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  FLASHLIGHT - July 2005            Edition No: 43

(Past editions can be viewed on http://www.asiaconference.biz)

Quote of the month ...
He that can, does.  He that can't, teaches.
George Bernard Shaw
Later adapted by an anonymous student at a teacher's college:
and he that can't teach, teaches teachers!

 

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The 2005 Asian Marine Insurance and Surveying Forum will be held at the Shangri-la Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday/Friday 24/25 November.
CPD Certificates, accepted by all Marine Surveying Professional Institutes, will be issued upon request
Those interested in attending should contact Ms Astor Tsang at Asia Conferences: marine@asiaconference.biz
Those interested in giving a paper at the conference should contact Mike Wall at mikewall@pacific.net.hk

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CONTENTS (for full stories, select a headline)

At the Bow

FLASHLIGHT is a free monthly emailed newsletter circulated to more than 4,000 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.  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.

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Spindrift

Asbestos battle: a global trade union campaign to ban the use of asbestos was launched last month at the annual conference of the United Nations agency, the International Labour Organisation. Asbestos continues to kill more than 100,000 people every year throughout the world and inflicts suffering among millions more. The Global Unions campaign asks government to introduce national bans on asbestos and to support a world ban on the commercialisation and use of the product.

Ageism action: companies are being urged to make the most of older workers with a new advisory leaflet that shatters some stereotypes and highlights the way in which employers can help to combat skills shortages. Produced by the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service, the leaflet _ Employing Older Workers _ gives practical advice ahead of legislation banning age discrimination due to come into force in October next year

More strikes: the number of working days lost through strikes in the UK almost doubled last year, according to government figures published last month. A total of 292,700 workers took part in stoppages during 2004, compared with 150,600 in the previous year.

Thames wind farm: plans have been revealed for the world's biggest offshore wind farm, to be built in the Thames estuary. The £1.5 bn London Array project would consist of as many as 270 x 300 ft turbines covering a 152 sq miles site some 12 miles off the Kent coast.

Smoke ban may miss seafarers

SEAFARERS' living quarters and oil and gas platforms have been excluded from the UK government's proposed legislation to ban smoking in most public places and workplaces.

The Department of Health last month launched a public consultation on the plans to stub out smoking in the vast majority of workplaces by the end of 2008.

Unions have welcomed the plans, but warned that proposed exemptions for certain pub, club and bar staff would leave some 30,000 people at risk from secondhand fumes.

Other exceptions from the ban include oil and gas platforms, a seafarer's living quarters, residential premises, bedrooms in halls of residence, adult hospices and care homes, psychiatric hospitals, prisons and private vehicles.

Making premises smoke_free is seen as popular with all employees who until now have been forced to do their jobs in a smoky, murky environment.

Worrying signs on ship safety

PORT state control authorities in Europe and the US have expressed concern over a continuing 'hard core' of substandard ship registers.

Announcing details of last year's inspection programmes, both the US Coast Guard and the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control highlighted a number of disturbing trends in maritime safety

The Paris MOU said that while five flags _ including Cyprus and Malta _ had been removed from its blacklist, 21 registers remained classed as medium to very high risk and most that were deemed very high risk in 2003 remained so in 2004.

While the worst_performing flags were named as Albania, Korea, Tonga, Bolivia and Honduras, the registers heading the Paris MOU 'whitelist' were Germany, the Isle of Man, the UK and the US.

An average inspection_detention ratio of 5.8% was recorded within the MOU member states last year and the executive committee has agreed to replace its target of inspecting 25% of all visiting ships with a new risk_ based inspection system that aims to reward quality flags and quality operators with less frequent inspections.

The US Coast Guard said it had recorded an increase in the number of ships detained for safety related deficiencies last year _ reversing a recent trend of improvement.

A total of 176 unseaworthy ships were held, adding up to a detention rate of 2.43%, compared with 1.99% in the previous year.

The Cambodian flag topped the safety detention blacklist, followed by Venezuela, St Vincent, Brazil, Honduras and Ukraine.

The USCG said a slump in safety and environmental examinations meant nine flags _ including the UK _ had been dropped from its 'Qualship' programme of reduced inspections for vessels under registers with detention rates of 1% or less.

