| Current | Archive |  
 
 
  FLASHLIGHT - October 2007            Edition No: 68

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)

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

******
Quote of the month ...

The one serious conviction that a man should have is that nothing is to be taken too seriously.
Nicholas Butler (1862 - 1947)

 ******

******


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:
Rano. Ermansyah, ASP Ship Management Singapore Pte Ltd.

[Top]

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:

Ferry officer “ignored collision”

WINCHESTER 30 October – Winchester Crown Court heard today how three experienced yachtsmen may have survived had a P&O ferry officer offered assistance following a near miss or collision. Ship’s officer Michael Hubble denied manslaughter charges. Christopher Parker QC, prosecuting, said that the officer of the watch “chose to ignore” that his 37,583gt Pride of Bilbao had come very close to the yacht Ouzo off the Isle of Wright, reported the BBC. It was alleged that had the Captain been told of the incident, which happened on 20 August 2006, the men might still be alive. After altering course in an attempt to avoid a collision the defendant claimed to have seen a light off the stern and concluded the yacht was safe. Fairplay has obtained a copy of the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch report into the incident which was published last April (but since removed from the agency’s website). The report states that it is the “firm opinion” that P&O Ferries’ Pride of Bilbao either collided with the yacht Ouzo or “passed so close that she had been swamped or capsized by the vessel’s wash== 94. It went on to say that “the sighting of a light after a close passing or collision does not represent confirmation that the other vessel is safe. It certainly does not confirm her crew are safe.” It added: “In most circumstances when there has been a near collision between two vessels, the aggrieved party is quick to use the VHF radio to complain to the other vessel or to the coastguard. The crew of the yacht on this occasion would, at the very least, have been frightened by the experience, and very aggrieved, yet no call was made. The lack of such a call could have been another indication to the second officer that the yacht was not safe.” P&O said it was unable to comment for legal reasons.

Engineer innocent of dumping charge

SAN FRANCISCO 30 October – Whistleblowers in the prosecution of the second engineer of the Captain X Kyriakou on “magic pipe” oil dumping related charges were simply not credible, a federal judge found in acquitting the officer. Maritime attorney Michael Chalos tells Fairplay that US District Judge D Lowell Jensen said the charge didn’t make sense, given that the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker was only three years old and had adequate equipment aboard to handle sludge properly. Chalos had already prevailed in court on behalf of Athenian Sea Carriers and the vessel’s chief engineer. But the Justice Department persisted with the prosecution of second engineer Dimitris Georgakoudis on three of the original six counts – conspiracy, obstruction of justice and destruction of evidence. The verdict on the bench trial was handed down last Wednesday, Chalos said, noting that the judge found no fault with the vessel or its officers – but did have doubts about the witnesses who would have been rewarded financially if the cases ended in convictions. “Perhaps, now the government will be more careful in accepting whistleblowers’ stories hook, line and sinker in these matters,” Chalos observed.

16 crew feared dead as ship sinks

SHANGHAI 31 October – All 16 crew members of the cargo ship Shenhai 1 are feared dead after the vessel sank on 28 October from Yingkou in the Bohai Gulf to Shanghai. The cargo of 4,800 tons of roll steel is said to have shifted in heavy weather according to a report received from the ship by the marine rescue centre in Liaoning province. When the alarm was sent the ship was 20 km from Lushun Port in the Bohai Gulf. One body has been found while search for the missing continues. The search and rescue mission has been hampered by poor visibility. The 2,900 gt ship is owned and operated by Shanghai Yinghai Shipping.

DNV suggests LNG for in-port power

NEW ORLEANS 31 October – Commercial ships should consider using LNG to power engines in port as a means of protecting the environment, a class society executive urges. During a sweeping endorsement of the Liquefied Natural Gas industry to the annual BreakBulk Conference, Det Norske Veritas’ Tony CS Teo said that use of LNG would go a long way toward addressing environmentalists’ concerns about port air pollution from commercial ships. “LNG makes an excellent marine fuel,” he said, noting that it translates into a 20% reduction in CO2, a 90% reduction in NOx and releases no SOx at all. Teo, senior principal surveyor and station and LNG business manager for DNV’s Houston office, suggested that use of LNG could reduce the need for cold ironing systems that simply transfer the pollution source from quayside to inland generating plants. He noted that five DNV-classed ro-pax ferries and four offshore supply ships in Norway currently use LNG for propulsion engines. “LNG provides a sustainable solution to the pollution issue,” he said. Teo told Fairplay that it was unfortunate that the “clean, safe fuel” cannot be used by commercial ships as propulsion fuel on trans-oceanic voyage because of the space needed to store it: “It would supplant too much cargo space,” he said.

