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  FLASHLIGHT - September 2006            Edition No: 56

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

Quote of the month

What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.

John Ruskin, (1819-1900)

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The 2006 Asian Marine Insurance and Surveying Forum -
'Marine Surveyors - Guardians of Quality Shipping'

will be held on 12 & 13 October 2006
at the J W Marriott Hotel, Mumbai, India
(Training Workshop also available on 11 October.
Programme available on request)

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 Ms Astor Tsang at Asia Conferences: marine@asiaconference.biz

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Marine Surveyor wanted

Individual will preferably have:

- At least 5 years international sea-going experience.
- Experience as chief or second engineer on ocean going ships
- Degree in nautical studies, marine or mechanical engineering.
- Diploma in marine surveying or enrolment in same.
- Must be able to conduct hull & machinery, condition surveys and other technical investigations and surveys on many types of vessels from small craft to large merchant ships.
- Familiar with International Maritime Organisation codes and standards/procedures, and International Shipping regulations.
- Computer literacy in word processing and spreadsheets.
- Good communication skills in English.
- Should be self motivated with some managerial skills and a hands-on attitude.
- Must be prrepared to travel at short notice anywhere in the Asia Pacific region.

This is an opportunity for a committed marine surveyor to grow within a well established company in the far east and possibly take over the future company management..  Candidates who do not fulfil all of the above requirements will be considered as training will be provided.

Reply to editor.

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CONTENTS (for full stories, select a headline)

At the Bow

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:

John Swanson, Teamhead Surveyors, Shanghai, PRC.

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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:

Inaccurate oil record brings sentence

WILMINGTON 01 September ­ Adrian Dragomir, chief engineer on the 35,000-dwt bulker Irene EM, was sentenced to one year's unsupervised probation on Wednesday in a Delaware federal courtroom on oil dumping charges. The 55-year-old Romanian national now plans to return home, following the ship’s master, Grigore Manolache, who pleaded guilty in July and was also given probation. Sources at the Department of Justice in Washington told Fairplay that charges remain pending for Liberia-based owner Venetico Marine and operator Chian Spirit each of which face up to $2.5M in criminal fines and five years probation; Evangelos Madias, owner of Ventico Marine, and the ship’s technical supervisor Kristos Pagones, who each face up to 10 years in prison, a $500,000 fine and a special assessment of $200 if convicted. In sentencing Dragomir on one count of maintaining an inaccurate oil record book, US District Judge Gregory Sleet accepted a defence contention that illegal oil dumping through use of a “magic pipe” could have resulted from communication problems between the ship’s Romanian officers and Filipino crew. He then wished Dragomir “Godspeed” and a safe trip home. The charges grew from a December 2005 inspection of the ship by the USCG in Delaware Bay.

Tired crew are dangerous crew, safety chief warns

LONDON 6 September ­ The head of the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch has called on ship owners to reassess manning levels on their vessels to enable crews to undertake their tasks safely. Speaking at the ISF Manning & Training Conference in London this morning, Stephen Meyer, chief inspector of marine accidents, said it was generally accepted that six hours on, six off, was the best working arrangement where there are only two watchkeepers. However, he urged that three watchkeepers should be a minimum for ships operating 24 hours a day. “Falling asleep is only the tip of the iceberg”, Meyer warned. “A person who is fatigued cannot operate effectively… however well we train our people, if they are fatigued they are dangerous.” The issue of fatigue is to be addressed at the IMO Maritime Safety Committee in January 2007, but Meyer has noted a change under way: quality owners are now increasing numbers of crew as minimum safe levels are now seen as unsafe. However, he said, many owners continue to see the minimum as a guideline and some even choose their flag for the crew level.

It’s good to talk but not both at once

SOUTHAMPTON 6 September ­Two general cargo vessels, both German-operated and both registered in Antigua & Barbuda, collided in the English Channel traffic separation scheme this morning while apparently trying to communicate with each other. The accident happened 17 miles east of North Foreland, according to the UK’s maritime & Coastguard Agency. The 2,322dwt, Dealer, on passage to Teignmouth was unsuccessfully trying to call the 4,516dwt Vindo, en route to Seville. Dover Coastguard was monitoring the situation and managed to contact the Vindo to tell it the Dealer was trying to make contact. As a result both ships communicated with each other, but in the process collided. Both ships are said to have sustained damage but both continued on their voyages. No injuries were sustained and no pollution resulted.

Bulk crew receives second blow

CHARLESTON 18 September ­ The 29 Egyptian seafarers aboard the bulker Edco were preparing to depart for home last week following settlement of an arrest when they received news of a second arrest. Only days after Misr Edco posted a $2M letter of credit to cover claims from Hong Kong-based Grand Max Marine over the failed charter of the 38,800-dwt bulker’s sister ship, a second lawsuit was filed in US District Court by the American Club. The lawsuit says the vessel’s owner is behind on its P&I premiums to the tune of $189,500 - about $27,700 on the Edco and $161,500 on the Edco Star, the sister ship held at the Suez Canal as unseaworthy, the incident that launched the Grand Max lawsuit. In addition to the past due premiums, the American Club also wants $30,000 in legal fees. The ship’s crew was jubilant early last week when local journalists were allowed to visit the ship, which is alongside at the city’s former Naval shipyard. Capt Mohammed Ellewaa told one woman reporter that it had been three months since he had heard a female voice and it made him long for home and his wife and twin daughters. There is no word on how much longer the ship will remain in the South Carolina port.

Stressed seafarers 'a safety concern'

SINGAPORE 29 September ­ Seafarers are suffering considerable stress caused by the mountain of paperwork they are expected to work through. This has serious consequences for safe shipping, an industry veteran has warned.  “Standards of manuals are abominable. They have to be improved,” Aswin Kumar Atre, a former chief engineer with 40 years association with the industry, told a seminar organised by fuel testing laboratory Viswa Lab today. Lack of adequate knowledge of English could also be a factor, he added. Atre is Senior Executive Advisor to Singapore-based NYK Shipmanagement, but emphasised that his comments were made in an individual capacity. He also noted that 25% of marine casualties were due to machinery failure. Nearly 60% of such failures take place after maintenance, Atre said. “The cause could be attributed to ship staff not following the procedures, which stems from the fact the manuals are poorly written.” Hitting out at engine manufacturers for not monitoring licensees, he estimated that design faults accounted for one-third of failures on 2-stroke engines. Problems with faulty components could persist for many years, Atre cautioned.

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

Increased claims due to lack of skilled seafarers?

LONDON, 12 September 2006 - The dwindling pool of skilled officers in the marine industry could result in increasing claims and higher premiums in the long term, according to the leading insurance broker Aon. Marine operators need to combat the skills shortfall through more effective recruitment and retention plans to ensure future officers are fully equipped to handle technological advances and new trading  patterns, thus preventing claims as a result of human error.

While the shipping industry continues to boom and the number of vessels is increasing year on year, employee numbers are  keeping pace. Despite a surplus of ratings2, there is an  estimated shortage of around 10,000 officers or about 2%  of the total workforce.  With a predicted shortfall of some  27,000 officers, or just fewer than 6% of the total workforce, by the year 2015, the problem could escalate to the point where shipping companies will have to face real operational difficulties. Furthermore, while the global shipyard order  book stands at 4,942 ships with a further 796 vessels3 under construction, it is clear the industry is facing a major challenge.

For the industry to address this issue successfully, it must combat the factors that are causing the skills shortage:

*an ageing officer population with 50% over 40 years old;
*the notion that seafaring is an unsafe line of work with the threat of piracy and officer kidnapping;
*the shift of labour from North America, Europe, Japan and other OECD countries to east Europe and Asia means that the  lack of international experience and cultural/ language skills are posing serious barriers to mariners wanting to take on  global officer roles;
*new legislation, such as the European Union’s ship source  pollution directive which criminalises negligence, is acting as a deterrent to those thinking of joining the industry and  causing some to leave;
*as today’s vessels become more complex and technically advanced,  the skills and knowledge required to manage them need to grow accordingly.

