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  FLASHLIGHT - July 2007            Edition No: 65

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

The 2007 Asian Marine Insurance and Surveying Forum
'Marine Surveyors - Adding value to the shipping industry'
15 &16 November 2007
Sofitel Hotel, Silom, Bangkok, Thailand.
Contact Asia Conference Ltd:  marine@asiaconference.biz
(Training Workshop also available on 14 November)

Early bird rates available.

CPD Certificates, accepted by all Marine Surveying Professional Institutes, will be issued upon request.  (Delegates earn 1 IIMS CPD point.)

Those interested in attending should contact Mrs Sara Taylor at Asia Conference Ltd: marine@asiaconference.biz

Those interested in giving a paper at the conference should contact Mike Wall at mikewall@pacific.net.hk
(Speakers earn 3 IIMS CPD points.)

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Thought for the month ...
"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." - Benjamin Franklin

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CONTENTS (for full stories, select a headline)

DIPLOMA IN MARINE SURVEYING

As the first international qualification for marine surveyors, Lloyd's Maritime Academy and the National Sea Training Centre have now been educating marine surveyors, potential marine surveyors and associated maritime professionals since 1998. Since the beginning over 1,500 participants from all corners of the world have taken or are currently taking the Diploma in Marine Surveying and we are delighted to present this course for its 11th enrolment, repeating for the second time in 2007.

Course Director: Paul Russell, MSc. BA (Hons) MIMarEST, Head of School, National Sea Training Centre, UK

Core Modules:
1. The Maritime Industry and Marine Survey Practice
2. Budgeting and Accounting for Surveyors
3. Effective Writing and Reporting
4. Naval Architecture for Surveyors
5. Marine Surveying Law
6. Marine Surveying Insurance
7. Marine Incident Investigation
8. Safety Surveys
9. Hull and Structural Surveys
10. Fundamentals of Marine Engineering

The Diploma in Marine Surveying meets the Continuing Professional Development criteria for the Royal Institute of Naval Architects (RINA), the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) and has also been approved by the Nautical Institute.

For more information contact:
Rachael Brough
Marketing Manager
Lloyd's List Events (part of Informa Maritime & Transport)
Email: Rachael.Brough@informa.com

 

At the Bow

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:

Gregg Newman, Director, W K Webster, Singapore.
Rob Scanlan, Marine Surveyor, Broad Sound; Nahant, MA, USA.
Capt Rama Chandran, SEASIA P&I Services Pte Ltd, Singapore.

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Spindrift

Below is a selection of articles gleaned from various publications over the last month which we believe will be of interest to our readers:

Demolition principles set out

LONDON 19 July – Ship owners have been given five principles to follow when selling ships for demolition. The "Interim Measures" have been endorsed by the Industry Working Group on Ship Recycling (ICS, Bimco, IACS, Intertanko, Intercargo, International Parcel Tankers Association and Oil Companies International Marine Forum), and are derived from the draft IMO Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships. The principles cover (1) yard selection; (2) inventory of hazardous materials; (3) gas-free-for-hot-work provisions; (4) a ship recycling plan incorporating as much information as possible; (5) informing the flag administration that all steps have been taken to provide for safe recycling. The principles have been set out, said the working group chairman Peter Hinchcliffe, because it is recognised that the IMO Convention "may well face a prolonged entry into force period following its eventual adoption."

Pirates want $1.5M for Danica White

MOMBASA 23 July – Reports reaching Mombasa indicate that Somali pirates are demanding payment of $1.5M to release the Danish cargo ship Danica White and its five crew. The 1,563-dwt vessel was hijacked on or about 1 June at an estimated distance of 205n-miles off the central east coast of Somalia. It had been carrying 1,000 tonnes of building and construction materials from Dubai to Mombasa. The vessel is anchored in the vicinity of three other hijacked vessels being held for ransom between Hardheere and Hobiyo, about 400km north of Mogadishu. Danish ship owner H Folmer has repeatedly declined to comment in connection with the hijack of its vessel and the health and safety of its crew. Mwangura reported in late June that the kidnapped crew had run out of food and their water supply was in jeopardy because of failure of the ship’s generator that ran its purification plant.