Ship suffers fire on Merseyside

LIVERPOOL 31 October – A fire occurred on board the rig service vessel Pearl at the Cammell Laird yard on Merseyside on the afternoon of october 30, 2007. The vessel was undergoing an engine overhaul with cutting equipment being used and fumes from residual fuel ignited. The Merseyide Fire & Rescue Service wa soon on the scene and the fire was quickly extinguished. A spokesman for Merseyside Fire & Rescue told Fairplay that “five appliances attended and while there was a lot of heat generated there were no injuries caused.” It is understood that limited damage resulted.

US navy opens fire on pirates

DUBAI 31 October – US Naval forces opened fire on the Somali pirates who seized Japanese chemical tanker Golden Nori, official naval sources have revealed. Pirate skiffs have been destroyed by 25mm gun fire from the missile destroyer USS Porter, operational in the Indian Ocean. Members of the specialist visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team, aboard the Porter have prepared their gear in case they are needed to board the pirated vessel. The Porter responded to a distress call from the Nori. Bahrain's state run news agency reported that the destroyer had entered Somali territorial waters, with the permission of the Somali Transitional Federal Government, in pursuit of the pirates. If confirmed, that would be a significant development as navy vessels have been prevented from pursuit by international law and considerations of sovereignty. Warships have previously stayed outside the 12 mile limit of territorial waters. It would also be the first reported case of a warship entering territorial waters with the consent of the TFG in pursuit of pirates since IMO Secretary General, Admiral Efthimios Mitropoulous asked, in June, the UN Security Council to ask the TFG to give exactly that consent. When contacted on this point by Fairplay, a spokesman for the US 5th naval fleet, citing ongoing operations, declined to comment other than to say that the situation is being monitored.

Two dead as crew overpower pirates

MOGADISHU 31 October – Crew on the North Korean cargo ship Dai Hong Dan have overpowered the Somalis who seized their vessel on Monday evening. The 9,889dwt Dai Hong Dan was seized on Monday evening about 60n-miles northeast of Mogadishu, where it had offloaded its cargo, believed to be sugar. Different news reports have said that the ship was attacked by pirates or was seized by local port operatives in the course of a financial dispute. Three crew members have been seriously injured, two Somalis are dead – although the cause of death is unknown – and five have been captured. Combined Maritime Forces in Bahrain were informed about the Dai Hong Dan situation on Tuesday morning. The destroyer USS James E Williams, operating as part of the maritime coalition, investigated. The James E Williams arrived at midday, local time, and ordered the pirates to surrender. "At that point, the Korean crew confronted the pirates and regained control of the ship” US Naval Central Command reported. “The crew was able to control the steering and engineering spaces of the ship, while the pirates had seized the bridge". The crew then called for medical assistance, which a boarding team from the James E Williams provided. The injured have been transferred to the US destroyer. The vessel now sailing towards the district town of Cadale, some 130km north of Mogadishu, Andrew Mwangura of the East Africa Seafarer's Assistance Program told Sea Sentinel.

Warning on weather forecasting

LONDON 01 November – Maritime industries – including ship operators – could be placing too much reliance on weather forecasting. The warning came from Lenny Smith, a research professor in the statistics department at London School of Economics, who said: “Over confidence or today’s climate ‘products’ can put business at economic risk and science at credibility risk.” He was speaking at yesterday’s Imarest-organised event “Small Sea Changes: Big Business Impacts”, where delegates expressed concern that organisations do not fully understand how weather affects their business. Dr Chris West, director of the UK Climate Impacts Programme, insisted that weather does make a difference and needs to be responded to. Delegates questioned whether current weather forecasting is good enough to help businesses make decisions, and clear emphasis was placed on the need for the information to be “fit for purpose”. Dr West said that climate prediction does “draw upon the imagination”, though Dr Matt Huddleston of the UK’s Meteorological added that “uncertainty in outcome does not mean we should not act”.