Flag States are urged to back safety probe

Efforts to investigate the causes of a series of fires and explosions aboard chemical tankers appear to have been set back by the absence of flag state accident investigation reports.

A special working group is examing the incidents, such as the blast on boar the tanker Panam Serena, in a bid to see if common causes or trends can be identified.  However, concern has been expressed at the scanty response to its request for flag state reports on important chemical tanker casualties.  IMO has strongly urged the relevant flag states to provide it with reports on investigations of explosions on board chemical and product tankers.

The working troup has already looked at more than 1,000 incidents involving chemical tankers over the past 25 years and has told the IMO that it is presently keeping 'an open mind' on the issue and has promised that it will pay close attention to such issues as training, experience and competence.

UN makes refugee appeal

Masters urged to uphold maritime law following controversy over Maersk rescue in Mediterranean

THE UNITED Nations has urged shipmasters to uphold maritime law and follow their 'moral instincts' by rescuing people in distress at sea.

The call came last month after tabloid newspapers in the UK attacked the captain of a Maersk containership for bringing 27 people rescued in the Mediterranean to the port of Felixstowe.

Both the Daily Mail and the Daily Express argued that the Clementine Maersk should have diverted to a port in Spain after picking up the 27 men and boys adrift in a small boat off the coast of Sicily.

The refugees _ who included Somali, Tunisian and Palestinian nationals _ said they had been adrift for eight days and several ships had sailed past without going to their aid.

'We are very grateful that the captain followed international maritime law and custom, as well as his moral instincts, and rescued the group from their boat' said Pirkko Kourula, director of UN High Commission for Refugees' Europe bureau. 'But we are also disturbed to hear that other ships apparently ignored them and left them to what might have been a disastrous fate.'

He also praised the UK government for agreeing to allow the group to disembark on its territory. We know of other situations when groups or individuals have been bounced from port to port as country after country refuses to accept them on their territory he added. 'In this case, the UK accepted the captain's prerogative to continue to the next scheduled port of call.'

The UNHCR said it is working closely with the International Maritime Organisation and other UN agencies to safeguard the integrity of the international search and rescue regime, to provide effective support and guidance to ship masters who come to the aid of refugees and asylum seekers in difficulty at sea.

 'In an age when ships' captains are constantly asked to boost efficiency and cut costs, it remains vital that they continue to take the time and trouble to rescue people in peril, whether they are refugees or any other people in distress' the Commission stated.

Last year, the IMO maritime safety committee (MSC) adopted amendments to the SOLAS Maritime Search and Rescue conventions to help ensure that people in distress are assisted, while minimising the inconvenience to assisting ships. The amendments are expected to come into force in 2006, although the associated guidelines already apply.  Upon entry into force, the amendments will required governments to coordinate and cooperate to ensure that masters of ships that rescue persons in distress are permitted to disembark them with minimal deviation from the ship's planned itinerary.

The UNHCR is also trying to develop a multilateral strategy to address the consequences of rescue and interception at sea of boats carrying people trying to reach Europe.  It pointed out that more than 5,000 people had died in the past decade while trying to enter Europe, many be crossing the Mediterranean.

Piracy law is kept in force in UK.

UK Government proposals to abolish UK laws on piracy have been dropped following objections from NUMAST.

The Union had expressed concern about the Law Commission plans to repeal the 1837 Piracy Act _ pointing to the scale of present_day attacks and the 'brutality and devastation they cause.

The Law Commission had suggested the three remaining sections of the Act should be repealed as they 'now serve no useful purpose'.

But NUMAST pointed out that recent legislation _ including the 1990 Aviation & Maritime Security Act and the international convention on the suppression of unlawful acts against the safety of maritime navigation _ did not make specific references to piracy.

The Union also argued that an act of piracy, or any act associated with the act of piracy, should continue to have the maximum penalty of imprisonment for life.

Senior national secretary Allan Graveson commented: 'We made it clear that this is an issue of considerable importance, given the increasing number of incidents of piracy and armed robbery against merchant shipping and involving serious injury and loss of life.

 'We are therefore pleased that the Law Commission has accepted our arguments and agreed not to proceed with the repeal proposal,' he added.

