulf, they seem to be very much in the majority.

Seafarers often fall victim to shady employment practices in the Middle East. Ben Bailey finds out what support they can receive.

THE crew of a ship awaiting a visit from the Flying Angel while moored in the Port of Fujairah

maritime emergencies. Human beings were not dwarfed by the

ships they sailed in, and could successfully make a difference.

Today, the scale of modern ships, along with the amazing-

ly small numbers of seafarers aboard them makes any sort of intervention like that next to impossible. In circumstances where a ship is disabled, the master can really only call for salvage tugs, or in particularly dire circumstances, scream for a helicopter or lifeboat.

But even expert salvors have started to become concerned at their ability to provide meaningful assistance as ships continue to grow in size and crews shrink. At a recent meeting in London, Andreas Tsavliris, president of the International Salvage Union, suggested that while professional salvors don’t walk away from any sort of prob-lem, some of the “mega-ships” now entering service were so huge that they were “beyond problem-solving” should they become casualties.

In practical terms, what can you really do if an 18,000 teu containership, with laden boxes eight high on the hatch-es, runs disastrously aground, miles from any help? Or if it catches fire, with dangerous cargo in the deck stow? What steps can you take if a 400,000

dwt VLOC fully laden with ore is taking on water, or there is a giant cruise ship in trouble, with 7,000 souls on board. These examples aren’t just fiction, but worries that keep competent, capable salvors awake at night.

Are ships simply too big? Are their crews far, far, too small, rattling around in these giant floating objects, scarce-ly seeing each other as they rotate from work, to meal-times, to some sort of leisure, to sleep. Years ago, when the writer Noel Mostert took a trip on one of the “first genera-tion” very large crude carriers, he wrote in his famous book Supership about feeling an “unpleasant loneliness grow-ing from this apprehension of the ship’s gloomy distances”, being aboard a “mechanical desert” which made the people on board feel like they were inconsequential. Since then ships have got a lot bigger, crews very much smaller, but this trend is the reality of 21st century sea life.

This is news we’re all famil-iar with, and there are many welfare services available to

seafarers to help them come to terms with the psycholog-ical side of these issues. But it is really quite worrying if the experts who spend their lives salvaging wrecked or disabled ships are questioning their ability to intervene, with all their powerful tugs and salvage pumps and specialist plant. We have already had container-ships of relatively modest size giving salvors no end of trou-ble as they have tried to extri-cate them from groundings, fires, structural problems and the like. More than a year after she grounded, the wreck of the Costa Concordia still lies off the Italian coast as salvors struggle to cope with one of the biggest wreck removal operations ever attempted.

It is not really enough to suggest that these giant ships are run by operators who move heaven and earth to keep them safe. Both history and even a small sense of reality tells us that sooner or later one of the world’s biggest ships will be in trouble, and somebody will have to sort it out. At that stage, seamanship and stout spars will be of little help.

The MS Explorer sinks in the Antarctic after colliding with an ice drift (Photo: ABC News)

6 the sea may/jun 13

JUSTICE MATTERS BY DOUGLAS STEVENSON

The MLC: complaints and enforcement for seafarersON AUGUST 20, 2013 a new era of seafarers’ rights will begin when the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) comes into force. The Convention will mandate decent seafarers’ working and living conditions, and it will improve competitiveness for quality shipowners.

The MLC contains robust enforcement provisions that rely on flag states, port states and labour supplying states to fulfill their responsibilities. The MLC also contains tools that seafarers and other interested persons can use to ensure that the Convention is properly implemented and that seafarers rights are given the proper protection.

The MLC requires flag states to regularly inspect their ships for compliance with the Convention. Flag states will issue Maritime Labour Certificates to vessels as evidence of their having been inspected and certified compliant with the Convention.

Seafarers can use the Convention’s mandated on-board complaint procedures to assist flag states maintain MLC compliance. Every ship must have an on board complaint procedure which gives seafarers the right to report MLC violations directly to the ship’s master or another external authority. It also entitles them to be accompanied or represented during the complaint procedure, and to be protected against victimisation. Seafarers must also be provided with a copy or their vessel’s complaint procedures, including the name of someone

on board the ship who can give them impartial and confidential advice and assistance on reporting violations. Standard A5.1.5.

In addition to the on board complaint procedure, seafarers, port chaplains and others may inform flag states of MLC violations. Standard A5.1.4.5. The flag state must investigate complaints unless they are “manifestly unfounded” and they have to treat them confidentially without revealing that inspections were the made because of a grievance or complaint. Standard A5.1.4.10.

Port states’ MLC enforcement responsibilities are different from those of flag states. Flag states must carry out inspections of their vessels. Port states may, but they are not required to inspect foreign vessels in their ports.

Port state inspections will require foreign vessels to comply with MLC standards even if they are from a country that has not ratified the Convention. In these cases, inspections of foreign vessels will normally be limited to reviewing the vessels’ Maritime Labour Certificate, issued by the flag state, and will not be full-scale ship inspections. Standard A5.2.1.

