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Marine Surveyor wanted
Individual will preferably have:
- At least 5 years international sea-going experience.
- Experience as chief or second engineer on ocean going ships
- Degree in nautical studies, marine or mechanical engineering.
- Diploma in marine surveying or enrolment in same.
- Must be able to conduct hull & machinery, condition surveys and other technical investigations and surveys on many types of vessels from small craft to large merchant ships.
- Familiar with International Maritime Organisation codes and standards/procedures, and International Shipping regulations.
- Computer literacy in word processing and spreadsheets.
- Good communication skills in English.
- Should be self motivated with some managerial skills and a hands-on attitude.
- Must be prrepared to travel at short notice anywhere in the Asia Pacific region.
This is an opportunity for a committed marine surveyor to grow within a well established company in the far east and possibly take over the future company management.. Candidates who do not fulfil all of the above requirements will be considered as training will be provided.
Reply to editor.
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CONTENTS (for full stories, select a headline)
- At the bow - Registration is free! New readers this month.
- Spindrift - US river pilot loses licence for speeding. Seafarers killed by toxic fumes. Containers swept from Unifeeder ship. Singapore cleans up after collision. Easy winter for Baltic icebreakers.
- Contributions - Whither surveyors, the guardians of quality shipping?
- Midships - Perks. Small craft surveying. Boaters must not operate 121.5 or 243 MHz EPIRBS after 31 December 2006.
- Scuttlebutt - ISPS. Customs brokers join criticism of 9/11 bill.
- Insurance News - Multihulls - Viewed from the yacht claims desk. Letter of indemnity warning.
- Wig & Gown - None this month.
- Education & Training - IIMS Small Craft Working Group (Far East) Meeting and Training Seminar. Short courses.
- Epistles - From Ghulam Suhrawardi, President, NAMS.
- People - Edwin Lampert. Richard Sadler. Security at IMO.
- Books & Videos - Useful software - Oceanschedules.com goes live.
- Conference reports - None this month.
- IMO Conventions - Convention updates.
- Future events - Some upcoming events which might be of interest to marine surveyors.
- Useful web sites for marine surveyors. No new web sites this month but an exensive list of useful sites anyway.
- From the Poop Deck - To all the kids who were born in the 1930's, 40s
50's, 60s and 70s. The year's best headlines of 2006. Bottle of wine. Food for thought.
FLASHLIGHT is a free monthly emailed newsletter circulated to more than 5,000 people involved in marine surveying around the world. It is circulated to anybody who wishes to receive a copy, eg, Marine Surveyors, P&I Clubs, their correspondents, Underwriters, Professional Institutes, Admiralty Lawyers, etc. It is a collation of articles relevant to our profession taken from various publications together with contributions from readers. Please pass it on to any of your contacts who you feel might be interested in receiving it. If you do not wish to be included in the circulation list, please contact the Editor at the email address below. Letters, opinions and articles relating to our profession are welcomed for the newsletter.
New readers this month:
Captain Alun Baines, Marine Surveyor and Marine Insurance Assessor, Port Captain, Dunedin, NZ
Below is a selection of articles gleaned from various publications over the last month which we believe will be of interest to our readers:
US river pilot loses licence for speeding
SAVANNAH 08 January ? A federal river pilot has lost his licence for eight months after a judge agreed with the USCG that he guided a chemical tanker at excessive speeds past an unloading LNG tanker ? causing an emergency lockdown. In addition to the eight-month suspension, pilot John C McCarthy III will face an additional year-long probation as a result of the 14 March 2006 incident. Coast Guard Lt. Andy Meyers told Fairplay that the hearing validated an earlier USCG decision to sanction McCarthy. The case centred on McCarthy?s pilotage of the US-flagged Charleston, which was headed upriver for loading. As the vessel passed the LNG terminal at Elba Island at speeds in excess of 14kt, the wake rocked an unloading LNG tanker, causing an emergency dock shutdown, cargo hose separations, the collapse of a gangway, and mooring lines to part. Meyers says that while no LNG was released, McCarthy?s actions still posed a threat and that is why the suspension and probation were warranted. In addition, the captain of the US Shipping-owned Charleston was also found to be negligent in his role and he was issued a letter of warning in lieu of a suspension. Meyers noted that McCarthy is not a member of the Savannah River Pilots? Association, but is a federal pilot who is authorised to guide US-flagged ships.
(ED: Is this the first time a pilot has been held responsible for his actions?)
Seafarers killed by toxic fumes
YALTA 08 January ? Two seafarers have died from inhalation of poisonous fumes and the other eight on board were evacuated from their ship after a cargo of ferromanganese silicon reacted with rain water. The Russian general cargo vessel Odisk had loaded the 2,000-tonne cargo at the Ukrainian port of Kerch on Friday and was heading for Turkey when the fumes spread. The ship immediately diverted to the nearest port, Yalta, where the crew was taken to hospital. Ukrainian authorities have launched an investigation. The 1980-built Odisk flies the Sierra Leone flag and is operated by Transoptimal Shipping of Istanbul, Turkey.
Containers swept from Unifeeder ship
HAMBURG 12 January ? Ten containers were swept into the North Sea near Germany's Elbe estuary this morning when the 700-teu vessel JRS Canis encountered a series of 7-8m waves, German waterways police said. The 2006-built ship classed by Germanischer Lloyd and operated by Unifeeder, was en route from Bremerhaven to St Petersburg during one of the fiercest storms seen this winter. The German emergency response vessel Mellum is reported to be on site for recovery of the cargo and a traffic warning has been sent out to passing ships. A police spokesman told Fairplay that the lost boxes were not declared to contain hazardous cargo. A number of damaged containers have remained on board the JRS Canis, which is expected in Hamburg later today for detailed surveys by the authorities and insurance experts.