APL debuts 53-footers on Pacific

SINGAPORE 31 October – APL will begin using specially designed 53-foot containers on its South China-to-LA run in a ‘major refinement’ to its transpacific service. APL said that the first reinforced ‘ocean capable’ 53-footers will be delivered next week. The 53-foot box size has become a mainstay of truck and rail transport in the US, requiring cargo to be transferred from 20, 40 and 45-foot containers at West Coast ports. According to APL, “53-foot boxes haven’t been strong enough to endure ocean transport”, so in the past, there have only been sporadic moves of such hardware on the transpacific (generally involving repositioning of new containers from Asia to the US). The new, specially built boxes have undergone pilot tests with retail customers and “successful trials led to the decision to order the big boxes for immediate use with select customers”. APL maintained that its plan “has the potential to make a significant difference to the economics of the transpacific trade”. Shippers will be offered better ‘cube economics’ and can eliminate transloading expenses; supply-chain congestion can be reduced by cutting moves (two 53-footers carry the same volume as three 40-footers), and emissions can be lowered via reductions in transloading and truck moves. “The 53-foot ocean container is a significant refinement,” asserted APL chief executive Ron Widdows. “It can’t come soon enough.”

Coatings rule could cost billions

COPENHAGEN 1 November – The IMO’s new performance standards for protective coatings (PSPC) for ballast tanks could raise the price of newbuilds by up to 10%, coatings specialist Hempel has warned. With some newbuilding prices over at $100M per ship, the extra cost to the industry could soon run into billions. The regulations, which will come into force in July next year, mandate a target lifespan of 15 years for ballast tank coatings, and require a minimum Dry Film Thickness of 320µm as opposed to the typical 300µm used today. Hempel marine product manager Martin Porsbjerg told Fairplay: “I see it as a huge challenge for all of us, including class societies, to comply with the demands of PSPC.” His colleague Michael Aamodt added: “The industry has seen this coming for a while, but no-one has really raised any alarm bells about it because freight rates are so high and everyone can afford it.” The real impact of the PSPC, he explained, will only be felt when the current shipping boom – and freight rates – begin to ease off. The major class societies have already applied the standard to bulk carriers and tankers contracted in 2007. Aamodt added that many shipyards are over-applying ballast tank coatings in the rush to get vessels back out to sea to “start making money again”.

Carnival wants golden oldies' gold

SYDNEY 02 November – Carnival Australia, which markets the Carnival Corp brands in the country, is forecasting strong business growth in the next five years. Only younger passengers and short, inexpensive cruises have been properly served in the country, it said. The company expects to double passenger numbers in the next three years, and to double it again by 2012, said CEO Ann Sherry. Next week Princess Cruises will introduce the 77,441gt Sun Princess on cruises from Australia on a year-round basis. It will cater for the older and wealthier segment of the market, while the 70,000gt Pacific Dawn, which is also due to enter service next week, will cater for the younger market under the P&O Cruises Australia brand. Sherry said that the company’s additional focus on older passengers who prefer longer cruises means that there is a significant potential for income from both ticket prices and onboard revenue. To take advantage of this trend Sherry forecast that a luxury Seabourn vessel will be based in the country by 2012. The Australian cruise market has grown by 18% per year in the past two years and it generated 250,000 passengers in 2006.

Hawaii resurrects Superferry

HONOLULU 01 November – Hawaii's House of Representatives passed a bill to save Hawaii Superferry yesterday, clearing the way for service to resume on 15 November. The Hawaiian Senate had approved the emergency bill on Monday. The bill’s passage during a special session marks an extraordinary effort by the state’s government to rescue the embattled intra-island ferry service. On 9 October, a Maui Circuit Court judge ruled that Hawaii Superferry could not operate while a months-long environmental assessment of ferry-related infrastructure upgrades in Maui was conducted. The new bill effectively overrides that court ruling, allowing Hawaii Superferry to sail with conditions attached. These include stipulations to protect whales and avert environmental harm, and a clause that will preclude the company from suing the state for any past acts stemming from the court case or environmental review. Local opposition to the ferry service remains intense, particularly on the island of Kauai – and the stage is now set for a potential repeat of waterborne protests in Kauai’s Nawiliwili Harbour. Yesterday, the USCG renewed its emergency security zone for that harbour through the end of November. That security zone should allow the USCG to more effectively police waterborne protesters who attempt to block the path of Hawaii Superferry’s Alakai, following clashes with surfers and kayakers in August.