However, more detailed port state inspections may be carried out if a complaint has been made about the vessel, or if the ship’s conditions do not conform the MLC. If the complaint alleges that on board conditions could be a clear hazard to seafarers’ health, safety or security, the port state must investigate the complaint.

Standard A5.2.1.1. In addition, any person with an interest in the ship’s safety and seafarers’ health is authorised by the MLC to report Convention violations to port state authorities. It is not limited to the ship’s crew or staff from welfare organisations. Standard A.5.2.1.2.

In addition to the general complaint provisions, where any person with an interest in ship safety and seafarers’ health can complain to port state authorities, seafarers have an additional onshore complaint procedure. Port states that have ratified the MLC must provide a procedure for seafarers to report MLC violations. Port states must make initial investigations of all complaints made by seafarers, Standard A5.2.2.1. and they must also safeguard the confidentiality of such complaints so that complaints can be made in confidence. Standard A5.2.2.7.

Labour supplying states that have ratified the MLC must certify that their seafarer recruitment and placement services comply with the Convention, including prohibiting charging placement fees to seafarers.

Flag states must also certify that their ships only use seafarer recruitment and placement services that comply with the MLC, even if the services are located in a country that has not ratified the Convention. This means that seafarer placement services that are violating the MLC can be reported to MLC member flag states, port states and labour supplying states.

MLC: Reclamaciones y aplicaciónLA ENTRADA en vigor del Convenio sobre el Trabajo Marítimo de 2006 (MLC por sus siglas en inglés) el 20 de agosto de este año, inaugurará una nueva era en los derechos de la gente de mar. El convenio exigirá la introducción de condiciones de vida y de trabajo dignas para toda la gente de mar y mejorará la competitividad de los armadores de calidad.

El MLC contiene sólidas cláusulas de aplicación que obligan a los estados de bandera, los estados portuarios y los estados de origen de la mano de obra a satisfacer sus responsabilidades. El MLC también contiene herramientas que la gente de mar y demás partes interesadas podrán utilizar para garantizar la correcta aplicación del Convenio.

El MLC exige que los estados de bandera inspeccionen regularmente sus buques para asegurar su cumplimiento. Los estados de bandera emitirán certificados de cumplimiento del Convenio que permitirán a los buques demostrar que han sido inspeccionados y certificadas como acordes con el Convenio.

La gente de mar podrá utilizar los procedimientos obligatorios de tramitación de quejas a bordo para facilitar a los estados de bandera la tarea de vigilar el cumplimiento del MLC. Todos los barcos deben contar con procedimientos de tramitación de quejas a bordo, que permitirán a la gente de mar comunicar infracciones del MLC directamente al patrón del buque u otra autoridad externa. Asimismo, los procedimientos contemplan el derecho de la gente de mar de ser acompañados o representados durante el procedimiento de tramitación de su queja y los protegen contra las represalias. El Convenio estipula también que la gente de mar deben recibir una copia de los procedimientos de queja del barco, en la que se incluirá el nombre de una persona que pueda ofrecerles asesoramiento imparcial y confidencial a bordo y ayudarles a comunicar infracciones del MLC (Norma A5.1.5).

Además del procedimiento de tramitación de quejas a bordo, la gente de mar, los capellanes del puerto y otras terceras partes podrán notificar violaciones del MLC a los estados de bandera (Norma A5.1.4.5). El estado de bandera está obligado a investigar las quejas a menos que sean “manifiestamente infundadas” y debe tratarlas de forma confidencial, sin revelar que las inspecciones fueran motivadas por una queja o reclamación (Norma A5.1.4.10).

Las responsabilidades de los estados portuarios con respecto a la aplicación del MLC son diferentes de las de los estados de bandera. Los estados de bandera están obligados a realizar inspecciones de sus barcos. Los estados portuarios pueden,

sin estar obligados a ello, inspeccionar barcos de procedencia extranjera que recalen en sus puertos.

En sus inspecciones, los estados portuarios exigirán a los barcos extranjeros el cumplimiento de las normas del MLC incluso si pertenecen a un país que no haya ratificado el Convenio. Los estados portuarios limitarán por lo general sus inspecciones de buques extranjeros a comprobar el certificado de trabajo marítimo emitido por el estado de bandera del buque (Norma A5.2.1).

El estado portuario podrá proceder a una inspección más detallada si se ha presentado una reclamación contra el buque o si las condiciones de este no son conformes con el MLC. Sin embargo, si la queja alega que las condiciones de a bordo suponen un claro peligro para la salud o la seguridad de la gente de mar, el estado portuario está obligado a investigarla (Norma A5.2.1.1). Cualquier persona a quien concierna la seguridad del buque, así como los riesgos para la salud de la gente de mar, queda autorizada por el MLC para comunicar infracciones del Convenio a las autoridades del estado portuario (Norma A.5.2.1.2).