Singapore cleans up after collision
SINGAPORE 12 January ? Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority has completed the clean-up of an oil spill following a collision between two ?port limit? bunker tankers. The accident resulted in an oil spill of about 200 tonnes. No crew injuries were reported. The accident involving Seafalcon and Frontek occurred yesterday afternoon in the Southern Fairway, about 500m south of St John?s Island. The spill was the result of a damaged tank of Seafalcon. Frontek suffered ?minor damage? to its bow and stem. An oil boom has been placed around Seafalcon and the remaining oil cargo has been transferred to another tanker. Port operations and shipping traffic remain unaffected.
Easy winter for Baltic icebreakers
HELSINKI 17 January ? The first Finnish icebreaker left its base in Helsinki today, almost two months later than usual as an unusually mild inter has led to slow icing of the Baltic, icebreaker operator Finstaship says. The Finnish meteorological office reported in December that the average temperature was about 6 degrees centigrade above the average of the past 30 years. Kontio, the first icebreaker to enter service, has sailed to the northern parts of the Gulf of Bothnia. The ice there is up to 20cm thick, while on average it should be up to 45cm, according to figures from the Finnish Institute of Marine Research. Normally the icebreaking season starts at the end of November.
(With thanks for Fairplay Daily News: news@fairplay.co.uk)
Whither surveyors, the guardians of quality shipping?
(Report on the 2006 Asian Marine Insurance and Surveying Forum, Mumbai)
With commercial intentions superseding all other objectives in the shipping trade, the surveyors, once considered the Guardians of Quality Shipping have got sidelined and quality is being given the go by. The situation is further aggravated by the worldwide shortage of surveyors that is being experienced.Marine surveyors worldwide are dwindling fast and in the present context the surveys being undertaken leave much to be desired. The shortage is so marked that it is a known fact that there is hardly any organization, which can afford the luxury of deploying more than one surveyor (very seldom two), on any assignment and that too for just a few hours, unless perhaps if the vessel is in the yard. With fewer man-hours, it is more impossible than difficult to survey a sea going ship, even in reasonable detail, leave alone when that ship happens to be a super tanker or a large container vessel. On the other hand his authority often gets undermined and often his role is merely titular.
According to Graham Ashley of ETIC Africa & P & I Services the marine surveyor is often helpless even when he finds that a part of the cargo is unfit for loading? Even if he is appointed on behalf of the vessel he naturally advises the Master of the situation. But the surveyor has to leave it to the Master to take whatever decision. The Master in turn has to decide against the surveyor?s advice because of commercial pressures on him not to slow loading. Under the circumstances then what can the surveyor do if his advice is ignored?Delivering his keynote address at the opening of the seventh ?Annual Marine Insurance & Surveying Forum,? on the theme ?MARINE SURVEYORS ? GUARDIANS OF QUALITY SHIPPING?
Amitava Banerjee, principal officer (I/C) of the Mercantile Marine Department, pointed out, ?With each classic casualty starting with the Titanic and its sister the Britannic, there has been a sustained upheaval in the regulatory regime and with it the vision of marine surveying organizations has gone through a sort of metamorphosis. We are aware that ships are survey-able to an extent which has limitations by any optimistic perception and, this is what makes the job of the marine surveyors unenviable from the word ?go??.Notwithstanding the various inherent constraints a surveyor experiences, it is of concern that all the illustrious casualties happened even though the vessels possessed valid statutory certificates. There are a number of casualties: inclement weather, ship staff wanting in competence and perhaps even the media and the judiciary contribute handsomely in portraying these incidents on a scale that is prodigious. ?This however does not spare my surveying-community the stigma attached to the sinking of, inter alia, the Erika, which carried the necessary certificates, was under class and had been inspected by port state control and industry inspectors on several occasions,? acknowledged Banerjee. ?Is it that these ships were not built, maintained and equipped to the desired level of technical sophistication and that is why they suffered such a fate? Perhaps not!?
Ashley has his doubts when it comes to selecting the stowage method? ?I would suggest from experience of stevedoring companies that they will do it their way because they have done it that way for years and anything the Master and Chief Officer or indeed their surveyor says will probably be treated with disdain and scorn,? he contends. ?So does this mean that the surveyor is adopting the role of simple observer; recorder of the facts; or has his principal given him a consultant?s role whereby he is being asked for advice and proposals on how to Dunn-age and stow??The whole question boils down to what the principals are prepared to pay for. Do they want a survey or a superficial check and glorified tally? If they want a serious survey of the pre-condition quality of the cargo and an accurate check on the quantity loaded, are they prepared to act on the findings of the surveyor? Ashley feels that if the surveyor is not given the due importance then the whole circus will continue. ?We shall continue to see short shipments, the loading of damaged cargo and huge claims which the various actors in the trade have factored into their costs and in the end, it simply boils down to the man in the street in Africa having to pay more for his bowl of rice.?
Maritime experts have been usually identifying that, precisely-targeted port state control; impartial ship vetting; ISM audits conducted in their due perspective; effective industry self-regulation; fruitful government-industry partnerships; responsible media coverage and information exchange; better incentives in order to reward compliance with statutes and improving competence of crew by training as the cornerstones on the basis of which maritime safety can be improved. Banerjee rues, ?Unless a well meaning and discerning ship owner is really proactive, all this can be implemented only and only if an Adequate number of quality marine surveyors are available. And if they are duly trained and continuously updated for standardized implementation of the various conventions. And finally, if they have thecorrect attitude, if not the sixth sense, to develop themselves to be effective surveyors.?
A captain of the industry Peter Cremers, CEO of Anglo-Eastern Group states, ?The ship management industry has been the first to introduce the principles of quality assurance into shipping. There can be no doubt that ? if done properly ? QA does improve all processes on board. We are now introducing an element of risk assessment in each and every decision we ? or the people on board take. Again ? a well-proven technology that has worked well in other industries ? finding its rightful place in shipping.?More recently even TMSA (Tanker Management Self Assessment) was introduced. A set of prescriptive guidelines of best practice ? graduated from level one to level four for each subject ? allowing Ship owner and Ship manager to assess their level of operation against the prescribed ones as a starting point for even further improvements. The general consensus is that a well operating owner/manager today will be meeting somewhere between level two and three ? with plenty of scope for improvement.
