"Marine Surveying is a tough job. It demands a high level of fitness and
stamina. It requires keen observation, scrupulous honesty, an eye for detail,
an open mind and ears, a closed mouth and common sense" ANON

My apologies for the delay in transmitting the June newsletter due to your
editor being overseas earning fees to compensate for being away at Posidonia!

CONTENTS (for full stories, select a headline)

• At the bow - Registration is free! Contributions welcome.
• Conference reports - None this month
• Future events - Details of upcoming conferences which are marine survey related.
• Spindrift - Survey assistant required by NoE.
• Contributions - Touch typing.
• Scuttlebut - Calls for conference papers.
• Insurance News -
• Epistles - Debtors database. Applications invited for Diploma in Ship Surveying course.
• People - Richard Carpenter
• Useful web sites - Some which might help surveyors in their work.
• At the stern - Words of Wisdom, Autopsy.

At the Bow

Flashlight is a free monthly emailed newsletter for Marine Surveyors. 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. 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. Past
editions can be viewed on http://msnews.blogspot.com Letters, opinions and
articles on our profession are welcomed for including in the newsletter.

The following have registered since our last newsletter (if the location is not
shown, it is because an email address only was supplied.

Oascar Jose Bilotti, Maipu, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Capt. Zillur R. Bhuiyan, Seasia P&I, Singapore.

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Conference Reports

None to report this month.

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Future Events

22-26 July 2002. The 11th International Congress on Marine Corrosion and Biofouling
San Diego, California, Information: http://www.marine2002.org
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NAMS 35th National Conference West, 22-24 September 2002, Radisson Hotel,
Fisherman's Wharf, 250 Beach Street, San Francisco, CA, USA
Contact: Bill Hansen. wchansen@earthlink.com or Evie Hobbs at office@nams-cms.org
As further information is made available, it will be posted on NAMS' web site
www.nams-cms.org
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The Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors, Inc®. will hold it's Annual
Conference & Educational Training Symposia, in London, England at the Palace
Strand Hotel, 9-12 October 2002. Information and a registration kit: Executive
Director, Mary Stahler at 800-344-9077, 01+904-384-1494. Email inquiries can be
sent to SAMSHQ@aol.com.
Or web page: http://www.marinesurvey.org/calendar.html
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The 5th Biennial Conference and Dinner of the Australian Institute of Marine
Surveyors will be held on 25 July 2002 at the Novotel Bayside Hotel, St Kilda,
Melbourne, Australia. The AGM will be held on 26 July at the same location.
The conference will include 8 speakers on a variety of subjects and a well known
after dinner speaker.
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23-24 September 2002, National Association of Marine Surveyors, Inc., 34th
Annual National Marine Conference West 2002 at the Radisson Hotel Fisherman's
Wharf, 250 Beach Street, San Francisco, CA. 94133. As further information is
made available, it will be posted on NAMS' web site www.nams-cms.org

Email inquiries can be sent to Evie Hobbs at office@nams-cms.org
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NAMS 41st National Conference East, 13-15 April 2003, Tremont Hotel, 100 East
Chestnut Street, Chicago, Illinois.
Contact: Greg Davis. email info at www.daviscoltd.com
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SNAME 2002 Annual Meeting. 25-28 September 2002, The Westin Copley Place,10
Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02116-5798
2002's Annual Meeting will be held in Boston, for the first time in conjunction
with the Annual Ship Production Symposium. The Technical Program will be packed
with the latest developments in shipbuilding and ship design and will include a
seminar covering the need for and implications of new security measures which
need to be implemented by our industry to counteract potential terrorist threats
to world maritime commerce and to the international trading nations. This
combination, in conjunction with a first class Exposition (IMExpo), promises to
provide a unique content-packed technical meeting.
www.sname.org/AM2002/am2002_annualmeeting2.htm

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Spindrift

Bulker fined for Red Sea pollution

AN Israeli court in Eilat has fined the owners of the 37,472-DWT Maltese-flagged
bulker Florealis $138,000 for discharging engine room waste into the sea at Eilat.

Smit profits smitten

SALVAGE and towage major Smit Internationale of Rotterdam has issued a
profit warning for 2002.

Belize dumps ten in crackdown

TEN non-compliant vessels have been de-registered and 44 issued with prohibition
from sailing notices by IMMARBE.
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Filipinos look beyond compliance

THE Filipino Shipowners' Association president has warned that "it is not
enough" for the country's maritime training centres to comply with the STCW Convention.

QM2 keel-laying

KEEL-laying for the world's largest passenger vessel, the 345-m Queen Mary 2,
started on 4 July 2002 Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St Nazaire.