Además de las cláusulas generales relativas a las quejas, que habilitan a cualquier persona interesada en la seguridad del buque y la salud de la gente de mar a presentar reclamaciones ante las autoridades portuarias, la gente de mar tiene acceso a un procedimiento adicional de tramitación de quejas en tierra. Los estados portuarios que hayan ratificado el MLC deben instaurar un procedimiento para la notificación de infracciones del MLC. Los estados portuarios están obligados a realizar investigaciones preliminares de todas las quejas presentadas por la gente de mar (Norma A5.2.2.1) y deben asimismo garantizar su confidencialidad (Norma A5.2.2.7).

Los estados que suministren mano de obra y hayan ratificado el MLC deben certificar que sus servicios de contratación y colocación de la gente de mar cumplan el Convenio, incluyendo lo relativo a la facturación de honorarios o emolumentos de colocación a la gente de mar. Los estados de bandera deben certificar que sus buques hayan utilizado exclusivamente servicios de contratación y colocación que cumplan el Convenio, incluso si dichos servicios se encuentran en un país que no haya ratificado el Convenio. Por lo tanto, las infracciones del MLC por parte de los servicios de colocación de gente de mar pueden notificarse a los estados Miembros de bandera, los estados portuarios y los estados de origen de la mano de obra.

Конвенция о труде в морском судоходстве, 2006 г. Подача жалоб и придание положениям законной силы20 августа 2013 года, с вступлением в силу Конвенции о труде в морском судоходстве (Maritime Labour Convention, MLC) 2006 года, права моряков вступят в новую стадию своего развития. В Конвенции регулируются вопросы обеспечения достойных условий труда и проживания моряков и совершенствуются аспекты конкурентоспособности признанных судовладельцев.

Конвенция MLC содержит строгие требования по выполнению обязанностей государствами флага, государствами порта и государствами, обеспечивающими рабочей силой. Кроме того, в Конвенции MLC описываются инструменты, которые могут быть использованы моряками и другими заинтересованными лицами для обеспечения надлежащего выполнения условий Конвенции.

Конвенция MLC требует от государств флага проведения регулярной проверки своих судов на предмет их соответствия положениям Конвенции. Согласно Конвенции, в качестве подтверждения того, что суда прошли инспекцию и сертификацию, государства флага будут выдавать свидетельства о соответствии трудовым нормам в морском судоходстве.

Для того чтобы способствовать соблюдению государствами флага положений Конвенции, моряки могут осуществить утвержденные Конвенцией процедуры рассмотрения жалоб на борту судна. Такие процедуры должны присутствовать на борту каждого судна, позволяя морякам сообщать о случаях нарушения Конвенции непосредственно капитану судна или другому внешнему уполномоченному лицу. Кроме того, процедура рассмотрения жалоб на борту судна дает морякам право на юридическое сопровождение или на представление их интересов в ходе рассмотрения жалоб, а также на защиту от виктимизации. Морякам также должна быть предоставлена копия процедур рассмотрения жалоб на борту их судна, с указанием лица на борту судна, которое может дать им независимую и конфиденциальную консультацию и оказать содействие в сообщении о нарушениях. Стандарт A5.1.5.

В дополнение к процедуре рассмотрения жалоб на борту судна моряки, портовые священники и другие могут информировать государства флага о нарушениях положений Конвенции. Стандарт A5.1.4.5. Государство флага обязано проводить расследование поступающих жалоб за исключением тех случаев, когда они являются «совершенно не обоснованными», и обязано рассматривать их в конфиденциальном порядке, не раскрывая факт проведения инспекций по поступившей претензии или жалобе.

Обязанности государств порта по осуществлению положений Конвенции отличаются от соответствующих обязанностей государств флага. Государства флага обязаны проводить инспекцию своих

судов. Государства порта могут, но не обязаны проводить инспекцию иностранных судов в своих портах.Инспекции государства порта направлены на выявление нарушений стандартов Конвенции

иностранными судами, даже если эти суда прибыли из страны, не ратифицировавшей эту Конвенцию. Инспекции иностранных судов, проводимые государствами порта, обычно ограничиваются проверкой свидетельства о соответствии трудовым нормам в морском судоходстве, выданного государством флага.

Проведение более тщательной инспекции в государстве порта возможно в том случае, если в отношении данного судна поступила жалоба либо если условия на судне не соответствуют предусмотренным положениями Конвенции. Однако если из жалобы следует, что условия на борту судна представляют собой явную опасность для здоровья, безопасности или жизнедеятельности моряков, государство порта обязано провести расследование данной жалобы. Стандарт A5.2.1.1. Согласно Конвенции, любое лицо, заинтересованное в безопасности судна и сохранении здоровья моряков, имеет право направлять жалобы о нарушениях положений Конвенции в официальные органы государства порта. Стандарт A.5.2.1.2.

Помимо общих положений о жалобах, согласно которым любое лицо, заинтересованное в безопасности судна и сохранении здоровья моряков, имеет право направлять жалобы в официальные органы государства порта, моряки имеют право на осуществление дополнительной процедуры подачи жалоб на берегу. Государства порта, ратифицировавшие Конвенцию о труде в морском судоходстве, должны обеспечить моряков процедурой направления жалоб на случай нарушения ее положений. Государства порта должны проводить первоначальные расследования всех поступающих от моряков жалоб, Стандарт A5.2.2.1, обеспечив при этом конфиденциальность таких жалоб. A5.2.2.7.