Capt. K. N. Deboo, principal, Anglo Eastern Maritime Training Centre, wants a set of norms brought in place. He confirms that the bar has been raised on board of the ships. The bar has to be raised in all shore based services surrounding the ships as well ? from class to P&I to port state to pilots. He warns that owing to the rush for securing greater number of seafarers those making a debut into the sea career are being rushed through a system ? and with potentially very little experience to real problems. He appeals to the shipping companies to set their own standards and train people according to their specific requirements. Capt Deboo advocates taking decisions on sound technical grounds. By trying to employ simple but very fundamental principles has brought ship managers a long way. This needs knowledge rather than assumed experience. He recommends ship managers to look around for systems and methods proven in other industries and to apply them to their own operations.?Show respect for the people that man our ships,? he advises. ?They are the ones bringing a ship from A to B. They are the ones earning the freight. Their life on board became less and less advantageous ? and more and more proven to personal criminality. It?s hard enough to sell our story to the outside world ? they deserve the utmost respect from the inside world.?
With thanks to Shipping Today, India.
Go to:
http://shippingtoday.net/new/current_issue.php?action=show_article&art_id=Art1
Perks
Call me naive but I always believed that any perks for clients were restricted to items which could be eaten or drunk. Imagine my surprise to find that one of my competitors has been buying prostitutes to poach clients away. This is not based on rumour but on the competitor and client being caught in the act, the client switching allegiance shortly thereafter. I believe this to be in the realm of the dirty tricks department, but looking at the incident a little closer, it says a lot about both the competitor and the client. Firstly, the competitor clearly does not believe that they can depend on their marketing and professional skills to obtain work. Secondly, it says a lot about the client's selection criteria. What would their bosses and shareholders think if they found out about their ship vetting departments selection criteria for marine surveyors?
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Small craft surveying
Our regular readers will note that your editor is including more articles and items on small craft. Recent attendance at NAMS, SCMS and IIMS conferences have confirmed that there are far more small craft surveyors out there than H&M and cargo surveyors. This could be due to the greater amount of work in the small craft area but being a cynic I believe it could be because it is far more gratifying to mooch around smart marinas and pleasure craft than crawling around in a filthy bulk carrier and around dirty and inaccessible terminals. Job satisfaction makes up for lower fees in the small craft domain.
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Boaters must not operate 121.5 or 243 MHz EPIRBS after 31 December 2006.
The Coast Guard reminds all boaters that beginning January 1, 2007, both 121.5 and 243 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs)are prohibited from use in both commercial and recreational watercraft. Boaters wishing to have an emergency rescue beacon aboard their vessel must have a digital 406 MHz model. The January 1, 2007, date to stop
using 121.5 MHz EPIRBs is in preparation for February 1, 2009, when satellite processing of distress signals from all 121.5/243 MHz beacons will terminate. Following this termination date, only the 406 MHz beacons will be detected by the International Cospas-Sarsat SatelliteSystem which provides distress alert and location data for search and rescue operations around the world. The regulation applies to all Class A, B, and S 121.5/243 MHz EPIRBs. It does not affect 121.5/243 MHz man overboard devices which are designed to work directly with a base alerting unit only and not with the satellite system. This change, in large part, was brought about by the unreliability of the 121.5/243 MHz beacons in an emergency situation. Data reveals that with a 121.5 MHz beacon, only one alert out of every 50 is a genuine distress situation. This has a significant effect on expending the limited resources of search and rescue personnel and platforms. With 406 MHz beacons, false alerts have been reduced significantly, and, when properly registered, can usually be resolved with a telephone call to the beacon owner. Consequently, real alerts can receive the attention they deserve. When a 406 MHz beacon signal is received, search and rescue personnel can retrieve information from a registration database. This includes the beacon owner's contact information, emergency contact information, and vessel/aircraft identifying characteristics. Having this information allows the Coast Guard, or other rescue personnel, to respond appropriately. In the U.S., users are required by law to directly register their beacon in the U.S. 406 MHz Beacon Registration Database at: http://www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov/ or by calling 1-888-212-SAVE. Other users can register their beacon in their country's national beacon registration database or, if no national database is available, in the International Beacon Registration Database at https://www.406registration.com/. The United States Coast Guard is the lead agency for coordinating national maritime search and rescue policy and is responsible for providing search and rescue services on, under and over assigned international waters and waters subject to United States jurisdiction.
ISPS
Conflicts continue to develop with respect to the implementation of the ISPS Code. Each month, we will be listing some of the ways that the code interferes with normal ship operations which in some cases could be considered as hazardous together with transgressions of interest .....
If you have any glaring contradictions, please let us know.
Customs brokers join criticism of 9/11 bill
WASHINGTON, DC 18 January ? American Customs brokers have joined the growing chorus of critics who say the mandate for inspection of all US bound containers, passed by the House of Representatives, simply will not work. In a statement yesterday, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America expressed opposition to the 9/11 Commission Report implementation bill, saying that the provision to inspect 100% of inbound boxes will ?diminish the effectiveness of resources by spreading them too thin while simultaneously significantly slowing the flow of commerce, thus increasing the cost of goods and services. If legitimate air cargo cannot flow expeditiously, then the public will believe that there is little reason to use this mode of transportation for just-in-time delivery.? The group also criticised the bill?s push to immediately implement the Secure Freight Initiative, rather than treat it as a pilot project as was mandated under the SAFE Ports act, passed last week. The US Senate has held hearings on the 9/11 bill but has yet to pass its version of the measure. World Shipping Council president Chris Koch has told Sea Sentinel that he doubts the House version of the bill will ever become law as he feels the Senate will take a more studied approach to the issue.