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

In Brief:

Flag switch: leading French container shipping company CMA CGM has warned that it could switch the majority of its French-flagged fleet to the UK register. The company says  it is con siding the move because the red ensign offer less stringent crew nationality requirements. It has just christened, the twelfth ship for its UK-flagged fleet, the 1,700TEU CMA CGM Herodote, and is planning to add at least two more vessels by the end of the year.

ECDIS alert : considerable improvements are required in the standards of electronic charts, the head of the UK Hydrographic Office warned last month. Speaking at a dinner: to mark World Hydrography Day, Rear Admiral Ian Moncrieff said better functionality of chart and display systems, together with action on costs, distribution and licensing, is required if the-e-navigation concept is to take off.

HAL addition : Holland America Line is set to get a new 86,00Ogt vessel for its fleet in 2010. Parent company Carnival announced last month that it had exercised an option for a 2,100_passenger vessel to be built by Fincantieri at an estimated all-in cost ofC425m. The ship will be a sister of Eurodam, presently under construction in the same yard and the two ships will give a 23 % increase in HAL fleet capacity.

UNCLOS opposistion: shipowners are resisting plans to change the UN Convention on the law of the Sea ( UNCLOS ) to give EU member states increased power over foreign ships transiting their exclusive economic zone. The International Chamber of Shipping says the lead to interference with ships that are fully compliant with international conventions.

PRINCESS rescue; the Bermuda-flagged cruisseship Crown Princess last month rescued a lone yachtsman who sent out a distress call after his vessel ran into problems some 350nm of the US coast. The incident was coordinated by the US Coast Guard's Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER)programme.

Emissions dispute the International Bunker Association (IBIA) has hit out at the Intertanko campaign to switch the industry from burning residual fuel to marine diesel oil. IBIA says it would be wrong to adopt a single solution to the need t improve air quality and reduce emissions from shipping.

Congestion call  transport ministers from 53 countries, including the UK, have staged a conference to examine measures to help cut congestion in traffic networks. The meeting heard that improved road and rail links to port are essential to cope with growing container movements.

Nickel warning:  the London P&I Club has warned owners and seafarers to beware of liquefaction risks for nickel ore cargoes from Indonesia and the Philippines.

Pollution band: in the first case of suspected pollution for several months, the Court of Brest prosecutor has fixed a bond of £400,000 (£230,000) on the Lithuananian-flagged cargoship Vytautas. The 3,09 7gt vessel was en route between the Swedish port of Haraholmen and Elefa, Greece, when it was spotted by the French navy, trailing a 50m wide, 37km long oil slick 145 miles SW of Penmarc'h, Brittany.

Ferry fire : authorities in the Philippines launched an inquiry last month after a fresh disaster involving one of the country's inter-island ferries. Five people died following the blaze and subsequent sinking of the Cathlyn D. Investigators are looking into claims of over-crowding and inadequate life-saving and fire-fighting equipment.

Belgian aid: the European Commission has approved the extension of a Belgian scheme providing social security exemptions for seafarers, including those working on dredgers spending more than 50 % of their operating time on 1 maritime transport activities'.

Box boom: global containership capacity has broken through the 11m TEU mark, according to a report from AXS Alphaliner.The company predicts that the 12m TEU milestone will be reached next January.

Mighty rescue  the heavylift vessel Mighty  Servant 1 managed to rescue three people from a drifting yacht in heavy seas some 350 miles south of Bermuda last month

Galileo warning European transport ministers have warned that arrangements for the Galileo system could collapse following disagreement on risk-sharing among the eight private companies involved in the consortium set up to finance the 30-satellite project. The UK and Dutch government expressed concern about rising costs if the EU agreed on public funding for the £1.6bn scheme and ministers have asked the Commission to submit detailed alternative financing proposals.

Japanese tax: shipowners in Japan are hopeful of seei-style scheme could boost the number of national-flagged deepsea ships from less than 100 to more than 450, and increase the number of jobs for Japanese seafarers from 2,600 to 5,500.