Государства, обеспечивающие рабочей силой, которые ратифицировали Конвенцию о труде в морском судоходстве, должны подтвердить, что их службы по найму и трудоустройству моряков работают в соответствии с положениями Конвенции, в том числе в части запрета на взыскание с моряков платы за трудоустройство. Государства флага должны подтвердить, что их суда пользуются услугами только тех служб по найму и трудоустройству, которые отвечают требованиям Конвенции, даже если эти службы находятся на территории страны, не ратифицировавшей Конвенцию. Следовательно, о нарушениях положений Конвенции службами по трудоустройству можно сообщать государствам флага, государствам порта и государствам, обеспечивающим рабочей силой, которые являются членами Конвенции.

《2006年海事劳工公约》投诉和执行Douglas B. Stevenson2013年 8月 20日将开启海员权利的新时代，因为《2006年海事劳工公约》(MLC)将在这一天生效。MLC将规定海员必须得到像样的工作和生活条件，这将增进高素质船东的竞争力。

MLC包含完善的执行规定，这些规定依靠船旗国、港口国和劳动力供应国履行其职责。MLC还包含可供海员及其他利害关系人利用的工具，以确保《公约》得到妥善实施。

MLC要求船旗国遵守《公约》，定期检查它们的船舶。船旗国将向船舶签发《海事劳工证书》，以证明它们已被检查，而且经认证符合《公约》要求。

海员可以使用《公约》规定的船上投诉程序，以协助船旗国保持MLC合规。每艘船舶都必须实行船上投诉程序，使海员有权利直接向船长或外部当局报告违反MLC的行为。投诉程序也使海员在投诉过程中有权得到陪同或代表，以保护他们不受迫害。海员还必须得到一份所在船舶投诉程序的副本，包括船上什么人可以在报告违规行为方面提供公正和保密的建议，并给予协助。标准A5.1.5.除了船上投诉程序外，海员、港口牧师和其他人也可以向船旗国报告违反MLC的行为。标准A5.1.4.5.船旗国必须对投诉展开调查——除非它们“显然毫无根据”，船旗国还必须保密处理投诉，不透露其检查行动是抱怨或投诉所致。标准A5.1.4.10.港口国的MLC执行责任有别于船旗国。船旗国必须对它们

的船舶进行检查。港口国可以对在其港口的外国船舶进行检查，但它们没有被要求这么做。

港口国检查将要求外国船舶遵循MLC的各项标准，即使它们来自尚未批准《公约》的国家。港口国对外国船舶的检查，通常仅限于审核由船旗国签发的该船《海事劳工证书》。标准A5.2.1.如果相关船舶已受到投诉，或者如果该船的条件不符合MLC要求，港口国可进行更仔细的检查。但是，如果投诉称，船上条件可能对海员的健康、安全或保安构成明显危害，港口国必须调查有关投诉。标准A5.2.1.1. MLC授权对船舶安全和海员健康有兴趣的任何人向港口国当局举报违反《公约》的行为。标准A5.2.1.2.除了一般的投诉规定外，在对船舶安全和海员健康有兴趣的任何人可向港口国当局投诉的情况下，海员拥有额外的岸上投诉程序。已批准MLC的港口国，必须提供让海员报告违反MLC行为的程序。港口国必须对海员提出的所有投诉作出初步调查（标准 A5.2.2.1）。他们也必须保障这些投诉的保密性。标准A5.2.2.7.已批准MLC的劳工供应国，必须证明它们的海员招募和安置服务符合《公约》要求，包括禁止向海员收取安置费。船旗国必须证明他们的船舶仅使用遵循MLC的海员招募和安置服务，即使这些服务位于一个尚未批准《公约》的国家。因此，对于海员安置服务违反MLC的行为，可向MLC成员船旗国、港口国和劳动力供应国举报。

extended to165mm

to fit. (150mm

requested)

If you have any questions about your rights as a seafarer, or if you want more information or help, you can contact:

Douglas B Stevenson, Center for Seafarers’ Rights, 241 Water Street, New York, NY 10032, USA. Tel: +1212 349 9090

Fax: +1212 349 8342 Email: csr@seamenschurch.org or Canon Ken Peters, The Mission to Seafarers, St Michael Paternoster Royal,

College Hill, London EC4R 2RL, UK. Tel: +44 20 7248 5202 Fax: +44 20 7248 4761 Email: Justice@missiontoseafarers.org

may/jun 13 the sea 7

FOCUS ON FAITH BY JOHN ATTENBOROUGH

Spring: a time for renewal

Primavera: la estación de la renovación

AFTER what has seemed like a very long, cold and dark winter, spring is now finally in the air! Well, if you’re in north west Europe that is; if you’re in another part of the world, you may well have been lucky enough to be having much better weather in a totally different season altogether.

I really love spring. You see the birds starting to nest, you see the young spring lambs in the fields, you see and smell the wonderful spring flowers. After a long, cold and dull winter there is suddenly so much colour and life all around — literally springing to life.