(With thanks for Fairplay Daily News: news@fairplay.co.uk)
Multihulls - Viewed from the yacht claims desk
By Guy Matthews, NAMS-CMS
Some allege that the occupant of the Yacht Claims Desk is unfairly biased against all things catamaran. I plead guilty on the bias count but not guilty on the unfair charge.
My work with claims on these awkward contraptions often involves the down side of the nautical world and leads me to believe that if God had intended man to sail on floating tennis courts, he would have found some way to instill a smidgen of common sea sense into those eclectic souls whose nautical misdeeds cross the yacht claims desk anytime they venture further than the Sir Francis Drake Channel or the lee of the Windward Islands. I hasten to add that I am fully aware that a few rugged salts skillfully sail multi-hulls in formidable conditions ranging from the howling southeasterlies and thin waters of the Laguna Madre to blue water voyages across oceans; therefore the comments herein are empirically derived from claims crossing the yacht claims desk and do not refer to these competent mariners.
Although the word catamaran derives from the Tamil language of the Fifth Century Indian Subcontinent and describes crude log vessels found on the Coromandel Coast, the Polynesian inner-connected twin canoes used to settle the islands of Oceania were the first to have the characteristics of a modern catamaran. While the half century after World War II witnessed the advent of the large commercial power catamaran, the mass produced catamaran sailing yacht is a relatively new development thanks in part to the charter companies.
Today cruising multi-hulls are but an infinitesimal portion of the world's fleet of recreational vessels but nevertheless are reportedly the fastest growing segment in the boating industry. The claims desk's (dead reckoning) estimate is that catamarans compose less than one percent of the insured vessels in the Caribbean yachting fleet but produce more than five percent of the number of the reported insurance claims and substantially more than ten percent of the total claims payments. Their numbers are growing and it looks like they are here to stay.
I got off on the wrong foot with catamarans a life time ago when, posing as a bored old salt, I volunteered to teach one of my daughter's suitors how to sail his newly acquired Hobie cat. The sailing lesson deteriorated into inglorious failure when I tried to come about in a twenty knot breeze and painfully learned that the Hobie head reached about as far as I could throw a storm anchor. The embarrassing incident is remembered as the onset of early stage humility.
My first professional contact with a real working catamaran occurred in 1964 and involved the first and only catamaran drill ship which was constructed for oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico. A derrick and drawworks were mounted on a huge bridge structure which connected two LST hulls to provide a floating drilling platform. The gargantuan vessel, 260 feet long with a beam of 126 feet, was positioned on the drilling location by eight massive anchors. The vessel became a total loss in a blowout and fire off of Louisiana, which resulting in a tragic loss of life and a sizable insurance claim.
In those idyllic days now past, the few catamaran and trimaran yachts around the Texas waterfront were mostly ugly back yard built disasters crewed by characters who had a widely different view of society than those of us living in the real world.
When I first arrived in the Caribbean, catamarans were as rare as cell phones and computers on sailboats. Unfortunately the charter companies changed all that and by the time of our second Caribbean cruise in the mid 1990's, the cruising world had changed with a charter catamaran at the end of every marina dock. I, along with many other traditionalists, was astounded that these vessels achieved the level of popularity that they now enjoy. Their success is in no small way a tribute to the charter companies' ability to market a fair weather day sailer which doesn't heel and can sleep an infantry platoon. (Once during sundowners at Pussers during those early days of the charter catamaran, I over heard a charter's wife remark that their boat was like a waterfront condominium where the scenery changed every day.)
While typical Caribbean cruisers were concerned with heavy weather avoidance and navigation, the catamaran crowd was more focused on the aesthetics of nautical life such as how to survive if the corkscrew was lost overboard. It didn't take long to discover that the typical multi-hull sailor is far removed from the web footed mariner long idealized on waterfronts everywhere. It is noteworthy that emerging popularity of the catamaran yacht has attracted a professional clientele that is generally well educated, confident, and willing to dig deep into their pockets to support the operation of the vessel.
The new catamarans, like all of today's yachts, are not cheap to buy, own, operate, charter, repair or insure. Some of the new members of the emerging catamaran society, having amassed the wherewithal to participate therein, are disdainful of much of traditional nautical lore and in some convoluted way come to believe that esteem from their peers on the waterfront and their professional accomplishments somehow translate into seamanship. This unjustified self confidence results in more work for the claims desk.
My early predisposition against multi-hulls was greatly reinforced by duty on the yacht claims desk. When I first came on board, I was flabbergasted by the torrent and size of yacht claims and soon became aware that the number of claims involving catamarans was greater than the proportion of insured catamarans to the fleet of insured yachts and that the size of each catamaran claim was significantly greater than that of the typical yacht claim. Although the deluge of catamaran claims has now become blurred by time, a few of the early claims remain imprinted in memory.
One of the first claims was a total loss on a chartered catamaran, which became inverted off of the southwest coast of Saint Lucia during squally winds which were exacerbated by the erratic conditions at the Pitons. When the catamaran was enveloped by the squall, the vessel close haul\ed with the sails sheeted flat heeled slowly and, without pausing, overturned. Some members of the charter party escaped the topsy-turvy vessel through an escape hatch in the bottom of one of the hulls – my first introduction to an escape hatch in a vessel's bottom. This old sailor had never before thought of an escape hatch in the bottom of the hull as a safety device. There was a lesson here for sailors and insurers alike.
In what was to become a pattern, a catamaran coming out of charter grounded on the Silver Bank east of Grand Turk when the owner attempted to sail across the shoal which had been shown on every chart produced for more than three centuries. Fortunately everyone on board was rescued by a US Coast Guard helicopter and ferried back to Puerto Rico preventing what could have been an even greater disaster than the total loss of the vessel.
The losses have continued with a perplexing regularity. January, 2006 became a bad month for catamaran insurers with two total loss claims on catamarans again enroute to the mainland after coming out of charter. A Fountane Pajot sank south of Grand Turk when the bottom escape hatch inexplicably opened while the vessel sailed merrily down wind. The crew was rescued from their life raft by a passing freighter but the vessel became a total loss.