To read about the solutions proposed for these problems Readers should access Semaphore, Aon Global Marine’s magazine. To obtain a copy send an e-mail to  globalmarine@aon.co.uk.
 

Box lashing safety

Investigation raises alarm over increasing size of containerships

Concerns over the safety of container lashings have been raised in a Marine Accident Investigation Branch report on a container stack collapse onboard a UKflagged containership.

And the report also warns that the trend towards increased containership sizes leading to a consequential increase in lashing requirements may result in more such cases in the future.

The incident occurred in January this year as the 2,902 TEU P&O Nedlloyd Genoa was sailing in the North Atlantic, with winds of storm force 10 and swell of 5m to 6m in height.

The 31,333 gt vessel, which had been sailing from Le Havre to Newark, was hit by a succession of large waves of up to 12m which caused a container stack collapse in front of the bridge, resulting in 27 boxes being swept overboard and 28 collapsed on deck investigators said the incident

which was the first of a series of five involving the loss of more than 220 containers in the first two months of this year highlighted concerns over lashing arrangements and stow plans.

In a report published last month, the MAIB said it had been unable to determine the exact cause of the accident but it was probable the stow was sufficiently out of tolerance for the rolling to cause a refrigerated container at the bottom of one row to buckle and collapse, leading to progressive collapse of rows to the port.

Investigators said checks on lashings in other bays on the vessel had revealed 'inconsistencies' including missing or additional lashing bars, bars secured to incorrect containers, and insufficient securing arrangements to lash out of gauge containers.

Investigators also found that the maximum stack weight limit had been exceeded in the port out

bound stack and had disregarded the principle of 'no heavy over lights' with the company's 10% overload limit exceeded in several places.

The report said the requirements of the cargo loading manual had not been followed, leading to the stow being out of tolerance.

The MAIB said it was a matter of concern that errors in the stow plan had not been identified by the company's own planning staff, the terminal or the chief officer. Failures to satisfactorily cheek the stow plan and lashings had contributed to the accident, it added.

The report noted that the cargo planning programme used by Blue Star Ship Management met statutory requirements, but did not provide the chief officer with sufficient information to identify weaknesses in the loading plan.

Investigators said the vessel's British master had been aware of the hazards of parametric and synchronous rolling. But, the report added, slowing down the ship increased the risk of parametric rolling because the natural roll period got closer to twice the encountered wave period.

The report recommends that Blue Star Ship Management undertakes a risk management assessment of the vulnerability of its vessels to parametric rolling, provides vesselspecific guidance on the problem to masters, and also emphasises to crews the importance of lashing cheeks to ensure compliance with the cargo securing manual.

It also urges the Maritime & Coastguard Agency to consult owners and insurers on the provision of shipspecific parametric rolling data, as well as reviewing container structural strength and rigidity standards and improving container inspection regimes.

In Brief

Master jailed: Aliman Babayev, the Azerbaijan master of the Turkish registered vessel Mainara Princess, has been sentenced by a French court to two years in prison, fined USD10,000 (£6,700) and banned from working on a ship of more than 500 gt. Capt Babayey, who failed to attend the trial, had appealed against a twoyear suspended sentence and a USD2,000 (£1,300) fine for manslaughter and failing to help persons in danger when his ship rammed the fishing vessel Beau Rivage in February 2001 with the loss of two lives. The master and owner have appealed against the award against them of £350,000 in damages.

Stranded crew: three officers and three ratings from Madagascar were repatriated after 14 weeks without electricity, water or money onboard the Comoros Islands flagged vessel La Gironde in the port of Bordeaux. According to the CFDT maritime union, Ocean Indien Shipping Services, the company that sent them to France to bring the vessel back had neither registered the vessel nor obtained an international deepsea navigation certificate.

Jail threat. two engineer officers from the South Korean flagged bulker Sun New are facing up to 15 years in jail on charges related to the dumping of oily waste from their vessel. The two men were indicted last month by a federal grand jury in New Jersey on charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and violating pollution prevention legislation after US Coast Guard inspectors discovered bypass equipment during an inspection oft he ship in January

Tuning up: French shipyard Chantiers de I'Atlantique last month began sea trials of the cruiseship MSC Orchestra, the latest in a series of new vessels being built for the Italian operator. Capable of carrying 3,013 passengers, the ship is due to enter into service next spring and will be followed by three other newbuilds that will give MSC Cruises a 12strong fleet.

Boxship sinks: a major alert was sparked off the coast of India last month when the containership OEL Vision lost power and began to drift towards an oil rig. The Indian flagged vessel sank after efforts to tow it to safety failed, but all 28 crew onboard were rescued.

Lithuanian aid: the European Commission has approved Lithuania's plan to introduce a tonnage tax system. The EC says that the scheme will run from January 2007 for 10 years and is expected to cost up to C600,000 a year.

Boxship lost: the Liberianflagged containership Safmarine Agulhas has been declared a total structural loss over a month after running aground outside the South African port of East London. Authorities said the 16,800 gt vessel had begun to break up after splitting between holds two and three, and the wreck would have to be removed from the site. The grounding of the 1,706TEU vessel which had been on charter to Safinarine was blamed on engine failure.

SNCM probe the European Commission is to investigate the French government's arrangements for the privatisation of the Mediterranean ferry operator SNCM earlier this year. The Commission said it wanted to ensure that the restructuring of the company and associated 'cash injections' from the government will not distort competition on routes between France and Corsica.

Seafarers supported: local seafaring organisations have been providing support for the officers and crew on the Panama flagged tanker Antonios P, who have been stranded onboard their ship in the southern French port of Sete since June. The International Transport Workers' Federation is seeking to recover owed wages and the Greekowned ship has also been unable to leave port because of technical deficiencies.

Fast work: France and Spain are inviting tenders from shipping companies to run Atlantic 'sea motorways' projects that are expected to take some 100,000 trucks of the roads. Operators bidding for the services will be judged on such criteria as the volume of freight they expect to carry and the frequency of their proposed services.

Erika delay: the trial of 15 parties on various charges arising from the loss of the tanker Erika off the Brittany coast in December 1999 has been delayed again. The case is now due to start on 12 February 2007 to 'enable harmonisation of the various lawyers' timetables' The hearing is expected to last until 13 June.

Tasmanian takeover: Corsica Ferries has taken delivery of the 173 m ropax ferry Mega Express IV, formerly the Spirit of Tasmania III, from IT lines, the Australian state of Tasmania's shipping line.

US targets: Portugal, Russia and Sweden have been added to the US Coast Guard's 'black list' and their ships visiting US ports will be targeted for increased boardings and inspections.

Age action: more than one million British workers aged between 50 and 65 are unable to get a job because companies will not recruit or invest in training for older staff, the TUC warned last month. In a report on age discrimination, it calls for employers to carry out 'age audits' of their staff and develop policies with unions for the retention and training of older staff. Without such action, the report states, workers will face higher taxes, later retirement or pension poverty.

Rescue accident: the 261,284 dwt tanker Bright Artemis was holed last month in a collision with the Singapore flagged general cargoship Amar in the Indian Ocean. The Mitsui OSK VLCC lost an estimated 4,500 tonnes of crude in the incident, which occurred as it tried to rescue crew from the cargoship following a serious fire.

Colombo mission: former Felixstowe port chaplain Captain Andrew Payne has begun work as the first fulltime Mission to Seafarers chaplain for a decade in the Sri Lankan port of Colombo. His appointment forms part of the Mission's expansion plans and follows recent refurbishment of the Colombo centre.

Spill fine: the Greek containership company Danaos Shipping has been fined US $500,000 and placed on probation for three years after admitting attempts to coverup an oil spill from the 3,065 TEU vessel APL Guatemala off the coast of California in 2001.

Officer raped: a British first officer serving onboard a luxury yacht undergoing drydock work in the Italian port of Genoa was raped when she went ashore last month. She was treated in hospital for shock, cuts and bruises before flying home.
 

Guidance on drum dangers

Offshore support vessels have been advised not to retrieve floating drums which have no markings to indicate their contents or toxicity.