Wave ruling: Norwegian Cruise Line has been cleared of responsibility for a 'rogue wave" incident in 2005 in which the vessel Norwegian Dawn was struck by a 21m-high wave. A group of passengers had claimed damages, arguing that the vessel had deliberately sailed into a storm. But a jury in Florida ruled that the company was not liable.

Cruise record: a record number 34 cruise liners, valued at around £l0bn, are currently on order, beating the number of units ordered during the surge of the 1990s. Almost all the vessels are being build in Euro-kilo emissions tax on cruiseships sailing in the country's waters has been slammed by operators who have halved the number of  calls to Norwegian ports.

 

Report Warns of Lessons From BP Tanker Fatality

Seafarers have been urged to learn lessons From a fatal accident onboard an Isle of Man registered BP tanker off coast of Australia.

An electrical technician working in the elevator shaft onboard 114,809dwt British Mallard died in January this year after he was trapped when the lift moved unexpectedly.

An Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation found that the ship's Indian crew were either not aware of, or did not consider, all of the hazards associated with working in the shaft.

The investigation also found that the elevator instruction manuals did not provide detailed and unambiguous safety guidance, and that critical

 safety procedures such as the permit to work system and risk assessment procedures had not been implemented.

The report suggests that someone had probably tried to use the elevator and did not notice the "do not  operate" sign placed on the doors. And it said the technician and two engineer officers had failed to consider all of the hazards associated with working in the shaft.

The ATSB noted safety action taken by BP in response to the incident and urged owners, operators and seafarers to consider the implications.

It also recommended Hyundai Elevator Company takes action to address the lack of clear and detailed safety guidance.

 

City of Adelaide

Things are looking up for the Cutty Sark. The publicity surrounding the fire in May has led to a surge of donations to save the historic clipper.

Sadly, it's a different story for another significant ship - the Ayrshire-based City of Adelaide, right, which will be broken up by the end of the year unless a last minute rescue package can be found.

The City of Adelaide was built in 1864, making her five years older than the Cutty Sark. The two vessels are the world's only surviving composite (wood and iron) clipper ships - but the City of Adelaide is very much the poor relation.

'She's just in the wrong place; explained Jim Tildesley of the City of Adelaide Charitable 'trust.. 'There's not much interest in maritime heritage here in Scotland, and not much money either remember that the whole population of Scotland is only half that of London. '

The City of Adelaide is currently under the stewardship of the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine, Ayrshire, but is resting on a slipway that doesn't belong to the museum. 'The lease ran out two years ago; said Mr Tildesley,,, 'and there are substantial financial

penalties for not moving the ship. If we have to go to court over this and lose, it could bankrupt the Scottish Maritime Museum - meaning that the rest of the museum's collection would have to be split up and sold.'

Matters are set to come to a head when a meeting held on 30 July to determine the future of the ship. We'll be looking at deconstruction I'm afraid; said Mr Tildesley.

The vessel's last hope of preservation now appears to lie with an Australian campaign group - 'Save the Clipper City of Adelaide' - who want to take the ship to Adelaide and place her in a historic dock as 'icon of the city'.

'We're still quite hopeful; said campaign spokesman Peter Christopher 'We are gaining the support of local businesses, and we believe that for Aus$2m, we can preserve the ship in her current condition and move her to Adelaide on a barge.'

This amount of money, claims Mr Christopher, is similar to the funds needed to dismantle the ship. 'It is beyond belief that the money should be used for deconstructing her instead of saving her.

For more on the Australian campaign, check the website www.cityofadelaide.org.au

 

Leisure sailors to face 'drink & sail' rules

THE MARITIME & Coastguard Agency has warned of the dangers of drinking and sailing after a court case last month in which a leisure sailor was acquitted on a manslaughter charge arising from a collision of the coast of Cornwall in 2005.

Philip Colver was found not guilty on a charge of manslaughter and a charge of grievous bodily harm.. But he was sentenced to 150 hours of community service after admitting three charges arising from breaches of the collision prevention regulations.

The charges were brought following an incident in July 2005 in which Mr Colver was returning to Falmouth in a 6.5m cabin cruiser after an evening outing with friends. Darkness had fallen and the vessel was proceeding without any navigation lights and at speed.