Later in the month another 46 foot catamaran attempting to reach across the Gulf of Mexico on the rhumb line from Isla Contoy to the Texas coast piled up on fabled, well marked and lighted Alacran Reef which had been charted since the time of Spanish Exploration. The well educated and affluent crew earlier ditched their paid captain who was an old time stickler for precise navigation and steered westward following the GPS steer to coordinates of the Texas destination. The crew, apparently secure in the catamaraner's assumed self-confidence in which status and esteem translated into seamanship, was unaware that a catamaran reaching in fresh beam winds would make "leeway." These modern devotees to electronic navigation did not think it necessary to plot the vessel's location on a chart. Unfortunately, the vessel became a total loss while the crew waded ashore escorted by Mexican Authorities.
In the meantime we continue to see multiple dismastings, the frequency of which for catamarans is greater than on any other type of vessel. The catamaran rig with the deck mounted mast step and limited staying is much more susceptible to a catastrophic dismasting than is thetraditional keel mounted mast. The claims desk has witnessed catamaran dismastings originating from every conceivable source including rigging failure, collision, grounding, windblown debris from an adjacent moored vessel and uncontrolled jibe. While the mono-hull can sometimes withstand the failure of a shroud or connection, such a failure on the catamaran is usually a disaster.
Lightning strike claims are the most frequent occurring yacht claim in the tropics and are an accident category for which the catamaran is a leading victim. There is little doubt that catamarans with a deck mounted mast absent connections to underwater surfaces are choice targets for the errant lightning bolt. During a heavy thunderstorm in a single June, 2005 afternoon, a charter operator in the western Caribbean sustained lightning strikes to nine (9) charter catamarans and one (1) mono-hull moored in the same area.
The beam of the catamaran causes problems in obtaining secure dockage in slips or at moorings. The recent hurricanes have resulted in multiple claims on these large ponderous vessels which are often docked alongside or at the end of a dock. During Hurricane Ivan, in what must have been an eerie sight had anyone been able to observe, an anchored catamaran became inverted during the height of the storm and another total loss crossed the claims desk.
The sheer size and mooring complexities inherent in multi-hulls limits repair site options and often causes the repair cost to be greater than for other vessels.Mercifully it seems that the collisions, soft groundings and thefts occurring to catamarans are approximately equivalent in frequency to those occurring to the traditional cruiser. It is noteworthy that many catamarans built for charter service have multiple watertight bulkheads and that some builders, wisely anticipating intentional and unintentional groundings, have fitted their hulls with sacrificial keels.
The multi-hull losses parading across the claims desk are never boring with their bizarre nature adding a juicy bit of spice to the life of the old unrepentant shoestring cruiser occupying the desk. Representative of these unusual occurrences are the claim on a small folding trimaran which an adventurous owner attempted to single handedly sail from Florida to the Virgin Islands in the winter time only to experience structural problems while approaching the Bahamas or a claim on an environmentally friendly electric powered catamaran which grounded on day one of a voyage from Florida to California. Life at the claims desk is never dull.
Another aspect of the quixotic catamaran world is the inclination of some supposedly technically proficient surveyors to attempt to impress the unwashed with their wisdom by using obscure (and incorrect words) in describing the vessel. Specifically within the past year two surveyors have persisted in calling the catamaran hull an '?ama*' or '?amah*' words of Polynesian origin describing the sealed hull on trimarans or outrigger canoes. Such incorrect usage earns the pretentious surveyor the same asterisk beside his name as that which identifies those who have difficulty in distinguishing port from starboard.
If one was to distill the claims desk experiences dealing with catamaran claims in the tropics, the following are the practical conclusions which would result:
1. The catamaran is more exposed to lightning strikes and dismasting than is the conventional mono-hull.
2. The down wind voyage to the mainland of a catamaran coming out of charter service poses an unusually high risk for catastrophic loss.
3. The very nature of catamaran boating attracts those whose interest are more sensory than nautical, hence the seamanship level of many catamaran sailors and owners is far below that of traditional cruising sailors. The vessel's stability and ease of management can cause over confidence and a false sense of security, factors which are prime causes of marine accidents.
4. The beam of the catamaran sometimes limits dockage options and access to repair facilities resulting in a greater exposure to loss and adversely affecting repair options and costs.
5. Any vessel equipped with escape hatches in the underside of the hull and sacrificial keels are indications that extraordinary caution is required for safe and successful operation.
6. Insurers, owners and those seeking objective information should avoid the surveyor who calls a catamaran hull an '?ama'* since such incorrect usage is intended to give the impression of knowledge where none exists.
Although I do not have any special communication with the folks occupying the corner offices at the yacht insurance companies, it is apparent that recent years have been a bad time for yacht insurance making it possible that the scope of continuing coverage might diminish, while the cost thereof increases. While the efforts of some insurers in maintaining a market for yacht insurance in these troubled times borders on heroic, if the future loss experience continues like the last two years, the yacht insurance market will certainly be different than the past.
While I am confident that yacht insurance will continue to be available at a price, the direction of the yacht insurance market is uncertain. I am also certain that if in some unlikely circumstance yacht insurance collapses in a chaotic Gotterdammerung, the Caribbean catamaran will be leading the way.
Good Sailing
Guy Matthews, NAMS-CMS
(With thanks to NAMS Newsletter)
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Letter of indemnity warning
THE International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC) has warned ship agents to be wary when asked to sign unusual letters of indemnity, by means of which shipowners may be seeking to contract out of liability.
Writing in its latest 'Claims Review' newsletter, ITIC recounts the experience of an agent who was asked to sign a letter of indemnity in his favour before the ship arrived at the port. According to the shipowner, the letter of indemnity was a requirement of the ISPS Code and provided that the agent: (a) agreed not to claim against the owner, regardless of the owner's responsibility in the matter, negligent or otherwise; and (b) agreed t o indemnify and insure the owner against any claims and expenses resulting from the performance of the services provided by the agent.