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

In Brief:

Agency crackdown. the TUC has welcomed the goverment's announcement of a crackdown on unscrupulous employment agencies. The number of inspectors is being doubled, and agencies will face unlimited fines if they are caught abusing vulnerable workers.

Engineer Jailed:  a chief has been jailed for five months in the United States following a plea agreement in an oil dumping case. Accord Ship Management, the Indian owners of the general cargoship Sportsqueen, agreed to pay a $1.75m fine in the case.

Cork refloat.. the Irish port of Cork is seeking to relaunch ferry services to Swansea, following the suspension of operations earlier this year. Swansea-Cork Ferries ended its runs after selling the vessel Superferry and failing to find suitable replacement tonnage.

Newhaven extension France's; Seine Maritime District Council  which owns the UK port of Newhaven  is to extend until November the process of seeking suitable bids for the facility

PLA master former Royal Fleet Auxiliary officer Roy Stanbrook has been appointed as Port of London Authority harbour master for the lower Thames Distric.

Dover boom : the port of Dover says it expects to handle a record number of cruiseships in 2008  with calls likely increase by around 10% from this year.

Ballasting Charge: as master and three officer from a Bahamas- flagged cruiseship have been charged by Greek authorities with intentionally endangering the safety of their ship. The carges were filed after the 22,954gt Dream developed a 10_degree list during ballasting operations while docking in Rhodes last month, More than 930 passengers had to be evacuated from the ship, and a superintendent from the Greek owners is also facing charges as a result of the incident.

Star sale; Malaysia's Star Cruises has sold 50% of its capital in Norwegian Cruise Line, its main subsidiary, to applo Management, a US-based private equity fund that already owns Oceania Cruises. The dael bring Star Cruises a L500m boots following a l40m loss in the first quarter of 2007 that was largely due to NCL and NCL America, Its US branch. Apollo management gets three of the fine seats on NCL's Board.

Open passage; scientist have reported that the famed Northwest Passage- a direct shipping route from Europe to Asia across the Arctic Ocean- is now fully navigable, with the are covered by sea ice shringking to its lowest level since satellite measurements began nearly 30 yrs.Russia, Canada, the US and Greenland are among countries sizing up to dispute the right to shipping route in the area.

French delivery; Bordeaux-based oil transporter Petromarine has taken delivery of the lacanau, the second of a series of three oil/chemical tankers build by tersan of turkey. Like the Lamentin, the first tanker delivered, the ship will be registered under France's RIF flag and has been chartered out to a French Caribbean-based refinery.

France breakup: environmental groups in India are to appeal against a Supreme Court goahead for the dismantling of the 46yearold passengership Blue Lady, formerly the France. The court agreed with a panel of expert that work can proceed on demolishing the 46yearold vessel in the Bay of Alang, where it has been docked since August 2006. But green groups say the decision is illegal and claim that lives could be at risk as a result of exposure to asbestos and radioactive materials on the ship.

Maritime motorway : the Dutch operator Transfennica revealed plans for a new "maritime motorway linking Belgium and Spain. The Trans-Iberia operation will offer three sailings a week in each direction. Transfennica plans to use three ro-ros on the service, and says they will take as many as 100,000 lorries a year off the roads. The company hopes to expand the service with bigger ships and a possible extension to the UK

Feeder link: a new feeder containership service between the UK, the Netherlands and Norway was launched last month by the Norwegian was lunched last month by the norwegian operator Tschudi Shipping Operated in conjunction with the Norwegian Transport Network, the weekly service connect Immingham with Rotterdam, Drammen, Moss and Larvik, using the 373TEU Dutch-flagged containership Elegance.