Pay victory: eight crew members from the tanker Edoil, abandoned since February 2003 in the French port of Sete, have won back pay from the vessel's Greek owner. A court awarded the Greek master and each crew member their back pay, plus Euro7,500 in damages and interest, and a similar amount to cover lawyers' fees. The seafarers were represented by an ITF_appointed legal team.

Box boom: China has become the country receiving most regular line containership visits, a new report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development reveals. Last year it chalked up 1,228 boxship calls, closely followed by Hong Kong, with 1,166 vessels. The US came in third, with 1,074, followed by Singapore (916) and the UK with 861.

Stowaways die: the bodies of three African stowaways were discovered by crew members in a container onboard the Danish_flagged boxship Arnold Maersk. The container had come from Agadir in Morocco, where the victims are thought to have stowed away about two weeks earlier in the hope of reaching Europe.

Gangway charges: the French shipyard Chantiers de I'Atlantique has been accused by a criminal court of manslaughter following an accident caused by the collapse of a gangway to the Queen Mary 2 in November 2003, in which 15 people died and 28 were injured. Also accused is a subcontractor responsible for the gangway and seven managers of the two companies, who face up to three years in prison.

Biggest yard: work has begun in Shanghai on what is expected to become the world's biggest shipyard. The Jiangnan yard is set to have an annual capacity of 4.5m dwt by 2010 and 8 m dwt by 2015. China is planning to become the world's biggest shipbuilder and its yards have recorded annual average growth 0f 17% over the past few years, now accounting for a quarter of the world's new tonnage.

French rejection: the French constitutional council has rejected socialist and communist party calls to block the country's proposed RIF international register. The council ruled that the new flag did not break the constitution and RIF is now likely to come into force within the next month or so.

Stowaways caught. five stowaways from Colombia were caught by the authorities after they jumped off the containership Tradepoort when they were discovered during a search of the vessel Port Everglades, in the US last month.

Philippines boom: Filipino nationals now account for some 25% of the global seafaring work force, it was revealed last month. New statistics showed the number of Filipinos working at sea increased by 6%, to a total of 229,002.

Certificate recognition: the European Parliament has come out strongly in favour of the mutual recognition of seafarers' certificates. MEPs voted by 619 to 20 to approve a measure that simplifies the recognition process.

Sleeping problem

A CROATIAN ship's officer who was jailed in the United Arab Emirates for having sleeping pills was last month freed to go home after a four month ordeal.

Denio Ruskovic, third officer on the V.Ships_managed tanker Marine Pacific, was arrested in January as he signed off in Fujairah and accused of drug smuggling.

Even though the Valium pills had been prescribed by his doctor, they are officially banned in the UAE.  Mr Ruskovic spent 84 days in jail, and after his release he was initially told he had to pay a large fine and would be banned from the country for life, although judges later ruled that he could leave with no fine or threat of deportation.

Mission to Seafarers Dubai chaplain Stephen Miller said Mr Ruskovie was 'delighted and happy' that his ordeal was over. Mr Miller had supported the officer throughout, visiting him in prison to give practical and spiritual support and working hard for his release.

This included helping to get the prescription _ which was in Croat _ translated into English and then into Arabic, for the court.

This evidence ultimately led to Mr Ruskovic being set free.  'However,' said Mr Miller, 'the stress of the appeal, and the possibility that he might have had to go back to prison again, made him ill. He was admitted to hospital where, ironically, he was prescribed Valium.

 The Mission has urged shipping agents in the UAE to warn seafarers of the danger of carrying even the most innocent of drugs when joining or leaving ships there.

Europe's role explained

The growing role of the European Maritime Safety Agency was described to members at the NUMAST Biennial General Meeting by the head of the unit, Ib Matthiesen.

Set up in response to the Erika disaster, the agency aims to enhance the maritime safety system in the Community and reduce the risk of accidents, pollution and the loss of lives at sea.

Mr Matthiesen emphasised the importance of Europe as a maritime player, with the EU fleet totalling 23% of world shipping by flag and 31% by control.  At any one time, more than one third of shipping around the world has an EU port as its origin or destination.