The cabin cruiser collided with a 4.5m dory, also operating without navigation lights, and one of the men onboard was killed on impact. Two hours after the incident, Mr Colver was breathalysed and found to be approximately twice the legal limit allowed for driving a car.

Passing sentence the judge, Mr Justice Owens, said; 'The tragic outcome of the collision demonstrates all too clearly the dangers of driving powerboats at speed in water where other boats are likely to be encountered. Driving at speed and in poor visibility, a power boat may be a lethal weapon.'

Jeremy Smart, the MCAs principal enforcement officer, added: 'The consumption of alcohol was a significant causal factor in this incident and its use combined with any water activity is to be avoided.'

Shipping minister Stephen Ladyman has announced plans to introduce an alcohol limit for leisure craft users.

Following consultations, the government says it wants to apply to non-professional mariners the same limit of 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood that has covered professional seafarers since march 2004.

The rules would cover anyone involved in the navigation of vessel greater than 7m in length and/or capable of a maximum.

 

Have your say on buoyage

Seafarers are being urged to take part in consultations on proposals to overhaul the buoyage system that has served world shipping last quarter century.

The system is under review because of the influx of new technology has revolutionised navigational practice in recent years.

The International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (( IALA )), which developed the MBS maritime buoyage system over 25 years ago, is seeking input on the future from interested organisations and individuals.

IALA explains that when MBS came into force it was "huge achievement for the worldwide maritime community, which had been dealing with a number of system, some of which completely contrary to one another'.

But, it points out: 'Today's mariner has new tools and navigates in a different way to that of even 10 years ago:

Since the last review, it says, there have been many technological developments including new light sources, AIS, ECDIS and integrated bridge management systems - as a result of which positioning information is much improved.

In addition, there are larger, faster ships and a significant growth in the recreational craft sector.

IALA believes it would he impractical to combine the two existing MBS regions into a single worldwide system - because of the opposite colour-coding applied port and starboard handmarks in two regions of the world.

Beyond that, however, the IALA' states: 'The suite of tools within the MBS could benefit from extending, updating or simplification to that end, it is looking for input from any interested organisations or individuals on the following:

*  do you think the MBS requires modification? If yes, what changes do you suggest?

*  are you satisfied with the existing characters of light in use? If not, what changes do you suggest?

*  are you aware of any marine accidents or incidents due to misinterpretation and/or confusion of buoyage within a region? if yes, provide details of any casualties or environmental damage

*  do you believe there is a need for additional or new types of floating aids to navigation? If yes, what do you suggest?

IALA wants comments by 1 September 2007, and Nautilus UK senior national secretary Allan Gravenson is urging members to participate via the Union's" professional and technical department - mail your response to: Allan Gravenson, senior national secretary, Nautilus, UK, Oceanair House, 750-760 High Road, Leytonstone, London Ell 3BB; or emafi to: protechgnautilusuk.org

 

Class call for action on skills

SAFETY at sea is set to deteriorate unless shipowners act now to combat the crewing crisis, classification society Det Norske Veritas warned last month.

Not only is there increased pressure for higher skills to operate increasingly complex tonnage, but the boom in orders mean that the industry need some 180,000 additional seafarers over the next three years, DNV pointed out.

'To avoid an increase in the number of major accidents involving untrained crews on substandard vessels, the industry as a whole has to act not,' it warned.

Dr Espen Cramer , head of DNV Maritime Solutions, added: 'The shipping industry has been booming for longer and at a higher peak than at any time before. The concurrent strong markets mean that one profitable segment cannot take crew from another declining segment.'

Demand for quality crew is also at an all-time high, he added, with the world fleet becoming increasingly technically  advanced and operating at an extremely high productivity rate.

'The shipping industry is becoming a competence-based industry, and the qualification of the crew is growing increasingly important; Dr Cramer argued. 'How do you achieve a satisfactory safety performance if you cannot attract, train and retain crew with the right qualifications?'

 

Fake certificate

A US seafarer who forged a captain's licence and then proceeded to sink a tugboat and trigger an oil spill has been sentenced to 30 months in jail.