Gibraltar Call;  plans to create a  traffic separation scheme for ships in the Bay of Gibraltar have been drawn up in response to a collision between a bulk carrier and a tanker in August. Gibraltar's government is also involved in talks with Spain over further measures to improve navigational safety and counterpollution measures in the area.

Box boom: the Italian port of Gioia Tauro has regained its place as the as the mediterranean's leading container port. Gioia Tauro had been overtaken by Algeciras in 2005 and 2006, but in the first half of this year it handled 1.787m TEU, against the 1.684m TEU passing through the Spanish port.

Boulogne boost : the French port of Boulogne has announced a £230m (£154m) investment programme to completely refurbish the Europe Quay and establish a roro port. Construction of the first roro gangway is to begin in the first quarter of 2008.

Russian consolidation: two leading Russian shipping companies, Sovcomflot and Novoship, have been given the go-ahead to merge - resulting in a $5bn shipping group that will figure among the world's top five tanker operators.

Cruise boom poses risk to income report says

Continued increases in cruiseship capacity are set to drive down revenue, a new report warned.
An economic impact analysis of the US cruise industry prepared of the Cruise Lines International Association ( CLIA) says some 35 new ships, with a total of more than 84,000 berths, are set to join the North America fleet over the next five years.          

The study suggest that cruise passenger carryings will continue to increase at average annual rates of between 7 and 10%- but cautions that pricing could become an issue for companies, 'with the real potential for average ticket fares to begin falling once again'.

The report says global revenues from the US cruise industry rose 7% last year, to a total of more than US$20bn.

The total of 12m passengers was up by 7% from the previous year. and the study estemates that cruise shipping generated $35.7bn for the US economy and support 348,000 US job.

Milestone deal for safety in Malacca

A 'milestone' agreement aiming to enhance navigational safety and security in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore has been agreed by the countries bordering the busy shipping lanes.

A conference organised by the International Maritime Organisation last month finalised a cooperative mechanism for the management of the straits, the development of improved navigational aids and increased dialogue between littoral states and users of the straits.

Ships carry about a third of global trade and half world's oil through the straits proportions that are projected to escalate over the next decade. But the infrastructure  has struggled to keep up, and the conference backed a series of that aim to enhance navigational safety and environmental protection.

The plans include: the introduction of Class B transponders on small ships; establishing
 a tide, current and measurement system; and the and the replacement and maintenance navigation, including those damaged by the December 2004 tsunami.

Some of this work is already underway, but one key project launched under the cooperative mechanism is an aids to ~ navigation fund that will seek to find the financing for the estimated US$6om costs of the work.

IMO leader Efthimios Mitropoulos said he hoped user states would donate to the fund to ensure the burden does not just fall on Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

New rules to prevent damage to the marine environment from marine coatings are set to come into effect in September next year, following ratification by 25 countries representing more than 38% of the world merchant fleet.

The International Maritime Organisation has welcomed the agreement on the convention on the control of harmful anti fouling systems on ships, and secretary general genearl Efthimios Mitropoulos urged other flag states to sign up.

Drawn up in 2001, the treaty seeks to curb the use of organotin compound tributylin anti-fouling paint, which has been found to have serious harmful efFects on marine life.

New report warns of fatigue risk

* New study has warned that fatigue among ship'officers poses the same sort of risks as alcohol.

Published by the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute, VTI, the report raises particular concerns over the dangers of the twowatch system.

Produced following two years Of research, the study included detailed examination of the onboard working patterns of 30 officers on 13 different ships. Data was collected through questionnaires and diaries, monitoring eye movements, activity meters and reaction time tests.

Researcher and former navigating officer navigating officer Margaretha Lutzhoft say the   six-on/six-off rota proved to be particularly hazardous  with really fatigue levels demonstrated in 2.50/o of cases.

At some points the officers had to struggle to keep awake; she added It happened often enough to be considered as serious.

One case shows a chief officer on a tanker operating in the baltic Sea. He got only four to six hours of sleep per 24 hours. This isn't a hair-raising example. it's how it often is for tanker officer; Ms Lutzhoft says.

The study also shows that officers raect slower towards the end of the night watch than during the day. That's the same result as when you are testing people that have been dringking alcohol, Ms lutzhoft point out.