EMSA not only seeks to ensure the proper implementation of safety regulations, he explained, but also works to encourage 'best practice' among member states by providing technical and scientific advice, and monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of the measures in place.

With widespread acceptance of the role of human factors in maritime safety, he said, EMSA recognised the need to focus on the human element and to ensure that maritime education and training meets the requirements of the STCW Convention as a minimum.

'A very substantial number of seafarers on EU_flagged ships are now from outside the EU and we are examining the countries that these seafarers come from and which training institutions they go to, Mr Mattiesen added.

'We need to ensure that they attend adequate training systems and that they have a level of competence of at least that required by STCW.

He said the process of recognising foreign certificates has changed and EMSA has taken the responsibility for carrying out assessments of the training systems in foreign countries and to ensure that measures to prevent certificate fraud are in place.

By examining port state control data on STCW related defects, EMSA aims to build up a database to be used to develop recommendations for improving maritime education and training standards.

Mr Mattiesen said EMSA is also working on other issues such as
-  strengthening of the port state control regime
-  auditing classification societies undertaking work for EU member states
-  developing a common methodology for the investigation of maritime accidents
and enhancing the oil pollution response capabilities within Europe with the deployment of special vessels.

(With thanks to the NUMAST Shipping Telegraph)

Have your say!

THIS week, the owner of a bulk carrier handed down a heavy fine for 'voluntarily polluting French Atlantic waters' has hit back. Speaking to Fairplay, the owner claimed the crew was washing the ship's deck about 150 nm off the French coast and was only convicted on photographs and the report of a aircraft pilot who was not required to appear before the court. No sample was taken of the 'slick', which the owner described as 'coal dust diluted in water'. Describing himself as a victim of 'Prestige madness', the owner suggested the series of pollution verdicts had arisen because the French authorities did not have the benefit of advice from French owners. Are the French courts right to prosecute so vigorously for 'voluntary pollution' or has it gone too far? Is the Prestige a factor in court decisions or should owners be held to account for everything sent overboard however far from shore? Have your say to letters@fairplay.co.uk.

Aratere grounding narrowly avoided

 THE New Zealand ferry Aratere narrowly avoided running aground after failing to make a programmed course alteration in the Tory Channel in September 2004, according to a report by the NZ Transport Accident Investigation Commission. The master was able to take manual control and narrowly avoid running into rocks on the edge of the narrow channel which is subject to strong tidal streams. The vessel was running on an Automatic Navigation and Track Steering (ANTS) system that uses DGPS to monitor the vessel's position. It is thought the DGPS system defaulted to dead reckoning mode either due to satellite blockage (which had happened before), or the tides moved the vessel laterally beyond the jump limit of 12m, or the relative ground and water track speed differences were too high. The vessel was put back into ANTS mode after the incident and in subsequent voyages. There were 262 passengers aboard the ferry at the time of the incident.

(With thanks to Fairplay Daily News:  news@fairplay.co.uk)

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Contributions

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

We all work in a profession which daily challenges to our knowledge base.  It is often rewarding to learn new things and to have new experiences.  What many of us don't realise that we are in fact involved in CPD on a daily basis, albeit in an informal way.

The dictionary definitions of the three words are:

Continuing - To extend, to go on with, to persevere.

Professional - Pertaining to a profession, an employment requiring some degree of learning, a calling, habitual employment, a collective body of persons engaged in a profession showing the skill, artistry, demeanour, or standard of conduct appropriate in a member of a profession or of a particular profession. One who makes a living by an art, highly trained and disciplined.

Development - The act or process of developing, a gradual unfolding or growth, evolution.  To bring to a more highly organised state, to cause to grow or advance, to evolve, to make more available.

As the name implies, CPD is the more formal process of learning new subjects and updating existing knowledge by a professional, resulting in further development of their knowledge and skills.  This is my informal definition of CPD.  I welcome anybody's shorter definition of the subject.