The guidance comes in a special safety flash issued by the Marine Safety Forum last month following concerns raised by ferry crews in the North Sea over the recovery of unlabelled drums.

In general, MSF pointed out, the retrieval of floating debris from around rigs, platforms or FPS0s is not a problem but the lack of relevant markings was an issue in the light of the COSHH hazardous materials regulations and risk assessment policies.

The problem was raised with the Maritime & Coastguard Agency which advised that all drums and containers must be reported must be reported to the Coastguard, whether lacking dangerous goods placards or not.

It said seafarers should leave such items to float free and drift, and should inform the Coastguard of the current position and likely direction and rate of drift.

The MCA said it would liaise with owners, shippers and insurers to encourage them to retrieve floating debris, but a recovery process could be initiated if this is not possible.
 

The brutal reality of piracy: more seafarers are killed, kidnapped and assaulted

Alarm has been expressed at new figures showing an increase in violent attacks on seafarers during the first half ofthis year.

A new report from the International Maritime Bureau has revealed a sharp rise in piracy cases in which seafarers have been killed, injured, kidnapped and assaulted.

According to the IMB, the first six months of 2006 witnessed a total of 127 attacks on shipping throughout the world the same figure as in the first half of last year.

There were 74 cases in which ships were boarded by pirates, and 11 in which ships were hijacked. A total of 156 crew were taken hostage, 13 crew kidnapped and six crew killed compared with 31 held hostage, 10 kidnapped and none killed over the same period in 2005.

NUMAST general secretary Brian Orrell said the statistics underlined the continuing need for concerted action to combat piracy and the wider threat of terrorist attacks on shipping.

'At a time when audiences are flocking to see a Hollywood movie that trots out the tired old myths of piracy, it is more important than ever the at the public and politicians recognise the fact that piracy is not fantasy, and that it is happening today on an almost daily basis; he added.

The IMB said its report 'shows that piracy continues to be a serious menace and that the brutal reality is far removed from the recent portrayal of pirates in Hollywood films'.

Although the total number of attacks for the first half of 2006 was the same as in the first half of the previous year, the IMB said it is concerned that the situation has deteriorated in key hot spots.

The Eastern and northEastern coasts of Somalia continue to be highrisk areas for hijackings, with eight attacks by pirates wielding guns and grenades reported off the country's eastern coast so far this year. The IMB warns that ships not making scheduled calls to ports in these areas should stay at least 200 miles or as far away as practical from the eastern coast of Somalia.

The IMB said Indonesia remains the biggest problem area, with the highest number of reported piracy incidents during the first six months of 2006, and being a region where 'violence and intimidation of crew continues to be a hallmark of attacks'.

The report also points to Bangladesh which had 22 recorded attacks on ships in the first half of the year as an emerging piracy hot spot.

IMB director Captain Pottengal Mukundan commented: 'New highrisk areas have emerged. It is vital that the governments in these areas give priority to this crime and resource law enforcement agencies to tackle it.'

On a positive note, the report showed a continued decrease in the number of attacks in the Malacca Straits with just three attacks in the first half of 2006 recorded there, compared with eight for the same period last year.

However, since the end of June 2006, three further incidents within a two day period have been reported and Capt Mukundan said it showed the need for law enforcement agencies to maintain the initiatives which have been successful. 'If the pressure lets up, we believe the attacks will rise again,' he warned.

The IMB report also identifies the most attackprone ports and anchorages. The Bangladesh port of Chittagong and Tg Priok port in Jakarta had the highest number of attacks, with 22 and eight reported attacks respectively.

-  Twentyfive crew members onboard a South Korean fishing vessel were released by Somali pirates last month after 117 days in captivity. The men were released after the payment of a US$800,000 ransom.

-  Ten Somali nationals went on trial in Mombassa, Kenya, last month on charges of hijacking an Indian dhow in January this year and holding the vessel and its 16 crew to ransom.

Malacca strait removed from war list

Marine insurers last month agreed to end their controversial war risk designation for the Malacca Strait.

The London hull insurance market's joint war committee decided to remove the busy waterway from its war risk list, just over a year after the additional premiums were first imposed in response to a new method of assessing areas of 'perceived enhanced risk

Lloyd's said the decision reflected the 'significant improvement' in security within the 900 km strait following the introduction of joint antipiracy patrols by Singapore and Malaysia.

However, Lloyd's said ships calling at NE ports on the Indonesian island of Sumatra would still be required to pay extra war risk premiums.

The decision has been welcomed by owners and regional governments, who said they had taken constructive steps to minimise the risks'.
 

New US drink Rules

THE US Coast Guard has made substantial changes to its procedures for drug and alcohol testing of seafarers involved in a serious casualty or oil spill.

Tighter in some instances, eased in others, the new regulations apply to all USflagged vessels and to foreignflagged merchant ships while they are in US territorial waters and also require commercial ships to carry testing equipment onboard.

Effective from the end of June, the new policy states that seafarers must undergo alcohol screening within two hours of a serious incident. Crew members directly involved in the casualty or oil spill cannot drink alcohol, or products containing alcohol (such as mouthwash) until they are tested.

However, the timeline for submitting a urine or blood sample for drug testing was expanded to 32 hours, from 24 hours. Moreover, saliva or breath is now permitted as a specimen for the alcohol test.

The USCG says owners who don't keep alcohol testing equipment aboard their ships must develop a procedure to ensure that testing can be done within the required, two hours and that the person doing the testing is trained m administering the device that is used.

The penalty for failure to observe the new rules after a serious marine incident is up to $5,000 for each violation.

In Coast Guard parlance, a 'serious marine incident includes a situation in which there is (1) a death or significant injury, (2) over $100,000 of property damage, (3) loss of the vessel or (4) discharge of more than 10.000 gallons of oil (or a 'reportable quantity' of hazardous material) into US waters.

All alcohol testing devices must be on the official list prescribed by the Department of Transportation or the National Highway 'Traffic Safety Administration.

-  For more information, cheek these sites: wwwdot.gov/ost/dapc or www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/moa/dapip.htm
 

Alarm at stability criteria proposal

PROPOSED new stability standards for passenger ships could be a step backwards for safety, NUMAST is warning.

The plans which would apply to newbuildings have been developed by a special International Maritime Organisation working group and are intended to set down survivability standards for damaged vessels.

The IMO's subcommittee on stability and load lines has backed the proposed required level of stability to be s=1, broadly similar to SOLAS 90 requirements, but permitting immersion beyond the margin line and partial flooding of the bulkhead deck.

This means that the stability standard would be applied to a damage extent which is considerably less than that defined by SOLAS 90.

During discussions at the IMO subcommittee, the UK tabled a paper warning that the s=l stability criteria 'would not offer sufficient confidence to ship masters facing the 'momentous decision` on whether to abandon a damaged ship.

It added: 'The overarching philosophy of the passenger ship safety initiative was that the ship be regarded as its own lifeboat.  If we provide a stability standard that gives the master insufficient confidence in his ship to resist capsize, he will order that the ship be abandoned. Thus, from the flooding perspective, nothing will have been achieved:

The UK and Germany are 'lone voices' against the proposed stability criteria with other flag states remaining silent on such a crucial matter.

The proposals are now going forward to the IMO's maritime safety committee meeting in November, and some further work may be done at the next meeting of the subcommittee.
 

Stowaways on the decline

Stowaway cases appear to be on the decline, according to new figures compiled by the international Maritime Organisation.

The IMO received reports last year of 96 stowaway incidents, involving 209 stowaways compared with 146 cases in the previous year and 265 in 2002.

Just four cases were reported to the UN agency in the first three months of this year.

The figures show that just over 500/o of the stowaways last year came from west African countries, 220/o from the Mediterranean and Black Sea region, 140/o from Latin America and the Caribbean, and just over 10% from countries in the Indian ocean and east Africa.
 

Record US fine for lost containers

The owners and operators of the 3,266 TEU containership Med Taipei have been fined a record US$3.25 m after 15 boxes were lost overboard in a marine sanctuary off the coast of California in February 2004.