Sleep scientist Mats Gillberg, from the karolinska Institutet, who also participated in the study, said people need about eight hours of sleep in every 24 -hours period.

When we sleep essential systems in the brain function recover and the body gets a chance to fill up with new energy. if we don't get enough rest we can't function fully.

As well as not gaining sufficient sleep, officers also suffer from their rest often being divided into two different period. 'If you don't sleep long enough, you will not reach the deep-sleep stage. And without that you will not thoroughly rested; Mr.Gillberg added.

The study also highlights the problem of sleep quality, with results showing thar seafares sleep worse than other people.  Mats Gillberg says that a normal sleep has an effeciency of 90% while the offices in the study had about 75% sleep effeciency. bad weather, noise, vibrations and activities onboard are among the other factors the disturb sleep and increase the sense of fatigue.

A special computer program, called Sleep/Wake Predictor, has been developed by VTI, the Karolinska Institutet and the Swedish armed forces to help to plan working hours on board and reducee fatigue. It will be translated into English during the autumn and presented to an IMO meeting in October.

Academic is wrong on the attraction of saefaring (Letter in NAUTILUS Telegraph)

WITH reference to the article quoting a leading academic' Dr Helen Sampson (Telegraph, August). Reading this has made  write to you, something 1 have never done in my 33 years at sea.

1 have never heard so much drive]: what is this person a doctor of? A am minded to think this woman has never visited planet Earth before. The only reason 1 am at sea is to make enough money to clear off whilst still relatively young, see my family and not go completely ''tonto' all this time.

1 am all for 'dramatic pay rises and if this clown thinks that 1 look forward to improved conditions, such as improved social life, how does she expect to achieve this with vessels running on bare minimum manning, no alcohol and now the PC idea of banning smoking onboard, and sailing with third world crews, to whom 1 do not object but have nothing in common with. Not to mention swift port turnarounds and all the work that entails.

The only thing that would make seafaring more attractive would be a return to the days when one's company provided a real wage, company pensions, medical care, etc  the sort of things that we used to he on a par with airline pilots,, but no longer.

She and her ilk probably demand and get ad the above in cushy teaching posts living in a splendid unreal world of academia pushing out rubbish, drinking the obligatory cheap red wine and outbulling each other at intellectual soirees.

Shipowners will like all of her  comrnents; one asks was she funded by the shipowners to produce this?

1 suggest she sails for a few months on a ship deepsea and then see if her prattle remains the same.

In the meantime, 1 hope she soon returns to her own planet so that innocent trees are not sacrificed to make paper for her rubbish articles.

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

[Top]

Contributions

Attending conferences

Each year there are many conference advertised in various publications relating to our industry and some to our profession.  So why are there so many conferences/exhibitions every year and why attend them?  Some in our profession say that they don't want to listen to know-alls blowing their own trumpet, that they are a waste of time and won't learn anything new.  If this is the case, how come there are so many, often organised by our professional institutes, and so many in other professions?  Those who make such statements tend to be the 'workers' who depend on maximising their fee earning hours.  The irony is that the boss tends to be a regular conference delegates often giving some form of presentation at a conference to maximise the worker's earnings.

Those of us who run companies understand that there are many things which go towards running a successful marine surveying operation.  These include technical expertise, report writing skills, adaptability, perseverance, initiative, etc.  However, administrative skills are also required, eg, personnel management, book-keeping, recruitment, training and marketing.  The last is one of the more important of the skills required as it is this which very often brings in the work.  There is a misconception that marketing is mostly about advertising and promotion. True they form part of the marketing mix, but they are only a part. Marketing may be described as 'Finding out what your customers want and then supplying it at a profit'. Advertising tells your customers about what you have to offer but it is only useful in so far as the product or service matches their requirements.  Marketing also involves finding out about industry trends and conferences are another way of finding out about them, feedback questionnaires being another.

There are many different ways of advertising our services.  There is cold call advertising, ie, knocking on doors and selling our services.  This often needs some form of referral or prior contact to have some success.  Circulating company profiles by mail, email or on a web page are other ways.  Many events also provide the opportunity, eg, Client cocktail parties, entertaining the client to lunch/dinner and technical meetings, but these tend to be more localised forms of advertising.  