Owners of 'cocaine' ship arrested

GREEK police have arrested two owners in Piraeus in connection with
cocaine smuggling on board a Cambodian-registered ship.

Four missing after collision

TWO crew and two passengers of a pleasure cruise ship are missing after
a collision with a Cambodian registered ship in the Bosporus Straits on
June 15.
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Officers lose on penalties

THE master and chief engineer of a Panama-flagged vessel have been fined in
China for remaining ashore overnight, after falling asleep in a Shanghai bar
where they were watching the World Cup. Kim Ilwan, the master, and the chief
engineer left a vessel reportedly named the Baolang at about 1600 on June 1.
After drinking and watching football at a bar in the Hengshan Road, they
reportedly fell asleep and did not wake up until 0600 hrs the following morning.
They rushed back to their ship by taxi, but were found guilty of violating the
Chinese law that bans foreign seafarers from staying ashore overnight. They were
fined CNY 400 (about US$50).

Cambodia to probe registry

THE Cambodian government has ordered an investigation into the countrys
privately-owned ship registry.

Master guilty of bribery bid

A HONG Kong magistrate has sentenced a Chinese master for four months for
attempting to bribe a marine department surveyor.

(Above courtesy of Fairplay Daily Shipping News: email: news@fairplay.co.uk)
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Litter alert

Marine environmentalists have warned that legislation intended to cut shipping
related pollution is proving ineffective. The Marine Conservation Society said
its annual survey of beach litter detected an increase in the amount that could
be traced to ships.

Samples stressed

The London P&I Club has warned of the importance of taking cargo samples to
effecitvely defend cargo quality disputes. The Club has also urged owners to be
cautious over Charteres' requests to co-mingle oil cargoes.

Bulker warning

Capesize bulkers aged between 10 and 15 years old need to be subjected to
special safety checks, Japanese Class Society Class NK has warned. The alert
follows research undertaken after the loss last year of the bulker Kamikawa
Maru, which revealed faster than expected rates of corrosion in hold frame webs
and consequent cracks, buckling and detachment of plates.

(Ed: Surprise, surprise! We've been losing older bulkers 'hand over fist' for
the last 10 years and they've only just realised.)

(Above courtesy of NUMAST Shipping Telegraph)

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Contributions

TOUCH TYPING

The keyboard of a computer is the interface between the user and the computer.
Being familiar and comfortable with it is critical to using a computer to its
maximum potential. Touch typing is the key to speed and accuracy and a step
towards using a PC to maximise correct time management.

For many years the traditional way of preparing a report for a client was to
handwrite the report and pass it to a secretary for typing. This often ensured
the accuracy of the report with quality of writing, grammar and spelling. This
was followed later by the surveyor using a dictaphone, which the touch typist
would then type out. Both methods required a certain amount of correction such
that a report would be passed back and forth with red ink being prevalent. In
my case, when teaching at Southampton, UK, it could take weeks to get back the
typed document from the typing pool and again waiting for the corrections, due
mainly to the number of lecturers and shortage of copy/dictaphone typists.

It was only with the advent of PCs that some started to take an interest in
learning to touch type. I was one of the lucky ones, having been frustrated by
the delay in getting typing done in the early eighties, I decided to learn. I
got hold of the GCE 'O' level text book on typing and bought a second hand
electric typewriter from an old mate - I don't think I could have done it with
one of those big old manual typewriters!

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The lessons start by teaching you the home keys on the QWERTE keyboard, these
letters representing the top left keys on the keyboard. The home keys are ASDF
and JKL;. You start very slowly on these keys, making sure that you are
accurate rather than fast. Three letter sequences are used to familiarise the
student with the keys, eg, AAA, SSS, DDD, FFF, then ASA, SAS, ADA, DAD, FAF,
AFA, etc. Once competent on these keys you progress to the upper and lower
keys, then the numbers. I had the luxury of not using a PC whilst learning so
that I could spend 30 minutes each evening practicing.

It is the conscious process of looking at a letter on a piece of paper, your eye
seeing it, brain registering it, then instructing the appropriate finger to hit
the key which controls the speed at which you type. Eventually, when you have
mastered all the letter keys, you can build up accuracy and speed with practice.
I recall that often I would wake up at night and find that I was seeing words
being typed in my mind. Eventually one day I sat down to copy type a couple of
paragraphs. I put my hands on the home keys and went for it, without realising
that the conscious process mentioned above had gone completely. I typed the
paragraphs without realising what I was doing and got the biggest surprise when
I looked at the screen and found how much I'd typed and that it was accurate.