The containers which were packed with items including furniture, tyres, plastics, cardboard and clothing were swept into the sea during rough weather as the ship sailed from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

Prosecutors said a US Coast Guard inquiry had revealed that the boxes had been inappropriately' loaded onboard, with faulty welds on anchor points for the containers, as well as missing Drings from the deck of the vessel.

The case was brought after a marine research project discovered one of the containers on the seabed and it was traced to the vessel from its serial number. The US Department of Justice investigated the losses and reached the damages agreement, the largest ever for damages involving a national marine sanctuary with the owners and operators, All Oceans Transportation, Italia Marittima and Yang Ming IV sport.

The DoJ said that the containers had the potential to damage natural resources in the marine sanctuary by crushing and smothering organisms, trapping marine species and causing pollution through the deposition of plastics and other oilbased products.

'It is important for shipping companies to execute due diligence when carrying cargo through national marine sanctuaries, as they will be expected to correct any damages that occur from their operations; said William Douros, of the National Marine Sanctuary Program. 'It is also important that any lost cargo is reported immediately.'
 

Examination cheats are barred

MCA overhauls certificate test procedures after three engineer officers are caught copying papers

THE MARITIME & Coastguard Agency has overhauled procedures for UK certificate of competency examinations following a case m which three engineer officers were caught cheating.

The three officers Avilano Alves, from Goa, Peryez Rafique Modak, from Mumbai, and Tahir Malik Mahmood, from Chaklala, Pakistan had their certificates cancelled at a hearing at the Central London Civil Justice Centre.

Inquiry adjudicator Lionel Persey QC said the UK certificate of competency was 'a valuable and muchprized qualification in the maritime world' ' and candidates were entitled to expect that the examination system is 'scrupulously fair'.

He warned of a very real risk that safety will be compromised if senior officers obtained certificates through dishonesty.

The case arose after an examiner noticed differences in the handwriting between the cover and the inside of a workbook submitted by Ishtiyak Modak in an applied mechanics examination leading to a second engineer certificate.

A second workbook completed by the candidate contained the questions to a previous applied mechanics examination.

The examiner's suspicions prompted an investigation by the MCAs enforcement unit which revealed that Mr Modak had failed the first 10 examinations he had taken.

The investigation found that when Mr Modak had achieved passes, he had completed only the front page of each work book in his own handwriting and that the answers to questions were not in his own handwriting. The MCA declared all his exam results null and void, and banned him from taking any more until July 2008.

As a result of these findings, the MCA decided to conduct a major review of engineering exam papers for the previous five years. Some 5,000 papers were examined, and handwriting experts identified the handwriting of the three engineers as being found on other examination papers that appeared to have been completed by more than one individual.

The three were found to have been involved in cases where their work was passed off as that of candidates sitting engineering officers' exams.

A major MCA review of nearly  5,000 examination papers submitted by engineering officers was triggered by a discovery that an officer sitting an applied heat test had two examination workbooks on his desk containing different handwriting.

Handwriting experts identified that Mr Alves, Mr Mahmood and Peryez Rafique Modak were probably the authors of answers given in a number of Ishtiyak Modales examination papers.

A formal inquiry was held under Section 61 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 into the fitness of the three officers to hold UK certificates of competency. This ruled that the men's behaviour was 'misconduct of the most serious kind'.

In making his judgement, Mr Persey said there was no place in the Merchant Navy for those who were found to have dishonestly abused the examination system and he recommended that, as well as having their certificates cancelled, the three men should be

(With thanks to the NUMAST Telegraph)

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Contributions


Out-turn condition problems of reefer cargoes of fruit and vegetables

Dr Stephen Morris
Sydney Postharvest Laboratory
(This paper was presented at the Australasian Institute of Marine Surveyors, 2006 Biennial Conference, 17 August 2006, Carlton Crest Hotel, Sydney, Australia.)

Major Problems Encountered
The major problems seen in fruit, vegetables and fresh produce outturns are
1.  rots and decay both affecting the surface and internal part of produce
2.  surface blemishes, discolouration or pitting, bruising, greasiness
3.  internal colour (browning, glassiness) and texture changes
4.  sprouting
5.  weight loss, softening, loss of crispness and withering
6.  undesirable colour changes i.e. yellowing
7.  undesirable change of shape (compression curvature etc)
8.  undesirable flavour changes, i.e. tainting,
9.  package damage

Causes of Outturn Problems
The major causes of outturn problems are quality of produce when stuffing the container, inappropriate choices of produce for the expected transport and marketing situation, problems in logistics (delays, transhipping problems), machinery errors and human errors in monitoring or maintenance.  Additionally market conditions at the destination market can also have a major influence, if prices are high and supply is low, reported outturn problems and customer acceptance is much less a problem than when prices are low and the market is oversupplied.
 
While sometimes completely unexpected problems occur, for the majority of these problems they can be minimised or eliminated with careful planning

Before Harvest
These can include periods of rain and wet weather at harvest which can increase disease, or very hot weather which can reduce quality, freezing temperatures which can particularly be a problem for crops such as Navels, chilling temperatures can cause problems such as Pink Lady apple browning, even bush fires which can give undesirable taints or flavour.  These problems can only be avoided or minimised by having a good knowledge of the crops being transported and the growing district conditions and grower practices and standards.

At Harvest and Packing
Problems can involve rough handling during picking, leaving crops for long periods in the sun or at hot temperatures before moving to the packing shed, packing lines running too fast or roughly handling fruit, usage of correct disease control chemicals (resistance can be a problem), correct storage temperature and conditions and importantly correct packaging.  Careful quality control during packing and documentation of that is very important.  Often practises that are very acceptable for local marketing can cause major
problems during long shipments.  Planning ahead of time can avoid many of these problems.

Between Packing and Export/ Transport
Often long transport journeys under air storage conditions in reefers can be stressful to fruits and vegetables and considerably reduce their keeping quality.  Fruits with long storage life such as apples, can be stored for long periods under very carefully controlled conditions especially with controlled atmosphere.  However, if fruits are taken out of storage after too long a time, then they may not have enough residual storage life to maintain a high quality on outturn.  This can also be a problem with much shorter storage life crops, where they are exported, not immediately after harvest and packing, but after using up much of their storage life.   Also for rapid local marketing, often cool storage is not required ie onions and potatoes, however export of crops that have been kept for periods of time without cool storage in reefer containers can also case problems.  The main way to avoid these various problems is planning the export shipments well ahead of time, by the exporter, carrier and farmers.

Stuffing of Reefer
Prior to stuffing the container, the necessary set point, and ventilation rate should be determined.  It is very important that the produce should be cooled to the correct carriage temperature before stuffing as reefers have a cooling capacity designed to hold cooled produce at a chilled temperature.  They do not have the cooling capacity to cool a load of warm or hot produce to the required transport temperature, if this is attempted the period until the produce comes to the set point temperature can be many days or longer.  Pulp temperatures of the fruit should be taken during stuffing.  The time taken to stuff the container should be a short as possible, or significant warming up can occur.  The packing pattern needs to be correct for the type of cartons used, ie some cartons allow vertical air movement and holes need to be lined up.  Also, it is important to evenly pack the reefer, since air gaps within or between pallets can lead to significant short circuiting or air and a failure to keep produce within the pallets cool.  The loading pattern should also avoid a sizeable gap next to the door, and be below the upper loading line, care also needs to be taken with lids of cartons in the top layer or they can move up and block the air flow.

One or preferably two temperature recording devices should be included in the container, ideally one recorder should be at the back of the load in the top layer at the door and the other recorder at the front of the load near the air inlet.  It is a good idea to mark the temperature recorders conspicuously, even attaching a bright coloured plastic tape attached to it as locating recorders during unloading can be a problem  The container should be cooled prior to stuffing, but then turned off during stuffing.  It should be turned on again immediately after closing the doors, with the set point carefully checked.