This is why some of our professional institutes/associations have CPD schemes for their membership.  It is clear that some people learn faster than others. For this reason a CPD scheme should give all members the facility to follow their own programme at their own speed.  The key factor is that the member makes the effort to update their knowledge base.  CPD has a number of advantages:

- The member gains self satisfaction in learning and in turn gains an incentive to learn more.
- Enables a deeper and better understanding of a subject.
- Exposes the member to up to date, current information and techniques.
- Improves the surveyor's knowledge for carrying out different types of survey.
- Broadens the range of survey work which a surveyor is capable of carrying out.
- Gives the member confidence in dealing with different situations.
- Raises awareness of different issues, encouraging the asking of questions and seeking of more information.
- Personal and professional image is enhanced.
- Image of, and respect for, the professional organisation and our profession is also enhanced.
- Exposes participants to the views of others and encourages discussion, with a sharing of experiences from which all will learn.
- Increases the worth of the surveyor to his employers.

 CPD is not necessarily a fixed programme of events.  There are a number of ways of obtaining CPD points which can be obtained in any order.  This is necessarily so due to the many different forms of marine surveying activities in which we participate.  CPD points may be obtained by:

- Attending marine surveying conferences.
- Attending short courses.
- Writing/publishing and presenting a paper on a particular subject at a marine surveying conference.
- Expert witness work.
- Representing a marine professional organisation at international level, eg, IMO, EC, UK MCA, etc.
- Writing and producing a Code of Practice or Guidelines on a relevant subject.
- Completing a relevant course provided by an associated organisation, eg, P&I Club.
- Submitting an annual survey report on your work to the professional organisation.

Attending relevant conferences and courses is a win/win situation for all concerned.  Those who have given their time and effort to share their knowledge are rewarded with CPD points, whist those who soak up the information so willingly provided, also obtain CPD points.

So, get stuck in.  Put your money where your mouth is and write a paper on your best marine surveying related subject or come along to a conference and hear your peers sticking their necks out!

Mike Wall

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Midships

Many of you may recall the spoof of some of the descriptions used to describe properties by real estate brokers, eg, 'interesting view' = view of local gas works!

Would  like to hear some of your spoof descriptions used when carrying out condition surveys of rust buckets.........

For example, "Decks corroded, in need of treatment and recoating." = "Don't walk on the main deck as you are likely to fall throught the corrosion wastage holes!"

We look forward to hearing from our readers.

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We all know and accept that DnV is one of the quality classification societies. They have always been at the forefront in developing and implementing quality systems such as ISO 9000 and ISM.  However, it must be rather embarassing to know that their web page is not totally correct.  The web site states that they carry out fuel oil testing in Hong Kong.  Not so.  This is carried out in Singapore.  They don't even offer an internal delivery service for samples!

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Scuttlebut

ISPS (affectionately referred to by many as the ISSPISS Code!)

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.

We would be pleased to hear from our readers similar incidents.

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Insurance News

None this month.

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Wig & Gown

None this month.

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Education and Training

*  Diploma in Marine Industry Surveying
*  Diploma in Cargo Surveying
*  Diploma & Small Craft Surveying

All three are one year long distance diploma courses staring on 1 October 2005, comprising of six core modules and a range of optional specialist modules.

The courses offer the candidiates:

-  A caree path opportunity for new surveyors.
-  An option for the seafarer coming ashore and seeking a new career.
-  Current sureyors a way to extend and develop their knowledge base.
-  A professional and internationally recognised qualification.

For further information:  info@mpigroup.co.uk

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India rates training centres

INDIA'S Director General of Shipping is to tighten controls over pre-sea training institutes by  introducing mandatory benchmarking by Indian rating agencies. Further, those institutes not  achieving good results in the common exit exams will be closed down. This follows a good response  from the public and aspiring candidates to the few pre-sea training institutes that have been graded.  Eighteen of the 60 pre-sea institutes have already been benchmarked, while another six are in the  process. A spokesman for DG-Shipping said wide variations in the quality of training has been  observed and is therefore felt desirable that if institutes be rated by independent agencies.

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Epistles

None this month.

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People

Colin Ip has moved from Hong Kong to work with Det Norske Veritas, Singapore.

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Master honoured. Royal Fleet Auxiliary Captain Robin Paul Lock was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List announced last month.

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Books and Videos

Handbook for the young

SeaBritain and Trinity House have launched Nautical Notes _ a special handbook designed to encourage the development of seamanship  skills among young people.