A federal court in Indiana also ordered Gary O. Burnham  to Pay $750,000 in restitution to the vessel's owner.

The court heard that Mr Burnham had used the false license to serve as master of the tug Margaret Ann. The vessel had capsized and sank while towing two barges on Lake Michigan in March 2005.

The court heard that Mr Burnham used 75ft long tow lines when he should have been using lines longer than 40Oft.

The Coast Guard had to rescue Mr Burnham and several crew members from the frigid waters and prosecutors said that as a result of his negligence, both captain and crew had been placed 'in immediate danger of suffering serious injury and loss of life.

Coast Guard investigations found that Mr Burnham had held a valid licence from 19891999 but then let it lapse. Instead of going through the often arduous process of renewal, he forged a new one and got a job with Holly Marine in 2002 until the time of the Margaret Ann's sinking.

Ken Hayes, head of the Justice Department's South Bend, Indiana, office, said the charges against Mr Burnham were reduced in return for his ''guilty' plea.  He also faces two years probation after leaving jail.

 

Satellite fuel savings

A US company is claiming to be able to cut ships'fuel consumption by up to 12% using satellite technology.

Nautical Control Solutions (NCS) has developed version 2 of its Fuel'ftax vessel monitoring system in partnership with the US_centred Iridium Satenite corporation. Fuel'ftax works via Iridium's global communications ,constellation' of 66 low earth orbiting, cross_linked satellites, enabling operators to monitorfuel usage on their ships.

When properly used, FueMax can slash fuel consumption by between eight to 12%, depending on existing conditions, its developers claim.

The system uses fuel-flow sensors and engineroom electronics to collect real-time inflormation on ships' fuel consumption and speed, and analyses this to determine optimum throttle settings for maxiinum fuel efficiency, with a graphical mapping system to show consumption, transfers and loading offuel.

(With thanks to the Shipping Telegraph, journal of NAUTILUS)

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Contributions

(With thanks to the IMarEST News August 2007)

Professional standards across the board

Following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the IMarEST and the Nautical Institute (NI) earlier this year, 1MarEST Director of Policy and Professional Affairs, Graham Hockley, recently attended the Nautical Institute's pre-AGM seminar on the relevance of professional standards in the technological age.

The event was chaired by NI President, Captain, Nicholas Cooper FNI, who also delivered the welcome address. But the tone was set by the keynote speaker, The Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents Rear Admiral Stephen Meyer. He explained that the prime role of an Officer of the Watch (OoW) today is to monitor and interact intelligently with ship systems while maintaining a good spatial awareness of what's going on outside the window.

However, he observed that in all probability the training received by OoWs did not sufficiently equip them to meet these requirements. He went on to argue that professional standards, and in particular continuous professional development, provide a framework for learning and adapting to new working practices and priorities.

The next two speakers, John Adams of Teekay and Richard Evenhand of V Ships, developed this theme from the perspective of the ship manager in general and the cruise and ferry sector in particular. Both agreed that the pace of change seen in the industry today mean that retraining is required more frequently than ever before. Yet, at the same time, rapid growth means the demand for quality seafarers is increasing and making retention problematic. Consequently, experienced personnel are in short supply, at a time when their skills and knowledge are most needed.

However, they concluded that the newly qualified seafarer could learn quickly and be effective providing they listened, learnt, thought, on occasion questioned

and looked beyond the obvious in any situation. In other words, if they followed sound professional standards of conduct.

The IMO, perspective came from Andy Winbow who emphasised the organisation's not inconsiderable., achievements in bringing 168. nations together in agreement on so many issues,.. He recognised that on occasion this meant standards did not reflect what some individual nations would like to see, but that they do represent a sound platform on which to base an international industry.  He emphasised that where professional societies came to the fore was in their support of the IMO's working groups where member expertise can help ensure technically sound. and pragmatic standards.

Next on the podium were John Wright, of Wrightway training, and Mark Williams, of the West of England P&I Club, concentrating on the importance of investing in people. They emphasised that good, yet straightforward training, was not only the, technically right t thing to do but that in the long run it is, also cost efficient. As fewer accidents mean fewer investigations and less working time lost. In effect it required a professional approach from the employer to ensure that not only a vessel but also the crew were fit for purpose.