Transport to Wharf and Loading on Board
Ideally the produce should be harvested and packed and cooled as close to the shipping time as possible.  If the distance to the port is substantial, then a means of powering the reefer during this trip needs to be provided.  It is important that no delays occur on the trip to the wharf.  When arrived at the container yard, the reefer needs to be immediately put on power and the set point checked against documentation.  Also, any early developing problems with operation of the reefer should be picked up and repaired or the shipper notified about possible problems with going ahead with the shipment.  The time off power during loading on board should be kept to a minimum.

The Voyage and Transhipment
During the voyage regular inspection of the reefer is important, as is carrying out of repairs if necessary.  Reefer cargo with valuable and perishable produce needs to correctly loaded on board the ship, being loaded in the top layer or on the side walls of the stack can result in a significant heating from the sun during all or part of the day.  Also loading of reefers in positions in the container stack so that regular inspections and repairs can be carried out is important.

Transhipment can be a problem, with delays during loading and unloading and placing on power an issue.  Also positioning in the container yard so that excess heating from the sun doesn’t occur.  Excess delays between the two voyages during transhipping should be avoided especially as transhipping is often in hot climates.

Arrival at Destination, Customs and Delivery to Customer
Unloading from the ship and periods off power need to be kept to a minimum.  Also, customs inspections can sometimes be a significant problem to quality particularly if warming up of the produce for fumigation is required and substantial delays are involved.   Delivery to the customer should be done as quickly as possible, and the customer needs to promptly inspect some cartons from the load for quality problems as well as inspecting the temperature recorders.  If problems are obvious, then it is best if surveyors can be present during unloading as a great deal of information about the causes of quality problems can be determined during unloading due to the pattern of the any defect within the container.  Also actual pulp temperatures on unloading are very important.  If the causes of any defects in the produce are not obvious, then it is important that additional testing by specialists be carried out.

Overall Aim
It is important for all involved that a long term approach be adopted and lessons be drawn from each bad outturn.  Careful planning and improving procedures can ensure that possible problems can be planned for and rectified immediately, or avoided altogether.  Unless problem outturns are investigated and learnt from, which costs more in the short term, avoidable problems may continue which may result in losses of many millions of dollars.  Keeping costs and losses down and delivering the highest quality at the best price to the customers is surely to the benefit of both Australian companies and Australian customers.


[Top]

Midships

US Security checks

Your editor was fortunate to attend the NAMS 38th Annual National Marine Conference West, on 25 & 26 September 2006 at the Radisson Fisherman's Wharf Hotel, San Francisco, USA.  Apart from the jet lag, which is an occupational hazard, I enjoyed the time in San Francisco and networking with my fellow US marine surveyors.  I took the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles and return from there to Hong Kong.  As is becoming customary in most airports, there were regular announcements reminding travellers not to leave bags unattended and to keep them within sight.  Imagine my horror when my bags were taken from me for checking by the security personnel behind a screen where I could not see what they were doing.  Having had items stolen from bags in security areas before I was reluctant to agree to this but despite protests I was unable to view the security checks of my bags.  Furthermore, my bags were then portered from the security area to the airline check in desk.  As I would not be able to access my bags again, I would be unable to check if anything had been stolen until Hong Kong!

NAMS Conference

This year's theme was 'natural disasters' and we heard about last year's hurricanes in the southern US states.  Interesting to see some of the situations in which surveyors had to carry out their jobs and how the authorities coped with normalising the situation as far as possible with the resources available.  Also good to see so many surveyors interested in either passing on their knowledge or learning more about their profession.  The number of our clients also attending and passing on their needs was encouraging.  It is clear that such events can only benefit both surveyors and their clients.

Hull Thumpers

Don Robertson does a fine job in the USA of producing the Boatpoakers and Hullthumpers web pages.  More recently there have been some concerns expressed by non YSC surveyors that the name is not quite appropriate as non YSC surveyors do not go around banging or hammering hulls.  I believe the name to be appropriate, although a bumper sticker could be distributed adding:

Marine surveyors do it on ships!

Any other suggestions for appropriate bumper stickers would be much appreciated.

Mike Wall

[Top]

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 .....

If you have any glaring contradictions, please let us know.

[Top]

Insurance News

New guide aims to reduce risk of container losses

Club warns that lashing systems cannot cope with increase in stack heights

A new guide has been published in an effort to reduce the risks posed by the growing number of containers being lost from ships.

Aimed at all grades of seafarers, the advice aims to raise awareness about shortcomings in container securing systems and to cut the number of boxes being lost overboard or damaged after deck stows collapse or shift in heavy weather.

The 38page book has been produced by The Standard P&I Club and the classification society Lloyd's Register. NUMAST also assisted the initiative, with former Council member and containership master Mike Watts giving practical input to the project.

A Master's Guide to Container Securing' is the fifth in a series of guides produced by the Standard Club to tackle pressing maritime safety issues, and risk management director Erie Murdoch said it was important to learn the lessons offered by incidents in recent years.

He said the growing size of containerships is presenting problems for the industry, with postPanamax vessels capable of carrying containers on deck stacked up to eight tiers high.

'While the ships are able to carry containers stacked higher, the lashing systems are still only capable oflashingto the bottom of the third tier containers, or the bottom of the fourth or fifth tier containers when a lashing bridge is fitted; Mr Murdoch pointed out.

'Ship design has developed but conceptually container lashing systems have not and that's where most ofthe pro'blems lie,he wamed.

Concem over container losses which experts have suggested could total as much as 5,OOOTEU a year has prompted the launch ofajoint industryproject to examine possible new rules to govern lashings.

Mr Murdoch a former ship's officer said that while the number of container losses is small in comparison with total traffic, the increase in cases of boxes lost overboard is a cause of growing unease. 'Cargo claims have increased, whilst floating containers pose a hazard to navigation and insecure containers are a danger to the crew members onboard,' he added.

The guide offers 'best practice' advice on stowages, loading and lashing to prevent containers from being dainaged or lost overboard. It stresses the need to cheek stack weights, to stick to the approved lashing plan and to avoid stacking heavy containers above lighter boxes.

It also warns of the need to check the condition of containers especially corner posts and to reject those that are buckled, twisted, damaged or found to be overweight.

Much ofthe guide is devoted to lashing systems including a section tackling 'common false beliefs' about securing, stowage, lashing rods, twistlocks and container strength, and another section showing the variety oflashing components in use.

Other issues addressed include safe working practices and the principles of stowage. Mr Murdoch said these are of particular importance, with increased stack heights posing potential safety problems for seafarers and gaps in training highlighted by the geiieral practice of leaming specific cargohandling on the job rather than in the classroom.

The guide also discusses the impact of heavy weather on containership behaviour and container lashings, giving advice on ways to reduce the risk of parametric rolhng.

'Ship motions when at sea can result in severe forces being imposed on container stacks. It is the strength of the containers and lashing system that resists these forces and attempts to keep containers onboard. Andyou onlydiscover what it can do when there's bad weather,' Mr Murdoch stressed.

Some 5,500 copies of the guide have been printed and it is being distributed to the ships of Standard Club members. Copies can be downloaded ftom the website: www.standardclub.com

******

Alarm at the rise in cases of 'cabin fever'

MARINE insurers have expressed alarm at an increase in 'cabin fever' cases involving seafarers suffering from psychological problems.

The North of England P&I Club says it has noticed a rise in such incidents ranging from anxiety attacks to aggressive behaviour to fellow crew members, including extreme physical violence.

The club's loss prevention newsletter states that while the main causes of such cases are not clear, a possible factor could be the length of time spent away from home and occasional problems in being relieved from a ship.

'At the saine time" the newsletter notes, 'there may be family pressure to remain at sea longer in order to earn more money and continue sending funds home. '

The club also points to faster tumaround times in port, which create more work for officers and ratings and less opportunity to relax resulting in fatigue and stress.

Another potential factor is the growing trend to criminalise seafarers after incidents and accidents, which the club suggests could create additional anxiety.

'Whatever the cause, mental illness must be taken extremely seriously both to protect individual crew members, but also their colleagues onboard; the newsletter adds.