Sponsored by Trinity House for the SeaBiritain 2005 campaign and developed by the National Maritime Museum, the handbook is intended to serve as an interactive resource for young sailors.

Initially targeted at junior Sea Cadets, it aims to encourage young people to actively engage in learning practical and theoretical seamanship skills, whilst fostering better understanding of safety and respect for the sea.

The handbook was launched at The Big Splash Sea Cadet Day _ a day_long Programme which saw more than 60 Sea Cadets converge on the museum for a full day of nautical activities.

The event was designed to give Sea Cadets the chance to meet maritime professionals and learn about careers at sea.

Trinity House executive chairman Jeremy de Halpert commented: 'Trinity House is happy to be assisting with this exceptional project.  Education and safety at sea are key components of Trinity House's charitable objectives," he added, and this new resource is an excellent means of raising awareness among Young people.'

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The Wreckers:  A story of killing seas, false lights and plundered ships by Bella Bathurst (ISBN 0007170327) cost GBP19.99 and published by Harper Collins. A few errors aside, this is a truly outtanding book, written with great style and mood, one that does a marvellous job in assessing the UK's often ambivalent relationship with the sea that surroungs it.

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Keepers of the Sea by Richard Woodman (ISBN 0 9532422 85) cost GBP25, published by Chaffcutter Books, 39 Friars Road, Braughing, Ware, Herts SG11 2NN, UK.  HRH The Duke of Edingburgh introduces the new edition of this definitive history of Trinity House.

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Queen Mary 2:  Book of Comparisons.  Produced by The Open Agency, cost GBP10 plus post and packing.  Further details from The Open Agency, Mill House, 8 Mill Street, London SE1 2BA, UK or from www.openbook.com.  By drawing from comparisons, the book provides a great sense of continuity and an appropriate degree of awe at the sheer scale of the statistical and engineering feats involved in teh consstruction and operation of the world's largest passenger ship.

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Conference Reports

None this month.

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IMO Conventions

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

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Future Events

If you have a marine related conference coming up, let us know so that we can mention it below,

2-5 October 2005, 37th Annual NAMS National Marine Conference West, Red Lion Hotel, 1415 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA, USA.

5-6 October 2005 Seatrade London International Maritime Convention, ExCeL, London, UK.
More info: www.seatrade-london.com

24/25 November 2005.  The 2005 Asian Marine Insurance and Surveying Forum. Shangri-la Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Information from: marine@asiaconference.biz

China Maritime, Exhibition and Conference, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong, 28 Feb - 2 March 2006.
Info:  Baird Publications, marinfo@baird.com.au

9-11 April 2006, 44th Annual NAMS National Marine Conference East, Loews Annapolis Hotel, 126 West Street, Annapolis, MD, USA.

6-10 March 2006, World Maritime Technology Conference, IMarEST, London.
More info:  www.imarest.org/events/

16 - 18 May 2006.  Roro 2006.  Flanders Expo, Ghent, Belgium.
Info:  www.roroex.com or email:  melissa.skinner@informa.com

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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/

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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:

www.npl.co.uk/ncs/ 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


Houston Marine Insurance Seminars
www.houstonmarineseminar.com
Lots of papers and presentations to download


www.mastermarinesurveyor.com
Web site for Rob Scanlan, US Master Mariner Surveyor, Nahant, Massachusetts, USA
Email:  yacht1ship@aol.com


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.
-  Ever wondered where your old shipmates are now? Why not leave your details and search for your old shipmates. Shipmates, will keep you in contact with seagoing friends new and old.
-  Money Matters is inspired by those conversations you have at sea, in the bar, on the VHF and ashore, on the subject of money. What you get paid and where the best opportunities are for time onboard versus leave versus salary versus benefits. Make "money matters" work for you.
-  Blow your whistle, and warn other seafarers of the way it is when signing on with certain manning agents or ship owners. By sharing our experiences we can improve the life at sea for you and your fellow shipmates. Ship talk is always straight, honest and direct, so say it the way it is.  Deep Sea, Short Sea, Offshore and Cruise, check out these links for issues which affect you.
-  Crew List become your own agent and advertise your professional services on crew list.