Spring is also a time of cleaning. In England, as a child, I always seem to remember having to help my mum do the big

“Spring Clean”! We would go through the entire house, cleaning and dusting from top to bottom. All of the rubbish that we had accumu-lated over the year was taken to the dump and all the things we didn’t need any more were given away. When we finished, it almost felt like we were living in a new house. The cleaning seemed to last for ages, much like our winter, but it was well worth the effort and persevering through.

Here in Europe, spring coincides with a very impor-tant event for us Christians: Easter. On Easter Sunday, Je-sus was raised from the dead after having died on the cross on Good Friday. Those few days must have seemed like a very cold, dark and lonely time for his followers.

On that first Easter morn-ing, when Jesus appeared to the women in the garden and then to his followers there was disbelief at first, but this quickly turned into joy and celebration! Jesus had come back from the dead and this is when the life of the Church began. Jesus’ message of forgiveness, salva-tion and eternal life quickly spread around the world.

Jesus gave us all the gift of life and he takes away our sins so that we might live a new life in him. However, sometimes our lives can become cluttered and over-crowded, and we might feel we are going through a cold and dark time, just like this year’s European winter.

But the miracle of Easter brings new life to us and gives us a chance for us to

clear away the clutter. All of our lives need a spring clean at some point, and we need to get rid of all the rubbish that we have accumulated over the year — the things that weigh us down. Easter is all about new life and growth. If we get rid of some of the rubbish that clutters our lives, and re-dedicate ourselves to our Lord and Saviour, then we will have room for new things to grow. As a result, we will feel refreshed and renewed.

There may be others around us who feel sad, lonely or isolated but the good news of Jesus is for all us. He can take our lives and transform them. Jesus really can breathe new life into us and this is something that we can truly celebrate and rejoice in.

POR fin la primavera ha llegado, después de un invierno frío, oscuro y que se nos ha hecho interminable, por lo menos a quienes vivimos en el noroeste europeo. Si vive en otro rincón del mundo, o en otro hemisferio, es posible que haya disfrutado de una estación completamente diferente y con un tiempo mucho más agradable.

A mí, personalmente, la primavera me encanta. Los pájaros empiezan a construir sus nidos, los corderos corretean por el campo y por todas partes surgen flores primaverales llenas de color y perfume. Después de un inverno largo, gélido y tristón, el mundo se nos aparece rebosante de color y de vida.

La primavera es también un periodo de limpieza. Recu-erdo que cuando era pequeño tenía que ayudar a mi madre a hacer lo que, en Gran Bretaña, llamamos la “limpieza de primavera”. Recuerdo que teníamos que limpiar la casa de arriba abajo. Todos los trastos inservibles acumulados a lo largo del año los tirábamos a la basura y las cosas que ya no necesitábamos las regalábamos. Cuando habíamos acabado, la casa quedaba flamante, parecía nueva. Recuerdo que la limpieza se me hacía tan larga como el propio invierno, pero el esfuerzo, perseverar, merecía la pena.

En Europa la primavera coincide con una celebración muy importante para los cristianos: la Pascua de resurrección. El Viernes Santo Jesucristo murió en la cruz para resucitar de entre los muertos el Domingo de Resurrección, tres días después. Esos pocos días debieron ser fríos, oscuros, solitarios e interminables como el más crudo invierno para sus discípu-los.

En esa primera mañana de la Semana de Pascua, cuando Jesucristo se apareció a las mujeres en el jardín y después a sus discípulos, al principio reinó la incredulidad, que inmed-iatamente se transformó en alegría y en júbilo. Con el retor-no de Jesús de entre los muertos, la iglesia inició su andadura. El mensaje de absolución, salvación y vida eterna de Jesucris-to se extendió rápidamente por el mundo.

Jesús nos ofrece el don de la vida y lava nuestros pecados para que podamos vivir una nueva vida en Él. Sin embar-go, en ocasiones nuestras vidas se complican tanto que nos sentimos aprisionados por un invierno frío y oscuro del alma, igual que el que ha atenazado Europa este año.

Pero el milagro de la Pascua de Resurrección nos apor-ta nueva vida y nos da la oportunidad de hacer limpieza y poner en orden nuestra casa. Todos necesitamos hacer una especie de “limpieza de primavera” de vez en cuando: dar un repaso a fondo a nuestras vidas para deshacernos de todos los cachivaches inútiles acumulados a lo largo del año, el lastre de las cosas superfluas. La Pascua de resurrección es un periodo de renovación vital y de crecimiento. Si nos desem-barazamos de todos los estorbos y volvemos la vista a nuestro Señor y Salvador, dejaremos espacio para que surjan nuevos brotes. Nos sentiremos regenerados y renovados.

Es posible que entre las personas que nos rodean haya quien se sienta triste, solitario, aislado... Pero la buena nueva de Jesucristo a todos nos alcanza. El Señor puede transformar nuestra existencia. El Señor puede insuflarnos nueva vida, y eso es motivo de celebración y alegría para todos.