The club points out the difficulties in diagnosing mental illness. While changes in behaviour can be noticed and people may become irrational, violent or suicidal the person suffering may not be aware that they are acting oddly.

All that can be done at sea is to recognise the condition, handle the situation correctly, and deliver the patient into skilled hands at the earliest opportunity,' the newsletter advises.

The club ofrers some guidance to spotting signs of anxiety, depression or insanity among fellow crew members. It stresses the importance of recognising those at risk from depression, which can lead to suicide, and advises on ways to encourage problemsharing and providing help and support.

'Anyone who appears to be deeply depressed or who talks of suicide should never be left alone; the bulletin states. 'In practice, this can be difficult, but the crew member should be confined to a cabin and remain there under supervision. The deck is a dangerous place and the ship's side may be a temptation.'

The club stresses the importance of gaining professional medical advice as soon as possible, and it also notes the support that can be given by the Mission to Seafarers to crew members feeling stressed or anxious.

[Top]

Wig & Gown

None this month.

[Top]


Education and Training


Why not attend a training course or a conference?  They could be beneficial!

******

University of Portsmouth Confirm MSc Course Now Available

Following discussion with the University of Portsmouth it is now confirmed that following on from the BSc(Hons) currently available through the university, there is now an MSc in Maritime Studies available.  Any member of IIMS with a suitable qualification who may be interested, should contact the CEO of IIMS in the first instance.

IMS Diploma and Degree Courses

Members are reminded that the latest diploma courses commenced on 1 Oct 06.   Members are encouraged to promote the diploma courses; application forms are available from the IIMS Administration Office.   The closing date for this year’s intake is 31st March 2007.

Diploma Courses available:
Diploma in yacht & Small Craft Surveying
Diploma in Cargo Surveying
Diploma in Marine Industry Surveying
Diploma in marine Engineering surveying
2nd Level Diploma (available for students having completed a 1st Level diploma)

Students who have achieved 240 Approved Prior Learning Credits may apply to commence the BSc(Hons) in Marine surveying Practice.  Students are requested to contact the IIMS Administration Office in the first instance.  iims@compuserve.com

******

New site for MN officer careers

The Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) has launched a new website www.careersatsea.org to promote the opportunities for aspiring ofricers to gain 'world class'professional qualifications.

The website, which was sponsored by the Maritime Educational Foundation, highlights the MNTB Foundation Degree (or Scottish professional diploma) which is intended to become the main entry route into the Merchant Navy for the future.

FD students are sponsored throughout their study, and the new site provides users with a comprehensive overview of the course details, entry requirements and information on how to apply.

Visitors to the site also will find information on different career paths and case studies where MN officers and trainees describe their experiences of their life at sea.

A PDF brochure ofthe foundatition degree or Scottish professional diploma can also be downloaded. The website will be regularly updated with the latest careers events and a list of sponsonng companies.

MNTB chairman Nigel Palmer said he was delighted with the new website and the courses it highlights. He said the new training programmes would offer young people the chance not just to serve at sea, but also to progress to honours degree courses and to positions of high demand 'for the myriad of landbased jobs later in their careers'.

[Top]

Epistles

Mike

Enjoyed reading Flashlight for a few years now.  I find it generally helpful and professional whilst keeping its "soul".
 
Do you not think though that you are getting a little out of date with your attitudes to ISPS ?
ISM is now accepted good practice but i am grey haired enough to remember when it too was derided by the industry.
 
Just off an LNG carrier which has used ISPS to manage an existing Stowaway problem to the great satisfaction of the Master.  Similar stories from seafarers in Malacca who have a little more confidence in their on board anti pirate measures post ISPS.
Joining a coaster at a UK power station tommorow where the ISPS system dovetails with the shore side system to everyones satisfaction.
 
At the end of the day its statute and has the same legal standing as a safety equipment or loadline cert.  Surveyors should be "rounded" ( i certainly am !!) and knowledgable in all aspects of their work - shouldent flashlight also be ?  If there is a "security" issue - ISPS will now handle it (in theory).  Flashlight should reflect that.
 
At the very least you could remove the vulgarity from every reference to it.
 
Bregds
Gary Hartland
QSE

Our response .....

Gary

I  understand your view wrt my scepticism on ISPS.  However, from where I'm standing and operating there are many glaring problems with the system, mainly in the fact that some are using overkill whilst others are not applying it at all.  There is apathy on the part of some and complacency on the part of others.

We have just carried out more than 50 condition surveys of Maersk chartered vessels in Hong Kong over the last three months where the standards varied as above.  What p****s me off is that we have to apply for a boarding pass for each individual vessel to the berth operator, whilst we are regulars and are well known to all their staff.  In the meantime, their staff have a pass and only have to apply once.

On the ship, we now have to have somebody to escort us with keys as everything is locked up.  This takes crew away from their normal duties, even though they are clearly undermanned.

If we don't keep plugging away at the powers that be, we will never get things changed.

Mike Wall

******

Dear Mike

Some of your regular Flashlight readers might be interested in the web site www.contractconfirmation.com which is aimed at assisting any service provider or the like incorporate their trading conditions and standard contracts into a transactions.

Chris Childs, Galatea Underwriting.

[Top]

People

No news on people movements to report this month.

[Top]

Books and Videos

The Plimsoll Sensation:  The Great Campaign to Save Lives at Sea.  By Nicolette Jones (ISBN: 0316726125) Cost GBP20, published by Little Brown Book Group.  www.littlebrown.com

******

A Brief History of Mutiny by Ricahrd Woodman (ISBN: 1 84119 737 8)  Cost GBP8.99.  Published by Constable & Robinson, 3 The Lanchesters, 162 Fulham Palace Road, London W6 9ER, UK.  www.constablerobinson.com

******

Spanish Civil War Blockade Runners by Paul heaton (ISBN: 1 872006 21 3) Cost GBP20. Published by P M Heaton Publishing, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, UK NP7 8NG.

******

Coasters of the Manchester Ship Canal by Bernard McCall (ISBN: 1 902953 24 X) Cost GBP15 plus GBP2 overseas postage.  Order from Bernard McCall, 400 Nore Road,, Portishead, Bristol, BS20 8EZ, UK.

[Top]

Conference Reports

NAMS 38th Annual National Marine Conference West, 25 & 26 September 2006, Radisson Fisherman's Wharf Hotel, San Francisco, USA.

The conference was preceded on the afternoon of Sunday 24 September 2006 by the AGM of the Western Division, attended by almost all Area Vice Presidents.  We believe that the one major decision taken during the meeting was to establish an Asian Division.  This was followed by a get together of NAMS members, delegates and their wives.

As you can see from the programme below, papers were varied in nature and content but of interest to all attending.  My only complaint about the conference would be that the format does not allow those who would like to hear all papers to do so due to the division after general papers.  Consequently, one has to make a choice as to which presentations to attend.

Interesting to see this year that the division between H&M/Cargo and YSC was almost equal.  In previous years the proportion has been approximately 5:1 in favour of the YSC surveyors.

Monday 25 September 2006.

Conference was opened by Ghulam Suhrawardi, National President and William C Hansen, National VP, the conference chairman being Lorne Gould.

As usuale, the conference room was divided after the general papers into two groups:  H&M and Cargo on one side and Yachts and Small Craft on the other.  On occasion H&M would be merged with YSC for specific papers.

Papers for the day included:

Role of Technical Salvage Specialist for FEMA and the U.S. Coast Guard after Katrina by Mr. Thomas Laing, NAMS-CMS, Commercial Marine Services.

Role of Field Salvage Supervisor in Empire and Venice Parishes in Louisiana after Katrina by LCDR John Park, U.S. Coast Guard.

What Marine Surveyors should not say in their report by Mr. Stan Gibson, Gibson, Robb & Lindh LLP.

E & O Insurance by Ms. Leslie Cormack-Wilson, CIP, Managing Director, Nausch, Hogan & Murray (West) Inc.

Damage Reports and Note taking by Mr. J. Arthur Waddington, Senior Surveyor, Starboard Marine Surveyors.