Conferences place you firmly on the international map, being international forums for our services to both Clients and Peers.  They are attended by interested parties from all over the world.  The presenting surveyors come to expose their ideas and research findings to their peers.  The delegate surveyors come to learn more about our profession whilst the Client delegates come to find out who in our profession is interested in promoting quality of service.  The professional institutes organise and/or attend in order to promote our profession and to market their services.  All come to network with people in their profession.  Whilst there may be the occasional 'bullshit merchant' most can see through the facade and differentiate between those who are genuine in their intentions and knowledgeable in their presentation.

Ours is a practical, applied profession which often cannot be reported in words alone.  Conferences are an ideal opportunity to illustrate our work in pictorial form.  Some would suggest that by giving a paper at an international conference you are 'selling your seed corn', ie, showing others how to do it.  To protect your interests, the paper should show what you can do and its applications, not how you do it!  By presenting a paper at a conference you are showing that you are an expert in a particular field and sufficiently confident of this to be able to share the information with others.  If others decide to follow in the presenter's footsteps they will be some years behind and will never actually catch up with the expert who, if he continues his research and development, will always be that little bit ahead.

Conferences also provide an excellent opportunity for networking.  The coffee breaks and lunches are designed to allow the delegates and speakers to mix and exchange news/ideas.  The highlight of any conference is usually the open forum at which all involved openly discuss and exchange ideas/views on important issues affecting our profession.  These can be lively debates which often have to be stopped due to lack of time.

That the delegates will learn something new is certain.  The undersigned attended the NAMS conference in Fort Lauderdale in February last year.  All papers were well presented and relevant to our profession, but some were outstanding in their highlighting risks.  I never knew anything about fork lifts until this conference.  Now I treat them with a different respect.  A paper on risk assessment, in the office not on board ships, also highlighted business risks.  Hearing about others' expertise and experiences can often bring new ideas for entrepreneurs.  But the key fact here is that people are prepared to share information with others which can only improve skills and expertise, thereby improving and strengthening our profession.  Most of us in this profession tend to be entrepreneurs but need to stimulate our ideas from time to time.  A relevant conference can be invaluable in this respect.

Those who sit in offices and keep the information to themselves are not doing anybody any favours, particularly themselves!

Mike Wall


[Top]

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

[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 .....

[Top]

Insurance News

Pilotage suggestion

Marine insurers have called for the shipping industry to adopt aviation-style ''co-pilot' operations in an effort to reverse a rising tide of serious collision and contact cases.

The call comes in a new report from the Swedish Club, which warns that declining levels of crew experience and competence - aggravated by stress and fatigue - are leading to 'disturbing'' down-turn in safety standards.

The study is based on a review of collision and contact cases dealt with by the P&I club over a two period to the end of 2006 - concentrating on causal factors linked to failure to follow standard operating procedures, instructions for critical shipboard operations and emergency response actions.

In response to the analysis, the club has produced a set of '10 commandments' for improved safety - including the use of ''co-pilots', longer induction periods, and improved time management by deck officers.

Nautilus UK senior national secretary Allan Graveson said the report underlines the Union's arguments that competence rather than complacency is the

critical factor in maritime safety. 'The 10 commandments are all very good, but there is simply one solution - the need to employ quality seafarers in quantity added.

Swedish Club managing director  Frans Malmros said around a half of all accidents could be traced back to 'fundamental navigation-bridge system failures to collisions, groundings and contact damage  the problem is not necessarily attributable to ize; he added. 'but there is certainly a direct correlation with a generic loss of experience'

Mr Malmros said there had been an increase in the number of new recruits to shipping since 2000 had been coupled with lower retention and faster promotion.

'People now have less time to get to know their ship; he pointed out. Meanwhile, the paperwork and inspection-related workload continues to mushroom but the average crew size is static.'

TheP& I club suggested that experienced seafarers are facing significant stress factor' in meeting the constant challenge of having to train inexperienced crew members.

'Clearly this state of affairs is unsatisfactory, said Mr Malmoros, 'and the implications of our findings offer sufficient grounds for the launch of a new joint industry initiative.'