It is this unconscious process which is the key to speed. The more you type,
the quicker the conscious process is dispensed with and the faster you become.
Eventually, you don't even know which keys are on the keyboard. This was
evidenced one evening when I was having a game of 'Trivial Pursuit" with
friends. My girlfriend was the one who had loaned me the typing book, she being
a 120 words per minute (wpm) touch typist and shorthand secretary. One of the
questions which came up was"What is the bottom left key on a QWERTE keyboard?".
Not having completed the course, I suggested that she should know the answer.
Her reply was most surprising "I don't know. I just put my fingers on the home
keys and go for it!"

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Yes, sure, you can type just as fast with four fingers, but you don't get to
look at what you are typing on the screen. Those 4-finger typists with whom I
have worked have never had the speed and totally lacked accuracy, needing
endless corrections. Some companies just hit the 'Caps Lock' key and type away
to their heart's content, choosing to ignore correct syntax, particularly if
they employ non-native English speakers/writers.

Accuracy, quality of writing, grammar and spelling are essential in a report.
It takes a lot of skill to be able to transfer your thoughts straight on to a
piece of paper or computer screen, but the computer allows you to cut and paste
to get what you want. Not having to think about which keys you are hitting,
allows you to concentrate on content and syntax. Grammar will always be a
problem, whether you can type or not, but be warned, your handwriting will
deteriorate as a consequence of using the keyboard more!

If you are thinking of learning how to touch type you should take a week off
work to do it. It is no good trying to learn part-time and then go back to the
computer at work and use 4 fingers again. You have to do it 'cold turkey'.
Many companies offer crash courses for those who want to learn quickly. The key
is not to lose heart and stick with it, you'll be pleased you did in the end.

The consequences for your company are that your speed of output will increase in
many ways. You will not be reliant on others for the quality of your work and
have total control over your product. Having a laptop will really set you free!
In this age of the internet and email it will also allow you speedier access to
information and communications. It will also reduce the amount of time spent on
reports and, if you choose to be honest, reduce the size of invoices to clients.

Mike Wall

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Scuttlebut

Call for Papers

The 2002 SNAME Annual meeting will be held in Boston, MA, at the Westin Copley
Plaza Hotel on 25 to 28 September 2002. SNAME Headquarters is currently
accepting drafts for papers to be presented at the technical sessions. The
event is organised by marine surveyors, for marine surveyors.

Please send your draft to: Connie Cali-Poutre at ccali-poutre@sname.org.
Read more at: http://www.marinetalk.com/url_company.asp?userid=THE028

Call for Papers

The 2002 SCMS Third Asian Marine Surveying and Loss Prevention Forum will be
held at Shekou, PRC, on Mon/Tues 28/29 October this year. Shekou is just across
the border from Hong Kong, accessible by means of a 50 min catamaran ferry
voyage or 2 hours by road. This should allow international visitors easy access
whilst allowing PRC survey companies (who are restricted as to overseas visas)
to attend. Accommodation will be available at the conference venue at a very
reasonable cost.

Exhibition facilities will also be available for those who wish to market their services.

China has the largest merchant shipping fleets and increase in annual GDP,
having just entered the WTO. With deregulation, many new independent survey
firms have opened up, with some expatriate companies setting up representative
offices. This is an excellent opportunity to market your services and find out
more about the largest economy in the world.

All associated with our profession are welcome to attend. If you are interested
in giving a paper, please submit a short summary of your paper to the undersigned.

Please send a summary of your intended paper to
Mr Mike Wall, Email: KiwiMarineHK@compuserve.com

NOTE:

This event should not be confused with the 'Third Asian Marine Surveying Forum',
an IBC Asia organised one day event to be held in Singapore on 27 September
2002, which is unconnected with the above conference. Whilst this may cause
confusion and possible duplication, we believe that it can only help in raising
the profile of our profession.

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Insurance News

Choosing arbitrators

DONALD Yearwood has responded to an article in the latest issue of 'The Maritime
Advocate' magazine about acceptance of arbitrators by parties to a dispute. He
says, "There may be an element of 'who you know' in the arbitrator selection
process, but there is certainly a keen interest in an arbitrator's past
decisions. Principals and attorneys engaged in this process would be remiss, at
best, if they did not take past decisions of an arbitrator into account. A
well-qualified person without a track record is at a clear disadvantage.

"One obvious alternative would be the selection of arbitrators on a rotating
basis, but it carries the perhaps unacceptable chance of the appointment of
arbitrators without great skill in the particular matter to be arbitrated.
Furthermore, it would seem to frustrate one of the advantages of arbitration,
namely putting the decision in the hands of people with commercial skill
relative to the particular dispute."