Overall, the seminar demonstrated that we all work in the same industry and share the same environment and face the same issues. Or in Hockley's own words: 'There is more that binds us together than keeps us apart. 'This point was underlined in a joint presentation he gave together with Captain Harry Gale of the NI on how the two Institutes can work together to develop the maritime profession.

However perhaps the most crucial message to emerge from the event was that professional standards do indeed remain highly relevant in this technological age and in all areas.


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Midships

Nautical Tales

Many of us have funny and interesting stories to tell about our experiences at sea.  These may cover our port visits or relationships with our fellow seamen.  As the baby boomer generation gets older and near to retirement I believe it is time to gather these stories together and to record them in a book to be possibly followed by a web page later.  Some examples are the nicknames given to our fellow officers, eg, The chief engineer nicknamed Cosimodo because every time he was asked what he was drinking he replied "The Bells, the Bells!"

If you have any interesting and funny, but not too risque stories, please send them to the editor.

Thanks in anticipation.

Mike Wall

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Scuttlebut

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 .....

Mike

During a recent survey on a reefer ship, I noticed that the Boatswain was basically confined to the main accommodation area. Further observation and discussion with the Master & Chief Officer clarified this unusual “in port” situation, the culprit was the ISPSC.

The ships accommodation, eight decks (excluding bridge deck) was configured in such a way that emergency escapes from the 03 level and above required the passengers and or crew to exit the house and then to descend by the companion ways to the 02 level (lifeboat embarkation deck). However, to comply with the ISPSC, locked steel gates had been installed on the Port and Stb’d sides at the 02 level, which the ships approved ISPSC security plan required to be locked while in port. Consequently, in the event of an in port emergency, such as a fire, any person trying to escape from the upper accommodation decks, would have been confined, all be it on an open deck, short of the 02 level.

The solution for the ship was to basically confine the Boatswain, who was the responsible key holder, to the immediate vicinity of the accommodation house, thus loosing the ability to fully utilize this important crew member, when most needed.

This is another example of the conflict between the ISPSC and SOLAS requirements.

Douglas Grainger, San Francisco.

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Insurance News

Putting  too much reliance on electronic navigational aids can seriously endanger shipping, the UK P&I Club has warned following an incident in the Mediterranean.

The incident, highlighted in the club's latest technical bulletin, involves a ship that was using outdated WGS84 datum seven years after it was built.

'As a result; says the club' GPS was providing navigational information with a near 5-cable inaccuracy  resulting in a half mile error all the vessel's way- points transposed from GPS onto the ARPA radar.

Fortunately, the vessel was relying on visual fixing to navigate but had it instead the GPS or electronic charts, 'the inaccuracy of the positions shown on the screen would  have been highly dangerous', the club warns.

The bulletin stresses: When navigating in confined waters it is important to check the position of the vessel by visual means whenever possible. Electronic aids are not foolproof and traditional navigational techniques should, whenever possible, be practised

The club also cautions against total reliance on ARPA. it says: 'ARPA is a tool, but can give false information if it is not set up and used correctly.'

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Wig & Gown

None this month.

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Education and Training

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

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Introduction to Corrosion & Coatings in the Marine Sector                           Sep 07
Practical Surveying Course (5 day Course)                                   24 – 28th Sep 07
Yacht & Small Craft Valuations (Tutor - Ian Biles)                                      Oct 07

Course joining instructions and invoices 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.

Administration Office on +44(0)23 9258 8000, fax: +44(0)23 9258 8002 or email iims@compuserve.com Skype: marinesurveying

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Epistles

Mike

Turning to your example of denuding ships records and the deliberate destruction of the computer hard drives, I have discussed this, in general terms, with a US maritime attorney who raised the question of the buyers possibly having strong grounds to reject delivery of the ship as being in an “UN-SEAWORTHY” condition, particularly if the electronic stability program which was destroyed was part of the ships original building contract. If this was the case the stability program would, in the US Courts, be deemed to be an integral part of the ship. At the risk of repeating myself this is a glaring example where the “Buyers” could have protected their interests by the insertion of a records preservation clause in the purchase agreement.