веснаПосле долгой, холодной и мрачной зимы наконец-то наступила весна! Это особенно верно, если вы житель северо-западной Европы; если же вы находитесь в другой части света, вам, возможно, повезло, и у вас погода гораздо лучше в любое время года!

Я обожаю весну. Весной птицы начинают вить гнезда, в поля выходят молодые барашки, расцветают прекрасные, ароматные весенние цветы. После долгой, холодной и хмурой зимы вдруг появляется множество красок и все вокруг пробуждается к жизни.

Весна — это еще и время очищения. В детстве, проведенном в Англии, я всегда помогал маме делать «генеральную весеннюю уборку»! Мы чистили, мыли и драили весь дом, сверху донизу. Весь накопившийся за год мусор выносился на помойку, а все вещи, которые становились не нужными, раздавались нуждающимся. Когда уборка заканчивалась, мне казалось, что теперь я живу в новом доме. Уборка длилась целую вечность, совсем как наша зима, но дело того стоило и наше упорство приносило свои плоды.

У нас в Европе весна совпадает с очень важным для нас праздником — Пасхой. В пасхальное воскресенье Иисус воскрес после своей смерти на кресте в Страстную Пятницу. Какими же холодными, мрачными и одинокими показались эти несколько дней для Его последователей!

В то пасхальное утро, когда Иисус появился перед женщинами в саду, а затем — перед своими последователями, недоверие быстро сменилось радостью и торжеством! С воскрешением Иисуса из мертвых началась жизнь Церкви. Послание Иисуса о прощении, спасении и вечной жизни быстро распространилось по всему миру.

Иисус дал нам всю радость жизни и взял на себя наши грехи, для того чтобы мы смогли прийти к Нему в новой жизни. Но иногда в нашу жизнь приходят путаница и неразбериха, и нам кажется, что мы бредем сквозь холод и мрак, как зимой, которая выдалась в этом году в Европе.

Но чудо Пасхального Воскресения открывает для нас новую жизнь и дает нам шанс избавиться от беспорядка в душе. Иногда все мы нуждаемся в «генеральной весенней уборке», чтобы очиститься от накопленного за год мусора, от тех вещей, которые тянут нас вниз. Пасха — это символ новой жизни и роста. Избавившись от всего лишнего, что загромождает наши души, и вернувшись к нашему Отцу и Спасителю, мы обнаружим в своих душах место для всего нового, что позволит нам расти. В результате мы почувствуем свежесть и обновление.

Вокруг нас могут быть и другие, кому грустно или одиноко, но мы должны помнить, что Иисус всегда с нами. Он способен перевернуть нашу жизнь. Иисус может вдохнуть в нас новую жизнь — возрадуемся же этому и будем счастливы.

CALLING all seafarers: we would like to hear from you!As part of the worldwide welfare work of The Mission to Seafarers, we would like to hear what you think about key issues affecting the shipping world.

How much money do you spend each month contacting home?

Seafarers: have your say

Under $20

$21-$40

$41-$60

$61-$80

$81-100

Over $100

Under $20

$21-$40

$41-$60

$61-$80

$81-100

Over $100

Once completed, please tear out this section and give it to a Mission to Seafarers port chaplain, or complete it online at www.missiontoseafarers.org/vote

John Attenborough经过一个似乎极为漫长、寒冷和黑暗的冬天后，春天终于到了！好吧，这是指你在西北欧会经历的天气；如果你是在世界的另一个角落，你可能幸运地置身于一个完全不同的季节，享受着好得多的天气！

我真的爱春天。你看到鸟儿开始筑巢，你看到初生的春羔在田间地头，你看到而且闻到美妙的春天花朵。在一个漫长、寒冷和沉闷的冬季过后，突然有这么多的色彩和生机遍地萌发。

春天也是打扫的季节。我似乎总是记得，在孩提时代的英格兰，我不得不帮妈妈做“春季大扫除”！我们会循序渐进地清理整个房子，彻底打扫和除尘。我们在一年里积累的垃圾都被扔掉，我们不再需要的东西都被送掉。当我们完成的时候，我们几乎觉得自己住进了新房子。打扫过程似乎持续好半天，很像我们的冬天，但是它非常值得花功夫和坚持到底。

在欧洲，春天对我们基督徒来说恰逢一个非常重要的事件：复活节。耶稣在受难日死在十字架上之后，在复活节周日复活。对他的追随者来说，那几天肯定像是一段非常寒冷、黑暗和寂寞的时间。

第一个复活节周日的早晨，当耶稣在花园里出现

在妇女们面前，然后又出现在他的追随者面前时，人群最初觉得难以置信，但这很快就变成了欢乐和庆祝！耶稣在死后复活，基督教会的生命就此开始。耶稣发出的“宽恕、救赎和永生”讯息迅速在世界各地广为传播。

耶稣给了我们生命的礼物，他带走了我们的罪，使我们有望跟随他过上新生活。然而，有时我们的生活可能变得杂乱和拥挤，我们也许觉得自己在经历一段寒冷和黑暗的时间，就像欧洲今年的冬天。