ITIC says, "Owners often attempt to obtain this type of letter of indemnity from parties boarding the ship, such as surveyors, engineers, working gangs, students, cadets and even P&I personnel. It is not usual or reasonable, however, for this type of letter of indemnity to be signed by port agents, nor is it a requirement of the ISPS Code."
The agent involved referred the request to ITIC and, following advice, refused to sign the letter as its contents were totally unacceptable and could have prejudiced the terms of the agent's insurances with ITIC and with other insurers. ITIC concludes, "The shipowner, under the guise of complying with the ISPS Code, attempted to contract of its liabilities. Agents should always refuse to sign such indemnities."
www.itic-insure.com
None this month.
Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make all of them yourself!
(Don Robertson)
You can find more short courses in the USA in the Marine Surveyor's Web Site at http://www.marinesurveyor.com/educate.html
******
IIMS Small Craft Working Group (Far East) Meeting and Training Seminar.
Mariners? Club. Third Floor. Conference Room. Middle Road. Kowloon. Hong Kong.
1000 on Wednesday 7th March, 2007.
Programme.
Small Craft Working Group. ( Members only )
Chairman?s Report and Local Issues.
Presentations:
High speed pleasure craft.
Mr. Roger Tupper. Director of Marine. Hong Kong.
New fast planing vessel designs
Mr. Michael Lieu. Promax Marine International
Products and materials of new designs
Mr. Roger Eastham. Manager. Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.
Osmosis (Hydrolysis) prevention and repair
Mr. Steve Piercey. Piercey Marine Limited.
Refreshments and lunch will be included in the seminar fee.
Contact: Nick Robinson: njrwyrco@netvigator.com
******
IIMS inform us that the following Small Craft, short courses are planned for the coming months starting in January 2007. Any member, who wishes to add their name to the list of participants, should contact the Administration Office as soon as possible.
Courses Available
The Theory of Surveying Wooden Craft 26 Jan 07
The Recreational Craft Directive 9 Feb 07
The Theory of Surveying FRP/GRP Craft Mar 07
Introduction to Corrosion & Coatings in the Marine Sector Apr 07
One Day training Courses
The following courses are also available, but need additional candidates before the courses can be arranged. Any member who wishes to register or these courses should contact the Administration Office as soon as possible.
Rigging and Sails date TBA
Small Craft Engineering (5 day course) date TBA
Members interested in attending any of the above courses should contact the Administration office as soon as possible. Course joining instructions will be sent out approximately three weeks before the start of the course.
Members are reminded that non-members may attend any Institute course, but a 10% surcharge will be levied.
IIMS members may now purchase any of the Institute Diploma modules as stand alone, distance-learning packages. Modules may be purchased singularly or as members require.
This is an opportunity to up skill your personal abilities or to learn new skills, in your own time. You could even add a new surveying area to your portfolio of services. Each module when completed will provide the member with a credit against future participation on any of the Institute Diploma courses.
This facility is only open to members of the Institute and all applications should be sent to the Administration Office in the first instance.
IIMS will hold an Inland Waterways training seminar at The Boat Museum in Ellesmere Port on 19 March 2007. Further details will be published in due course.
For more information on any subject please contact the Administration Office on +44(0)23 9258 8000, fax: +44(0)23 9258 8002 or email
iims@compuserve.com
From Ghulam Suhrawardi, President, NAMS.
2006 has ended and a new year has begun. Happy New Year to all NAMS members. I hope our members achieve the best of everything this year. We have a number of new members from all corners of the globe. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome them into the family of NAMS. The good name of NAMS has been spread all over the world. I am confident this trend will gain speed and we will multiply rapidly. Once again, I request our members to give the best appearance by acting professionally and ethically. As you all know, NAMS has been very strict on ethical breaches if it ever occurs. We are very lucky to have a group who are highly professional and ethically strong. Please keep it up. Remember; you are the ambassadors of NAMS. Please propagate the good name and try to attract new member applicants. Our national conference is fast approaching. I personally appeal to all members to help in anyway possible to make this a great success. Your suggestions, compliments and complaints will be a great help. I strongly urge you to share some technical knowledge with other fellow surveyors. Please send articles to the NAMS newsletter.
Ed: Amen to this!
After three years editing MER at the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, Edwin Lampert has joined Riviera Maritime Media (RMM) to launch a new niche technical publication for the Tanker industry and work as inhouse editor across the RMM fleet of titles.
******
Richard Sadler steps up at LR
LONDON 12 January ? Richard Sadler, currently Director of Lloyd?s Register EMEA, has been appointed chief executive of the Lloyd?s Register Group. The appointment takes effect on 1 July, by which time Sadler will have full executive responsibility for the organisation. David Moorhouse will remain chairman of LR. Sadler has a degree in naval architecture and holds a post-graduate diploma of welding technology. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineers and a Member of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects. He joined LR in 1976, working in the marine, industrial and offshore sectors before moving on to a number of overseas postings. He held a number of managerial roles before becoming marine general manager of Lloyd?s Register?s London operations in 2000. After two years as director of ship asset management with the Royal Bank of Scotland, Sadler returned to head up LR?s EMEA division. Moorhouse welcomed Sadler?s ?unique understanding of the technical, operational and commercial issues that the classification, management systems and asset risk management sectors face as a whole.?
******
Security at IMO
IMO has established a new sub-division within its Maritime Safety Division to reinforce the high priority given to maritime security. The new sub-division will provide a stronger focus on security matters and will address the complementary issue of facilitation of maritime traffic, under the leadership of Nicolaos Charalambous of Cyprus, who becomes deputy director.