Douglas Grainger, San Francisco

ED:  We have been suggesting that SOLAS could be amended to include a requirement for certain records to remain on board ships being handed over.  However, before legislation is enacted, the industry has an opportunity to put its own house in order by adopting the above suggestion.  Since our last edition, Sam Ignarski has raised the issue and Michael Grey of LLP is also taking up the cudgel on our behalf.

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Mike,

I recently carried out a 3rd party inspection of a 17 year old g.c. ship with totally enclosed life-boats.

The boats are of former East German construction but there was no details of them on board either in the drawings/instruction books nor in the certificates file!!

The boats were constructed with tubes going from keel to the top of the cabin fore and aft.

Both tubes were completely hollow and with no fittings – daylight could be seen looking up through them.

The aft tube was to stbd of the keel and the fwd one to port.  The aft tube was just fwd of the steering nozzle.

This is the first time I have seen such a construction (nothing to do with hydrostatic release of on-load release hooks) and no-one I know has seen anything similar. Nor did anyone on board know.

What are they for - can anyone help – it is a little baffling.

Brgds

Bill Smith
Limassol
Cyprus


 

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People

Nothing to report this month.

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Books and Videos

'No Sea Too Rough - The Royal Fleet Auxiliary in the Falklands War:  The Untold Story' by Geoff Puddefoot (ISBN 978 1 86176 314 3)  Cost GBP19.99.  Published by Chatham Publishing  www.chathampublishing.com

A well written and highly readable book, doing a grand job in telling what it describes as the untold story from the Falklands.

******

'Send a Gunboat:  The victorian Navy and Supremacy at Sea' by Anthony Presont and John Major  (ISBN 9780851779232)  Cost GBP25.  Published by Conway, an imprint of Anova Books.

First published in 1967. this remains a relevant and readable history of the era of 'gunboat diplomacy', the imperial days when Britain did not hesitate to despatch naval forces to support wars, defend merchant ships or to 'persuade' foreign governments to open up their markets to British trade.  (ED:  How times have changed!)

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'Tales of London Docklands' by Henry T Bradford.  (ISBN 9780750941389)  Cost GBP12.99.  Published by Sutton Publishing.

Offers a sympathetiec insight into the men who loaded and unloaded the ships of what was the world's busiest port.  Packed with vifid anecdotes drawn from personal experience, as well as evocative photographs.

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Conference Reports

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.)

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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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Long-range Identification and Tracking of Ships (LRIT)

(SOLAS Aniendment 2006 - Chapter V - Safety Navigation)

1. Background

The SOLAS amendment on LRIT was adopted in May 2006 and will come into force internationally on 1 January 2008

The SOLAS regulation on LRIT establishes a multilateral agreement for sharing LRIT inforination for security and search and rescue purposes, ainongst SOLAS Contracting Govemments, in order to meet the maritime security needs and other concems of such Governments.

2. Application

The new regulation on LRIT will be introduced as a mandatory requirement for the following ships on international voyages:

(i)    passenger ships, including high-speed craft;

(ii)    cargo ships, including high-speed craft, of 300
    gross tonnage and upwards; and

(iii)    mobile offshore drilling units.

3. Requirements for LRIT

The LRIT information ships will be required to automatically transmit include the ship's identity, location and date and time of the position. Data derived through LRIT will be available only to the recipients who are entitled to receive such information and safeguards conceming the confidentiality of those data have been built into the regulatory provisions. SOLAS Contracting Govemments will be entitled to receive information about ships navigating within a distance not exceeding 1000 nautical niiles off their coast.

It shall confonn to the "Performance standards and functional requirements for the long_range identification and tracking of ships", adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee of the IMO by resolution MSC.210(81) dated 19 May 2006.

4. Installation of LRIT

(i)    Ships built on or after 31 December 2008 need to install with an approved LRIT system on delivery;

(ii)    Ships built before 31 December 2008 and
    operating in sea areas AI and A2 or in AI, A2

and A3 need to comply at the first radio survey after 31 December 2008;

(iii)    Ships that solely operate in service area A4 need to comply at the first radio inspection after 1 July 2009;

(iv)    Ships fitted with approved Automatic

Identification Systems (AIS) and operating exclusively within sea area A I are not required to comply with the provisions of LRIT.