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.

www.femas.net/default.htm
- 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.

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From the Poop Deck

Some of you may be too old to remember... Others too young1

It's the spring of 1957 and Bobby, a pretty hip guy with his own car, goes to pick up his date.  When he goes to the front door, the girl's father answers and invites him in.  "Carrie's not ready yet, so why don't you have a seat?" he says.  "That's cool," says Bobby. Carrie's father asks Bobby what they're planning to do.  Bobby replies politely that they will probably just go to the soda shop or a movie.  Carrie's father responds,

 "Why don't you two go out and screw?  I hear all the kids are doing it." Naturally, this comes as quite a surprise to Bobby, so he asks Carrie's dad to repeat it. "Oh yeah," says Carries father, "our Carrie really loves to screw. She'd screw all night if we'd let her!"

Well, this makes Bobby's eyes light up, and his plan for the evening is beginning to look pretty good.  A few minutes later, Carrie comes downstairs in her little poodle skirt and announces that she's ready to go.  Almost breathless with anticipation, Bobby escorts his date out the front door.

 About 20 minutes later, Carrie rushes back into the house, slams the door behind her, and screams at her father:

 "DAMN IT, DADDY! IT'S CALLED THE TWIST!!!"

******

Cookies

An elderly man was at home, dying in bed.  He smelled the aroma of his favourite hocolate chip cookies baking.  He wanted one last cookie before he died.  He fell out of bed, crawled to the landing, rolled down the stairs, and crawled into the kitchen where his wife was busily baking cookies.  With waning strength he crawled to the table and was just barely able to lift his withered arm to the cookie sheet.  As he grasped a warm, moist, chocolate chip cookie, his favourite kind, his wife suddenly whacked his hand with a spatula.

 "Why?" he whispered.  "Why did you do that?"

"They're for the funeral." said his wife.

******

For those of you who have fond memories of Tommy Cooper:

Two fat blokes in a pub, one says to the other "Your round." The other one says "So are you, you fat bastard."

Police arrested two kids yesterday. One was drinking battery acid, the other was eating fireworks. They charged one and let the other one off.

A blind bloke walks into a shop with a guide dog. He picks the dog up and starts swinging it around his head. Alarmed, a shop assistant calls out: "Can I help, sir?" "No thanks,"says the blind bloke. "Just looking."

Cos it's strange, isn't it. You stand in the middle of a library and go "Aaaaaaagghhhh" and everyone just stares at you. But you do the same thing on an aeroplane, and everyone joins in.

He said "I'm going to chop off the bottom of one of your trouser legs and put it in a library." I thought "That's a turn-up for the books."

So I was getting into my car, and this bloke says to me "Can you give me a lift?" I said "Sure, you look great, the world"s your oyster, go for it."

You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen, it said "Parking Fine." So that was nice.

So I went down my local ice-cream shop, and said I want to buy an ice-cream". "He said Hundreds & thousands?" I said "We'll start with one."

He said "Knickerbocker glory?" I said "I do get a certain amount of freedom in these trousers, yes."

So I went to the dentist. He said "Say Aaah." I said "Why?" He said "My dog died."

Now, most dentist's chairs go up and down, don't they? The one I was in went back and forwards. I thought "This is unusual". And the dentist said to me "Mr Cooper, get out of the filing cabinet."

So I got home, and the phone was ringing. I picked it up, and said "Who's speaking please?" And a voice said "You are."

So I rang up my local swimming baths. I said "Is that the local swimming baths?" He said "It depends where you're calling from."

So I rang up a local building firm, I said "I want a skip outside my house." He said "I'm not stopping you."

Apparently, 1 in 5 people in the world are Chinese. And there are 5 people in my family, so it must be one of them. It"s either my mum or my dad. Or my older brother Colin.  Or my younger brother Ho-Cha-Chu. But I think it's Colin.

So I was in my car, and I was driving along, and my boss rang up, and he said "You've been promoted." And I swerved. And then he rang up a second time and said "You've been promoted again." And I swerved again. He rang up a third time and said "You're managing director." And I went into a tree. And a policeman came up and said "What happened to you?" And I said "I careered off the road.

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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: mikewall@pacific.net.hk

 
     
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