The state of Cargo claims by Mr. Massound Meskoub, Claims Manger, Maersk Sealand.

Port Readiness by Capt. William Uberti, Captain of the Port of San Francisco.

Taking statements from a witness by Don Anderson, Investigator, USAA Insurance.

Container Lashing, Failure and Assessment by Mr. Mike Wall, NAMS-CMS, Kiwi Marine Consultants Ltd, Hong Kong.

Working with the Media by Mr. Dan Dewell, Public Affairs Officer for the U.S. Coast Guard, San Francisco.

The first day's activities were followed by the President's Reception which was held ta the McCormick & Kuleto’s Restaurant, “Captain’s Room”, Fisherman's Wharf.

Tuesday 26 September 2006.

The morning of the second day is always preceded by a members only breakfast and AGM of the members.  This was a lively occasion with plenty of input from the marine surveyors present.

Papers for the day included:

Modern Spar Building and Failures by Mr. Buz Ballenger, Aluminum Spar Systems.

New Requirements for Port Facility Entry by Capt. Marc MacDonald, Director, Pacific Maritime Associates.

Cargo Loading Project and Heavy Lift by Mr. Ed Lockwood, Chief Surveyor, Fireman’s Fund.

New Development in Cargo Surveys by Mr. Bill Lee, Yacht Designer, Santa Cruz Yachts.

Vessel Salvage and Wreck Removal by Mr. Tim Donney, Director of Loss, Fireman’s Fund.

Offshore Sailing and Delivery by Mr. Mark Hersh

Cargo Claims by Mr. John Giffin, Keesal, Young & Logan.

The afternoon session was taken up with a round table discussion.

(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.)

[Top]

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

Please be aware that the following M Notices have recently been issued which
may be of interest to you:

MSN 1798 (M) Countries whose Medical Certificates are Accepted as equivalent
to the UK Medical Certificate from 1 April 2006
http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-mld-page.htm?textobjid=6FF80FFB832F2B6C

MSN 1797 (M) Approved Medical Practioners with effect from 1 May 2006
http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-mld-page.htm?textobjid=4E7CC990E7C65376

MGN 324 (M+F) Radio: Operational Guidance on the Use Of VHF Radio and
Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) at Sea
http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-mld-page.htm?textobjid=908E08C2F38A0072

MGN 320 (M+F) Off-Shore Pirate Broadcasting
http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-mld-page.htm?textobjid=5D5B96DE722073C5

MGN 317 (M+F) Servicing of Inflatable Liferafts, Inflatable Boats, Rescue
Boats, Fast Rescue Boats, Inflatable Lifejackets and Hydrostatic Release
Units.
http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-mld-page.htm?textobjid=7BFF7D67F59CA1E2

MIN 251 (M) Amendments to the entry requirements for Engineer Officer
Certificates of Competency
http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-mld-page.htm?textobjid=07455CD4E101F7C2

MIN 248 (M+F) Annex VI: Fuel Oil Quality and the United Kingdom's Register
of Fuel Oil Suppliers
http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-mld-page.htm?textobjid=5E07548A6E6A41E2

[Top]

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.

12 & 13 October 2006.  The 2006 Asian Marine Insurance and Surveying Forum -
'Marine Surveyors - Guardians of Quality Shipping'.  J W Marriott Hotel, Mumbai, India.
Info:  marine@asiaconference.biz

31 October 2006.  The 2nd International Fire on Ships Conference.  Lloyds Maritime Academy Suite, London EC2.  Contact:  www.lloydslistevents.com/lm1816

10 & 11 November 2006.  'Collision - Controlling the chaos'.  The Hilton Hotel Newcastle, Gateshead.  Email:  niseminar@nepia.com

4-6 December 2006, Seatrade Middle East Maritime, Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE.
Info:  www.seatrade-middleeast.com

6-8 February 2007.  Asian Shipping & Work Boat 2007.  Hall 401, Suntec Singapore.
Info at:  marinefo@baird.com.au or www.baird.com.au

24-26 April 2007, Cruise & Ferry 2007, ExCeL London, London, UK
Info:  www.cruiseferryex.com

 ******

Some maritime conference web sites for you to keep up to date:

http://www.cconnection.org/
http://www.reedexpo.com/
http://www.grc.uri.edu/
http://www.wholelife.com/
http://www.ship-technology.com/exhibitions/
http://www.apmaritime.com/
http://www.lloydslistevents.com/
http://www.marineexpo.com/
http://www.seaworkexhibition.com
http://www.toc-events.com/

[Top]

Web Sites

NO NEW WEB SITES THIS MONTH

If your (marine surveying) company has a web site, let us know and we will try to mention it.  Below are some web pages we believe might be useful to marine surveyors:
http://www.maib.gov.uk/publications/investigation_reports/
The UK MAIB web page giving the reports on accident investigations - A must read page for all surveeyors!

http://www.shiptalk.com/shiptalk_rss_feed.asp
RSS Feeds for the Shiptalk newsletter.

www.nationlalcorrosionservice.org
National Physics Laboratory – National Corrosion Service

AIS information:
www.AISlive.com  (does not include SE Asian waters)

Canadian Coastguard:
http://www.cgc.gc.ca

International Bunker Industry Association
www.ibia.net
Good information and a good newsletter.

Admiralty and Maritime Law Guide
www.admiraltylawguide.com
Focus on US law, but still interesting

International Bunker Industry Association
www.ibia.net
Good information and a good newsletter.

Admiralty and Maritime Law Guide
www.admiraltylawguide.com
Focus on US law, but still interesting

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

IMO Country/Port/Terminal info and contact numbers:
http://www.tdconcepts.com/

Tactical Defense Concepts (TDC) - a good section on security alerts and analysis:
Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC)
http://www.ds-osac.org/
(OSAC was established in 1985 by the US Department of State to foster the exchange of security related i nformation between the US Government and the Amercian private sector operating abroad.  Administered by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, OSAC has developed into an enormously successful joint venture for effective security cooperation.  Through OSAC, the American private sector, including colleges and universities, is provided timely information on which to make informed corporate decisions on how best to protect their investment, facilities,personnel and intellectual property abroad.)

Those of you who use Equasis may also be interested to hear of three other web pages with similar information:

www.parismou.org/
www.tokyo-mou.org/
www.uscg.com

www.shiptalk.com/
-  Designed by seafarers for seafarers. Deck, engine, catering, hotel or concession, seafarers past and present, all are welcome. Seafaring is a global profession and we extend the hand of friendship to seafarers of all nationalities.

www.shippingfacts.com
-  Provides basic information about the structure of the shipping industry, its contribution to the world economy and its safety/environmental performance.  The site also contains links with more detailed sourcdes of information about the industry.

www.imarest.org
-  Website of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology.

www.nepia.com
- A fully searchable,  and provides full details of the club and its ships. It also features a new service from  the club's risk management department, called , which summarises shipping industry developments and offers links to primary sources, including the Maritime Advocate. Newsnet is updated weekly, or sometimes more frequently.

www.numast.org
- Web site for the National Union of Marine Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers who publish the monthly NUMAST Telegraph.

www.aimsurveyors.com.au
- Web site for the Australian Institute of Marine Surveyors. www.friendsreunited.co.uk/).
- Here you can register some personal information, together with your school/college and the year you left to go on to greater things.  You can also enter your nickname in school, which class you were in, your mates' names and what you've done since leaving.  You may be one day surprised to receive a message out of the blue from an old school chum.

www.marine-society.org
- The Marine Society is a worthy marine charity offering many services to mariners.


www.imo.org/
- International Maritime Organisation web page.  Keep up to date with new conventions.

www.lrfairplay.com
- Scroll down the home page until you see the heading 'Free Access' appear on the left hand side. Clicking on the words 'shipping sites' takes you to a search function. You can then search either by company name or by category (there is a 'consultants and surveyors' category, for example) or by country. Or by a combination - so you could search for consultants/surveyors in Australia beginning with the letter 'D', for example.  That pulls up a list; if you then click on the word 'free' in the right hand column you are linked through to the relevant website.