Useful Software
Oceanschedules.com goes live
Shipping web portal INTTRA has launched a free searchable database of global carrier services called Oceanschedules.com. The new site allows users to filter schedules of participating carriers, download data to spreadsheets and connect to booking systems in cases where carriers are INTTRA members. Initially, 16 carriers are providing data to Oceanschedules.com, including Maersk, MSC, Hamburg Sud, CMA-CGM and Hapag Lloyd. INTTRA senior vice president Harry Sangree told Fairplay that Oceanschedules.com is encouraging other carriers to supply data in Electronic Data Interchange format for posting free of charge. He added that the new website offers significant improvements in terms of usability and interactivity versus the INTTRA-branded scheduling information system. The data on Oceanschedules.com, which also includes vessel-sharing capacity on ships not owned by participating carriers, is frequently updated ? up to twice daily ? and is provided directly from carriers? back-end systems. The decision to separately brand the new site allows Oceanschedules.com to pursue a banner-advertisement revenue model and to attract participation from even those carriers not interested in INTTRA membership, which will allow for a more comprehensive information source for shippers and forwarders. Founded in 2000, INTTRA has since reported rapidly growing transaction volumes through its web-based booking-and-tracking products.
Ed: A useful web site for those wishing to keep updated with container vessel schedules. Works with Netscape but not with Internet Explorer or Safari.
None this month.
(ED: If you intend to attend a conference which you believe would be of interest to our readers, we would be grateful to receive a short synopsis.)
IMO regularly updates its web page with new and amended conventions:
http://www.imo.org/
Here you can browse through the various publications that are available and buy those which interest you. To navigate the publications you can either select one of the categories or use the advanced search.
For those of you who might also be interested, UK M Notices are available at: www.mcagency.org.uk
If you have a marine related conference coming up, let us know so that we can mention it below:
SCMS holds a series of Buffet Lectures each year. The lectures cover a wide range of subjects that are of interest to Members and their guests. They are held in London usually starting at 18:00 hrs. The winter programme will be published on the SCMS website http://www.scmshq.org Those interested should send an email to sec@scmshq.org to be included on the announcement list. CPD certificates are available for those attending.
6-8 February 2007. Asian Shipping & Work Boat 2007. Hall 401, Suntec Singapore.
Info at: marinefo@baird.com.au or www.baird.com.au
1-3 April 2007, NAMS Annual national mariine conference, Galveston, Texas, USA. The Tremont House Galveston, TX Hotel Reservations 409-763-0300. Contact: NationalOffice@nams-cms.org
2-4 April 2007, Sea Asia, (Maritime Conference and exhibition) Suntec, Singapore.
www.sea-asia.com
23-24 April 2007, Boat Tech Asia, Sentosa Cove, Singapore. Info at:
www.boattechasia.com.
24-26 April 2007, Cruise & Ferry 2007, ExCeL London, London, UK
Info: www.cruiseferryex.com
26-28 June 2007. Work Boat China, Dalian, PRC. Info:
www.workboatchina.com
24-26 October 2007. Mediterranean Maritime 2007. Hall 1A, Parc Chanot, Marseille, France. Info:
www.baird.com.au/meditteraneanmaritime/mmindex.htm
24-27 October 2007, SAMS Annual conference & educational training symposia, Kona Kai Resort (formerly Shelter Pointe Hotel) San Diego, California, USA. Contact: SAMSHQ@aol.com.
******
Some maritime conference web sites for you to keep up to date:
http://www.cconnection.org/
http://www.reedexpo.com/
http://www.grc.uri.edu/
http://www.wholelife.com/
http://www.ship-technology.com/exhibitions/
http://www.apmaritime.com/
http://www.lloydslistevents.com/
http://www.marineexpo.com/
http://www.seaworkexhibition.com
http://www.toc-events.com/
Web Sites
FOR OUR REGULAR READERS, THERE ARE NO NEW WEB SITES THIS MONTH:
If your (marine surveying) company has a web site, let us know and we will try to mention it. Below are some web pages we believe might be useful to marine surveyors:
http://www.maib.gov.uk/publications/investigation_reports/
The UK MAIB web page giving the reports on accident investigations - A must read page for all surveeyors!
http://www.shiptalk.com/shiptalk_rss_feed.asp
RSS Feeds for the Shiptalk newsletter.
National Physics Laboratory – National Corrosion Service
AIS information:
www.AISlive.com (does not include SE Asian waters)
Canadian Coastguard:
http://www.cgc.gc.ca
International Bunker Industry Association
www.ibia.net
Good information and a good newsletter.
Admiralty and Maritime Law Guide
www.admiraltylawguide.com
Focus on US law, but still interesting
International Bunker Industry Association
www.ibia.net
Good information and a good newsletter.
Admiralty and Maritime Law Guide
www.admiraltylawguide.com
Focus on US law, but still interesting
Houston Marine Insurance Seminars
www.houstonmarineseminar.com
Lots of papers and presentations to download
IMO Country/Port/Terminal info and contact numbers:
http://www.tdconcepts.com/
Tactical Defense Concepts (TDC) - a good section on security alerts and analysis:
Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC)
http://www.ds-osac.org/
(OSAC was established in 1985 by the US Department of State to foster the exchange of security related i nformation between the US Government and the Amercian private sector operating abroad. Administered by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, OSAC has developed into an enormously successful joint venture for effective security cooperation. Through OSAC, the American private sector, including colleges and universities, is provided timely information on which to make informed corporate decisions on how best to protect their investment, facilities,personnel and intellectual property abroad.)
Those of you who use Equasis may also be interested to hear of three other web pages with similar information:
www.parismou.org/
www.tokyo-mou.org/
www.uscg.com
www.shiptalk.com/
- Designed by seafarers for seafarers. Deck, engine, catering, hotel or concession, seafarers past and present, all are welcome. Seafaring is a global profession and we extend the hand of friendship to seafarers of all nationalities.
www.shippingfacts.com
- Provides basic information about the structure of the shipping industry, its contribution to the world economy and its safety/environmental performance. The site also contains links with more detailed sourcdes of information about the industry.
www.imarest.org
- Website of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology.
www.nepia.com
- A fully searchable, and provides full details of the club and its ships. It also features a new service from the club's risk management department, called , which summarises shipping industry developments and offers links to primary sources, including the Maritime Advocate. Newsnet is updated weekly, or sometimes more frequently.
www.numast.org
- Web site for the National Union of Marine Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers who publish the monthly NUMAST Telegraph.
www.aimsurveyors.com.au
- Web site for the Australian Institute of Marine Surveyors. www.friendsreunited.co.uk/).