但是复活节的奇迹给我们带来新的生命，并让我们有机会清除杂物。我们所有人的生活在某个时候都需要“春季大扫除”，我们需要扔掉在过去一年里积累的垃圾，扔掉那些拖累我们的东西。复活节的意义就在于新的生命和成长。如果我们扔掉一些使我们的生活变得杂乱的垃圾，让我们再一次把自己奉献给主和救主，那么我们就会腾出空间，让新事物成长。结果，我们会感到神清气爽，精神焕发。

我们周围的人有可能感到悲伤、孤独或孤立，但耶稣的喜讯是我们所有人的好消息。他可以进入我们的人生，并使其发生转变。耶稣真的能给我们带来新的生机，这是我们可以真正庆祝和欢欣鼓舞的。

8 the sea may/jun 13

Beware of fish farms

Water Ballast Convention causes concerns

Singapore Sportsweek continues

the telephone card you can trust

The Mission to Seafarers n Launched over ten years ago

n Best overall rates

n Call from anywhere worldwide

n No hidden charges

n Extra services added all the time

n Fair and open pricing

n The only card endorsed by The Mission to Seafarers

n Because we care

Three seafarers ‘suffocate’ in cargo hold accident

Tragedy strikes as colleagues try to rescue crew member

THREE Syrian seafarers d i e d , a p p a r e n t l y s u f f o c a t e d , a f t e r

entering a cargo hold, on the Togo-flag general cargoship Ashraf off the Oman coast whi le on passage f rom Dj ibout i to Shar jah in early April. The incident h i g h l i g h t s c o n t i n u i n g concerns about entry into enclosed spaces and appears to be another case of would-be rescuers not wearing breathing equipment and also dying.

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e Muscat Daily, the owner’s local agent said: “A sailor went down to the ship’s cargo hold and died after inhaling charcoal fumes. Two colleagues followed him and they suffocated as well.” The bodies of the three men were taken ashore in Muscat.

This latest tragedy comes as two liability insurers have underlined the risks posed by enclosed spaces. The London Club says that its ship inspection department has noted a general rise in the number of negative findings relating to enclosed space entry procedures.

The club notes: “The subject has been discussed at length, and despite a global acceptance of indust ry

s t a n d a r d p r o c e d u r e s , incidents continue to occur year-on-year.”

The insurers’ inspectors regularly find that although E n c l o s e d S p a c e E n t r y Pe rmi t to Work (PTW) forms are presented to them, in reality there are major failings. These often include: completed single PTWs which are claimed to cover entry into multiple enclosed spaces; checklists fully completed and signed off by the responsible officer and master, without the required safety equipment actually being in place; no evidence of consideration of how a rescue would be undertaken from the space in the event of an emergency; no provision for continuous monitoring of the atmosphere of the space; and oxygen/gas detection equipment either in poor condition or without proper evidence of calibration to statutory requirements.

The London Club says it is aware of at least one case where the responsible officer has faced criminal charges for allowing an operation to be conducted in an unsafe manner, despite signing paperwork showing that all necessary safety precautions were in place.

T h e A m e r i c a n P & I Club’s latest e- learning t o o l , p r o d u c e d b y i t s m a n a g e r s , S h i p o w n e r s Claims Bureau Inc, also h ighl ights the dangers posed by enclosed spaces. Produced in association with the Philippines-based training provider, IDESS IT, the introduction to the new module notes: “There i s an ins is tent need to create awareness of the circumstances which have too often resulted in the death or injury of crew members entering enclosed spaces on board ship.”

The new module, The Case of the Invisible Assassin, focuses on the hazard of entering enclosed spaces on bulk carriers. It is a companion to The Case of the Silent Assassin, which dealt with enclosed spaces on tankers and which was released in 2011.

The Shipowners Claims B u r e a u ’ s s e n i o r v i c e president, William Moore, says that over the last ten years similar incidents have resulted “in at least 15 seafarers losing their lives”.

In many cases, according to the club, the seafarer involved is the primary wage earner in a family and the consequences can be

devastating to the economic viability of the family unit.

“Each of these incidents was preventable with proper training, personal protective equipment, following the p r o c e d u r e s l a i d d o w n i n c o m p a n i e s ’ s a f e t y management systems, and proper seafarer awareness,” Dr Moore adds.

Meanwhile a Spanish shipping company, PM Shipping International , and its Designated Person Ashore (DPA) have been made to pay a total of over £13,000 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to breaches of the International Safety Management (ISM) Code in a UK court. The company and its DPA both pleaded guilty to allowing access into the Terry Siete’s ballast tanks without proper procedures being in place and continuing the practice despite a warning from a Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) port state control inspector.

Richard Pellew, MCA area operations manager (survey & inspection) for South-East England, said: “This should be a reminder to owners and operators to have correct procedures in place for entries into enclosed spaces.”

MAJOR Japanese shipping group Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has launched a new on board cadet training programme using 15 operational trading vessels adapted at the newbuilding stage to carry up to eight cadets and a training officer.

Ten of the new training vessels will be containerships and five will be VLCCs. It is expected that the Cadet Actual Deployment for Education with Tutorial (CADET Training) programme will see 330 cadets a year sail on the training vessel for periods of between two and six months. By early April six of the ships were in service.