(Courtesy of 'Maritime Advocate on Line. Web page: www.maritimeadvocate.com)

(Ed: The old story of 'who you know not what you know' and a 'Catch 22'
situation where you can't get an arbitration without experience and get the
experience without any arbitration!)

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Epistles

I read your Flashlight latest issue and would offer a note of caution about your
suggestion for a black list for poor payers.

Firstly the information is available from credit rating sources but I agree that
something aimed more at our particular industry would be helpful for a lot of
small companies.

However, consider the reaction when a good company gets a surveyor to do a job
and does not get the service he requires or should receive. There may be a very
sound reason for not paying all or some of the bill, but the surveyor could
still get the company posted on your black list. This could expose you for some
angry reactions. The system would only be fair if there was a parallel list for
Owners to black list surveyors so that double entries could cancel each other out.

Regards

Peter Nation, Singapore

Ed: Valid points and we invite any of our Clients who are unhappy with a marine
survey company's services to inform us of this so that we will be able to handle
the matter appropriately when using the Debtors Database. However, speaking to
an Admiralty Lawyer recently about this subject he suggested if we were to get a
large number of complaints from one particular marine survey company this might
suggest that the company was not providing an appropriate service and fall into
the category of a bad survey company.

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Dear Mike,

Any chance of a piece about the Diploma in Marine Surveying by Distance Learning
in your next
bulletin ? The new syllabus has just been released and an application form for
the course beginning
in October can be found at: http://www.lloydslistevents.com/lm1416

We have begun taking enrolments and expect the course limit of 200 students to
be reached before
the published deadline for applications which is 7th October - priority is given
according to the date each application is received. Feel free to include my
contact details for queries.

Thanks in advance for your consideration

Matt Gilbert
Tel: +44 (0)20 7553 1646
Fax: +44 (0)20 7553 1820
Email: matt.gilbert@informa.com

Informa UK
69-77 Paul Street
London
EC2A 4LQ

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People

This section of our newsletter is intended for those looking for jobs and those
looking for people. It is also hoped to include information of movements of
people in our business.

Richard Carpenter worked for Thomas Miller UK P&I Club for many years, finishing
his final years looking after managing casualty claims, amongst other things, in
the Hong Kong office. Those of us who have worked with him know him to be a
sprightly gentleman who always had an ear for surveyor's concerns, taking an
interest in their profession. He was a great supporter of our Annual Asian
Marine Surveying Forum, giving his support to the inaugural forum in Hong Kong
in 1999. Richard has reached that age where you get put out to grass, although
I'm sure he had many good years left in him! We offer he and his wife every
good wish for a long and happy retirement.

Our Survey Department has been so busy lately due to the expansion of the Club,
we are now looking to recruit probably a marine engineer to assist me with
technical help assessing the
condition survey reports; working with members, brokers and surveyors; dealing
with defects, PSC, Class, ISM and STCW issues; and giving advice on survey
matters to other North of England departments and offices.

The salary would probably suit someone who has a Class 2 Dual or Engineering
Certificate looking to come ashore. We invite applications from anyone deck or
engineering who might be interested.

If you know anyone who might be suitable, please can you ask them to contact me?

Tel: +44 (0)191 232 5221
Fax: +44 (0)191 261 0540
Email: david.hastings@nepia.com

All correspondence will be dealt with in the strictest confidence.

David Hastings
Survey Co-ordinator - North Insurance Management Ltd
As Managers on behalf of the North of England P&I Association Limited
survey@nepia.com

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Web Sites

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.

The Federation of European Maritime Associations of Surveyors and Consultants
International Institute of Marine Surveyors
Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors
National Association of Marine Surveyors
Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers
The Association of Certified Marine Surveyors
Marinfo Ltd, Russian information provider
General access to the directory of the world network of Lloyd's Agents.
Merchant Navy records on UK MN vessels and
information merchant seamen, logs, agreements and crew lists, MN apprentices and
deaths at sea (RMT news November 2001)
Marine Support On Line
Safety at Sea International
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.

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At the Stern

Conference Circular of the Month

'North Asia Gas Summit'

(Ed - More hot air?)

Words of Wisdom???

The sex was so good that even the neighbours had a cigarette.

I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it!

If ignorance is bliss, you must be orgasmic.

Born free... taxed to death.

Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them.

A bartender is just a pharmacist with a limited inventory.

There's too much blood in my alcohol system.

Heard in court:

Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for blood pressure?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for breathing?
A: No.
Q: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
A: No.
Q: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
Q: But could the patient have still been alive nevertheless?
A: It is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere.

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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: KiwiMarineHK@compuserve.com