- Here you can register some personal information, together with your school/college and the year you left to go on to greater things. You can also enter your nickname in school, which class you were in, your mates' names and what you've done since leaving. You may be one day surprised to receive a message out of the blue from an old school chum.
www.marine-society.org
- The Marine Society is a worthy marine charity offering many services to mariners.
www.imo.org/
- International Maritime Organisation web page. Keep up to date with new conventions.
www.lrfairplay.com
- Scroll down the home page until you see the heading 'Free Access' appear on the left hand side. Clicking on the words 'shipping sites' takes you to a search function. You can then search either by company name or by category (there is a 'consultants and surveyors' category, for example) or by country. Or by a combination - so you could search for consultants/surveyors in Australia beginning with the letter 'D', for example. That pulls up a list; if you then click on the word 'free' in the right hand column you are linked through to the relevant website.
If your readers know of any companies with sites that we do not list (or that we have an out-of-date address for) we would like to have details to update the database.
http://www.acms-usa.com/
- The Association of Certified Marine Surveyors
www.equasis.org/
- Database containing safety-related information on the worlds merchant fleet from both public and private sources. Gives ship's particulars, Class Soc, P&I Club and PSC inspection record. Very useful for surveyors looking for vessel particulars before carrying out a survey.
http://www.femas.org
- The Federation of European Maritime Associations of Surveyors and Consultants
www.iims.org.uk/
- International Institute of Marine Surveyors
http://www.lloydsagency.com
- General access to the directory of the world network of Lloyd's Agents.
www.mariners-l.freeserve.co.uk
- Merchant Navy records on UK MN vessels and information merchant seamen, logs, agreements and crew lists, MN apprentices and deaths at sea
www.marinesupportonline.com
- Marine Support On Line
www.marinesurvey.org/
- Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors
www.nams-cms.org/
- National Association of Marine Surveyors
www.sas-intl.com
- Safety at Sea International
www.scmshq.org/
- Society of Consulting Marine Engineers and Ship Surveyors
www.sname.org/
- Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.
WHY NOT ADVERTISE HERE. THIS IS THE FIRST PLACE OUR READERS GO TO!
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, our baby cots were covered with bright coloured lead-based paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.
As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.
Riding three up on a push bike was always great fun.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.
We ate bread pudding, white bread and real butter and drank lemonade with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because... WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day. And we were OK.
We would spend hours building our go karts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound,no cellphones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We were given air guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them!
School sports teams had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW
TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!
And YOU are one of them!
CONGRATULATIONS!
******
THE YEAR'S BEST [actual] HEADLINES OF 2006:
Crack Found on Governor's Daughter
[Imagine that!]
Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
[No, really?]
Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
[Now that's taking things a bit far!]
Is There a Ring of Debris around Uranus?
[Not if I wipe thoroughly!]
Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
[What a guy!]
Miners Refuse to Work after Death
[No-good-for-nothing' lazy so-and-so!]
Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
[See if that works any better than a fair trial!]
War Dims Hope for Peace
[I can see where it might have that effect!]
If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
[You think?]
Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
[Who would have thought!]
Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
[They may be on to something!]
Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
[You mean there's something stronger than duct tape?]
Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge
[he probably IS the battery charge!]
New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
[Weren't they fat enough?!]
Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
[That's what he gets for eating those beans!]
Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
[Taste like chicken?]
Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
[Chainsaw Massacre all over again!]
Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
[Boy, are they tall!]
And the winner is....
Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead
******
Bottle of wine
For all of us who are married, were married, wish you were married, or wish you weren't married, this is something to smile about the next time you see a bottle of wine:
Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road.
As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride.
With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car.
Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally.
"What in bag?" asked the old woman.
Sally looked down at the brown bag and said, "It's a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband."
The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two.
Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said:
"Good trade....."
******
Some food for thought ....
A little greed can get you lots of lovely stuff.
Being compulsive is not a bad thing. I know. I triple-checked.
Brilliance cannot combat apathy, because apathy doesn't bother to show
up for the battle.
Consciousness: that annoying time between naps.
Don't let your mind wander. It's too small to be out alone.
Half of the human population has below average intelligence.
I don't have a solution, but I certainly admire the problem.
I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.
I used to be indecisive, now I'm not sure.
If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you ever tried.
It has recently been discovered that research causes cancer in lab rats.
It's not whether you win or lose, it's the quality of the consolation
prizes.
Men give love for sex, women give sex for love.
Never say die. Just do it quietly.
Nobody can be exactly like me. Even I have trouble doing it.
Save water-take a bath with your neighbour's daughter.
Sex is like pizza; even when it's bad, it's still good.
Everything is possible - just not too probable.
Love is the word used to label the sexual excitement of the young, the
habituation of the middle-aged and the mutual dependence of the old.
Work is the price you pay for money.
No-one ever really listens to anyone else, and if you try it for a while
you'll see why.
Love thy neighbour. But don't get caught.
Disclaimer: Articles and reports reflect the views of the individuals who prepared them, and, unless indicated expressly in the text, do not necessarily represent the views of the editor. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this publication is accurate, the editor makes no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or correctness of such information. The editor accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any loss, damage or other liability arising from any use of this publication or the information which it contains. The contents of the publication are the responsibility of the editor alone.
News, views, enquiries, suggestions, articles and letters for inclusion in future editions of FLASHLIGHT may be sent to:
Mike Wall
Tel: +852 2259 3150
Fax: +852 2259 3151
Email: mikewall@pacific.net.hk
Do not print this page unless absolutely necessary.