5. LRIT system

The    LRIT system consists of the shipborne

LRIT information transmitting equipment, the Communication Service Provider(s), the Application Service Provider(s), the LRIT Data Centre(s), including any related Vessel Monitoring System(s), the LRIT Data Distribution Plan and the Intemational LRIT Data Exchange. Certain aspects of the perfonnance of the LRIT system are reviewed or audited by an LRIT Co-ordinator acting on behalf of all Contracting Govemments.

Each Administration should provide to the LRIT Data Centre it has selected, a list of the ships entitled to fly its flag, which are required to transrnit LRIT information, together with other salient details and should update such lists as and when changes occur as soon as possible. Ships should only transmit the LRIT information to the LRIT

Data Centre selected by their Administration. If they are not establishing or participating in the establishment of a National, Regional or Cooperative LRIT Data Centre, then the Intemational LRIT Data Centre should be used.

The obligations of ships to transtnit LRIT inforination and the rights and obligations of Contracting Govemments and of Search and Rescue services to receive LRIT inforination are established in regulation V/19-1 of the 1974 SOLAS Convention.

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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:

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.

13 – 15 September 2007.  NAMS 39th Annual National Marine Conference West, The Pan Pacific Hotel, Vancouver, B.C. Canada
Info: www.nams-cms.org for details; NAMS Headquarters Ph: 800 822-6267 or (757) 638-9638

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.

15 & 16 November 2007.  2007 Asian Marine Insurance and Surveying Forum.  Asia Conference Ltd. At the Sofitel Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand.  Contact:  svasbt@netvigator.com

13 – 15 April 2008.  NAMS 46th Annual National Marine Conference East, The Monteleone Hotel, New Orleans, LA.
Info: www.nams-cms.org for details; NAMS Headquarters Ph: 800 822-6267or (757) 638-9638

 

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Web Sites

FOR OUR REGULAR READERS, NO NEW WEB SITES THIS MONTH:

We are no longer publishing our list of useful web sites for marine surveyors due to the eventual size of the email being sent out.  If you wish to receive the list, please contact the editor at the email address below.

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:
 

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From the Poop Deck

Dear Abby,

I've never written to you before, but I really need your advice on what could be a crucial decision. I've suspected for some time now that my wife has been cheating on me. The usual signs... phone rings but if I answer, the caller hangs up.

My wife has been going out with the girls a lot recently although when I ask their names she always says, "Just some friends from work, you don't know them."
I always stay awake to look out for her taxi coming home, but she always walks down the drive. Although I can hear a car driving off, as if she has gotten out of the car round the corner. Why?

Maybe she wasn't in a taxi? I once picked her cell phone up just to see what time it was and she went berserk and screamed that I should never touch her phone again and why was I checking up on her.
Anyway, I have never approached the subject with my wife. I think deep down I just didn't want to know the truth, but last night she went out again and I decided to really check on her. I decided I was going to park my sailboat trailer next to the garage and then hide behind it so I could get a good view of the whole street when she came home.

It was at that dreadful moment, crouching behind my boat, that I noticed a large area of tiny little de-lamination blisters on my keel.

Is this something I can fix myself or should I take it back to the boat builder?

Thanks,
Fred

******

Law of Mechanical Repair:
After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch or you'll have to pee.

Law of the Workshop:
Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Law of Probability:
The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.

Law of the Telephone:
If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal.

Law of the Alibi:
If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.

Variation Law:
If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will start to move faster than the one you are in now (works every time).

Law of the Bath :
When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.

Law of Close Encounters:
The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.

Law of the Result:
When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.

Law of Biomechanics:
The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.

Law of the Theatre:
At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last..

Law of Coffee:
As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

Murphy's Law of Lockers:
If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.

Law of Rugs/Carpets:
The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug.

Law of Location:
No matter where you go, there you are.

Law of Logical Argument:
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.

Brown's Law:
If the shoe fits, it's ugly.

Oliver's Law:
A closed mouth gathers no feet.

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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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