If your readers know of any companies with sites that we do not list (or that we have an out-of-date address for) we would like to have details to update the database.

http://www.acms-usa.com/
- The Association of Certified Marine Surveyors

www.equasis.org/
- Database containing safety-related information on the worlds merchant fleet from both public and private sources.  Gives ship's particulars, Class Soc, P&I Club and PSC inspection record.  Very useful for surveyors looking for vessel particulars before carrying out a survey.

http://www.femas.org
- The Federation of European Maritime Associations of Surveyors and Consultants

www.iims.org.uk/
- International Institute of Marine Surveyors

http://www.lloydsagency.com
- General access to the directory of the world network of Lloyd's Agents.

www.mariners-l.freeserve.co.uk
- Merchant Navy records on UK MN vessels and information merchant seamen, logs, agreements and crew lists, MN apprentices and deaths at sea

www.marinesupportonline.com
- Marine Support On Line

www.marinesurvey.org/
- Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors

www.nams-cms.org/
- National Association of Marine Surveyors

www.sas-intl.com
- Safety at Sea International

www.scmshq.org/
- Society of Consulting Marine Engineers and Ship Surveyors

www.sname.org/
- Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.

WHY NOT ADVERTISE HERE.  THIS IS THE FIRST PLACE OUR READERS GO TO!

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From the Poop Deck

(With thanks to Fraser Hunt)

Reducing the effects of flogging

An Italian, a German and an Australian football fan were arrested in a small Arabian state when they were caught pissing on a religious building after an all night drinking binge.

The trio have to face up to the local sultan and are dished out the typical punishment for religious desecration - 20 lashes of the whip to the back. But the Sultan was a big football
fan so he kindly granted them two wishes each -but they were not allowed to reduce the number of lashes or the type of punishment.

The Italian says "Well we are the World Champions so I go first. I want the pleasure of a beer and a pillow." The Sultan grants his wishes. With a wide grin the Italian drinks his
beer and binds the pillow to his naked back.

But after 10 lashes the pillow falls apart and he has to painfully endure the remaining 10 lashes which leave deep welt marks on his back.

The German saw all this and spends a few minutes thinking before smiling.

"I would like to have two pillows for my back". The Sultan thinks about the uniqueness of the wishes but decides to grant it given he has used up his two wishes in one go.

However after 15 lashes of the whip both pillows have fallen apart and the German has to painfully endure the remaining 5 lashes which leave deep welt marks on his back.

The Australian is grinning from ear to ear and mutters something under his breath about a bullshit penalty. "Ok my first wish is to double the number of lashes to 40."

There is stunned silence in the hall. The Italian, German and Sultan are a little surprised at the first wish but then remember the strong fighting performance the Aussies put up
during the World Cup in Germany 2006. The Italian and German look at each other and nod in admiration -obviously this Aussie wants to show how tough he is.

The Sultan asks the Aussie for his second wish. "Tie the Italian to my back" he replies.

******

A man was at the country club for his weekly round of golf.  He began his round with an eagle on the first hole and a birdie on the second.  On the third hole he had just scored his first ever hole-in-one when his cell phone rang.

It was a doctor notifying him that his wife had just been in a terrible accident and was in critical condition and in the ICU.

The man told the doctor to inform his wife where he was and that the he'd be there as soon as possible.  As he hung up he realized he was leaving what was shaping up to be his best ever round of golf.  He decided to get in a couple of more holes before heading to the hospital.  He ended up finishing all eighteen.  He finished his round shooting a personal best 61, shattering the club record by five strokes and beating his previous best game by more than 10.

He was jubilant, then he remembered his wife.  Feeling very guilty, he dashed to the hospital.  He saw the doctor in the corridor and asked about his wife's condition.

The doctor glared at him and shouted, "You went ahead and finished your round of golf, didn't you?  I hope you're proud of yourself!  While you were out for the past four hours enjoying yourself at the country club your wife has been languishing in the ICU!  It's just as well you went ahead and finished that round because it will be more than likely your last!  For the rest of her life she will require round-the-clock care. And you'll be her care giver!"

The man was feeling so guilty he broke down and sobbed.

The doctor started to snicker and said, "Just kidding!  She died more than two hours ago.  What'd you shoot?"

******

 One morning the husband returns after several hours of fishing and decides
to take a nap. Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to
take the boat out. She motors out a short distance, anchors, and reads her
book.

Along comes a Game Warden in his boat. He pulls up alongside the woman and
says, "Good morning, Ma'am. What are you doing?"

"Reading a book," she replies, (thinking, "Isn't that obvious?")

"You're in a Restricted Fishing Area," he informs her.

"I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing. I'm reading."

"Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at
any moment. I'll have to take you in and write you up."

"If you do that, I'll have to charge you with sexual assault," says the
woman.

"But I haven't even touched you," says the game warden.

"That's true, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could
start at any moment."

"Have a nice day ma'am," and he left.

MORAL: Never argue with a woman who reads. It's likely she can also think.

******

The Duck and the Lawyer (aka The Three Kick Rule)]

A big city lawyer went duck hunting in rural Tennessee. He shot and dropped a bird, but it fell into a farmer's field on the other side of a fence. As the lawyer climbed over the fence, an elderly farmer drove up on his tractor and asked him what he was doing.

The litigator responded, "I shot a duck and it fell in this field, and now I'm going to retrieve it."
The old farmer replied, "This is my property, and you are not coming over here."

The indignant lawyer said, "I am one of the best trial attorneys in The United States and, if you don't let me get that duck, I'll sue you and take everything you own.

The old farmer smiled and said, "Apparently, you don't know how we settle disputes in Tennessee. We settle small disagreements like this; with the "Three Kick Rule."

The lawyer asked, "What is the Three Kick Rule?"

The Farmer replied, "Well, because the dispute occurs on my land, first I kick you three times and then you kick me three times and so on back and forth until someone gives up."

The attorney quickly thought about the proposed contest and decided That he could easily take the old codger. He agreed to abide by the local custom.

The old farmer slowly climbed down from the tractor and walked up to the attorney. His first kick planted the toe of his heavy steel toed work boot into the lawyer's groin and dropped him to his knees. His second kick to the midriff disposed of the lawyer's last meal.  The lawyer was on all fours when the farmer's third kick to his rear end sent him face-first into a fresh cow pie.

The lawyer summoned every bit of his will and managed to get to his feet.  Wiping his face with the arm of his jacket, he said, "Okay, you old fart. Now it's my turn."

The old farmer smiled and said, "Nah, I give up. You can have the duck.

******

Hotel Bill
 
Next time you think your hotel bill is too high, you might want to consider this...
 
A husband and wife are travelling a distance by car. After almost twenty-four hours on the road they are too tired to continue and they decide to stop for a rest. They stop at a nice hotel and take a room but they only plan to sleep for a few hours and then get back on the road.

When they check out four hours later, the desk clerk hands them a bill for $350.00.

The man explodes and demands to know why the charge is so high. He tells the clerk although it's a nice hotel the rooms certainly aren't worth $350.00.  When the clerk tells him $350.00 is the standard rate the man insists on speaking to the Manager.  The Manager appears, listens to the man, and then explains that the hotel has an Olympic-sized pool and a huge conference centre that was available for the husband and wife to use.

 "But we didn't use them," the man complains.

 "Well, they are here and you could have," explains the Manager. He goes on to explain they could have taken in one of the shows for which the hotel is famous. "The best entertainers who visit the area perform here," the Manager says.

 "But we didn't go to any of those shows," complains the man again.

 "Well, we have them and you could have," the Manager replies.

 No matter what amenity the Manager mentions the man replies, "But we didn't use it!"

 The Manager is unmoved and eventually the man gives up and agrees to pay. He writes a cheque and gives it to the Manager.

 The Manager is surprised when he looks at the check. "But sir," he says, this cheque is only made out for $50.00."

 "That's correct," says the man. "I charged you $300.00 for sleeping with my wife."
 "But I didn't!" exclaims the Manager.

 "Well too bad," the man replies. "She was here and you could have."

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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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