In a statement MOL says the CADET training programme allows cadets, who later in their careers will be responsible for the safe operation of the company’s ships, to acquire basic safety education and a thorough understanding of the company’s guiding principles of safe operation, and related practices. MOL also says the programme will provide “tailor-made guidance from expert on board instructors for individual cadets, based on a standard training programme that covers the skills required for their specific jobs”.

While visiting a CADET containership in Tokyo, MOL executive officer Masaaki Nemoto said: “Safe operation is the core competence of the company, and protecting yourself and protecting the vessel lead to safe operation.”

The company says it is continually expanding its training

to cadets from many countries and seeks to recruit and develop highly capable seafarers.

Meanwhile the Spirit of MOL, used as a training ship since 2007, was decommissioned on March 23 after carrying more than 2,200 cadets from countries including India, the Philippines and Russia. While operating in this role she took part in a number of disaster relief operations and received various awards, including one from the House of Representatives of the Philippines.

MOL announces new training programme

FOR the 18th year running, Singapore held its International Sports-week for Seafarers in April.

More than 1,000 participants took part in the various sporting events held over several days during Singapore Maritime Week.

Meanwhile the drop-in centre at Singapore’s Keppel Terminal has been judged to be Drop-In Centre of the Year in 2012 by the International Committee on Seafarers’ Welfare.

AN INCREASING number of ships are running into fish farms off the Chinese coast, particularly near Lanshan and Zhoushan, although liability insurer the London Club warns that the hazard may be more widespread.

The insurer says the issue is complicated by the presence of unlicensed fish farms which are neither charted nor marked by buoys.

SHIPS’ masters and officers could face new criminal penalties when the international Ballast Water Management Convention comes into effect.

Concerns were re-cently highlighted during talks at the International Maritime Organization’s bulk liquids and gases subcommittee by seafar-ers’ union Nautilus.

At the meeting plans to undertake a trial period for port state control sam-pling and analysis were agreed once the Conven-tion comes into force.

Criminal sanctions will not be imposed during this period if discharged ballast water fails to meet the standards.

Cadets on the new MOL scheme (Photo: MOL)

Asbestos is still a danger to seafarersCLASSIFICATION society Lloyd’s Register (LR) has launched a guide on the safe management of asbestos in ships to “guard against the risks that asbestos presents within the maritime industry”. LR says asbestos remains a problem in shipping, warning: “Despite better management and reduced production

of asbestos, there remains considerable room for improvement, primarily to reduce the number of deaths. It is still estimated that more than 107,000 people die each year from the three major asbestos-related diseases as a result of occupational exposure.”

Ships often have an increased risk of asbestos exposure. The use of asbestos in shipbuilding has been unusually high over the years and some of the most dangerous asbestos application methods have been particularly prevalent in ship construction.

Robin Townsend, the author of the guide, Asbestos on Ships – How to Manage it Safely, says: “Asbestos is still produced in many countries, is widely used and it is present in many structures, including ships. Most countries do not have effective prohibitions and global production is still over 40 per cent of peak values. It is imperative that we see substantial improvements in regulatory enforcement and a reduction in asbestos-related mortality.”

A UK study found a 61 per cent increase in the incidence of asbestos-related illness in shipyard workers. An Italian study showed that of 153 men who had died of asbestos-related illnesses, 125 had jobs connected to shipping.

Mission works with shipping leadersTHE Mission to Seafarers met represenatives of the world’s leading shipping companies in Singapore recently to discuss key support strategies for crew development and human resources

management, as part of its advocacy work to support seafarers around the world.

Mission director of development Nicky Wynne was one of the headline speakers at ACI’s 12th Maritime HR and Crew Development Conference, where she discussed the future of welfare services for seafarers.

Ms Wynne said: “I was delighted to speak to the shipping industry’s senior managers, whose role is to ensure seafarers’ employment contracts are properly managed and that working conditions for crews are at the very least up to international standards.”

Checks to focus on cruise shipsPORT state control inspectors (PSCOs) in countries covered by the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) are placing cruise ship safety under scrutiny this year. In May 2012 the Paris MoU port state control committee agreed to organise a Harmonized Verification Programme (HAVEP) on operational controls on passenger ships other than ferries and high-speed craft.

Liability insurer Steamship Mutual advises that PSCOs will observe an operational control exercise of a standard emergency scenario.

The aim is to ensure that in the event of an emergency, crews can organise themselves into teams, communicate effectively with shore-based support and rescue services and that crew and passengers can safely abandon the ship if necessary.

First DC grid shipTHE 5,000 dwt platform supply vessel Dina Star has become the first ship to be fitted with ABB’s Onboard DC Grid system. She has been delivered to Norwegian Myklebusthaug Offshore by Kleven Yard and will serve as an oil field supply and construction vessel in the North Sea. ABB says the system will allow the ship to operate at the highest energy efficiency level, minimising emissions.

ABB says its new system represents a breakthrough for the industry in optimised propulsion by distributing power through a single DC circuit, providing significant savings.