The tanker and cruise sector are well placed to take the lead in promoting such a campaign, he argued, as they already work to stringent operation requirements.

UK Club offers advice on reducing risk of oil fines

A leading P&I club has issued advice to seafarers in an effort to cut the risk of fines for incorrectly kept oil record books.

The guidance has been produced by the UK Club in response to concerns raised by its inspectors that the subject 'does not seem to be either clear cut or well understood by ships' officers or MARPOL inspectors'.

The club says it is particularly disturbed by entries required when:

- oil residue is retained onboard

- transferring or disposing of oil residues

- operating oily water separators when non automatic disposal methods are used

- transferring and collecting bilge water to the bilge tanks and any sludge content of the bilges

- testing OWS alarm, OWS cleaning or maintenance, and emergency drainage of oil to engineroom bilges.

Changes to IMO guidelines for oil record book entries came into effect on 1 January this year and  the club says this should clear up previous ambiguities.

However, it is suggesting a standard format for entries to reduce the possibility of fines from port state control or other authorities for incorrect record keeping.

The club also stresses the need for log entries to be made in ink rather than pencil, and to be recorded at the time of the operation to avoid possible mistakes.

[Top]

Wig & Gown

None this month.

[Top]


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

[Top]

Epistles

None this month.  Obviously, everybody is busy!

[Top]

People

Staff Changes in IIMS Administration

Members are advised that Vicky Lawrence has returned to work following the birth of her son.  Vicky will now take on responsibility for membership matters and Lisa Cole will move to take over the Education and Training Administrator role.  

[Top]

Books and Videos

'Normandie:  France's legendary Art Deco Ocean Liner' by John Maxtone-Graham (ISBN 978 0393 06120 8)  Cost GBP60.  Published by WW Norton & Co.  www.wwnorton.com

******

'Moveable Feasts:  The Incredible Journeys of the Things We Eat' by Sarah Murray.  Cost GBP10.99.  Published by Arum Press: www.aurumpress.co.uk

[Top]

Conference Reports

INTERNATIONAL MARINE INVESTIGATORS MEET IN BEIJING

The 16th annual meeting of the Marine Accident Investigators’ International Forum (MAIIF) took place between 15 and 19 October 2007, in Beijing China.  This event, which on this occasion was hosted by the Maritime Safety Authority of China, brought together more than 60 top marine accident investigators representing 28 maritime administrations.

The Forum discussed matters of mutual interest, following the theme of ‘maritime safety through investigation and cooperation’, which included an exchange of information on recent marine accidents that had occurred during the last year.

Doug Rabe, the Chairman of MAIIF said:

“The annual meeting of MAIIF gives us an opportunity to compare notes on the types and causes of accidents that are being investigated around the world, and on the development of new investigation technologies that allow us to properly establish the causal factors of an accident.  Our motto is ‘maritime safety through investigation and cooperation’ and through the discussions that have taken place at this meeting, I am confident that we are achieving this on a global basis.

The objective of any marine casualty investigation is the prevention of further similar casualties by discovering the reasons behind the casualty and then promulgating actions, information and safety recommendations aimed directly at preventing similar casualties.

At this meeting we have again noted, and continue to be concerned about the number of collisions between ships resulting from the watch officer’s fatigue, complacency, or disregard for the Colregs.  We also discussed the seemingly increasing number of fatalities and injuries resulting from seafarers entering into enclosed spaces without regard for proper procedures or personal safety.

We will provide additional information on these issues to the International Maritime Organisation, seafarers, shipowners, and government administrations in the near future.”

www.maiif.net

******

IBEX 2007

A record number of boat building professionals filled the Miami Beach Convention Center from October 10-12th, making IBEX 2007 the largest in the show’s history.

IBEX 2008 show dates are October 6–8 (Monday–Wednesday)
Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, FL, U.S.A.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT AT IBEX 2008!

In just three days at IBEX, you will discover thousands of new products and processes just becoming available that will streamline your boatbuilding shop, yard, or factory, and advance your designs for the upcoming model-year. The IBEX exhibition features more than 800 OEM’s and suppliers from throughout the world. No where else do you have the opportunity to source and compare so many new products, tools, and technologies available to boatbuilding industry, and consult directly with product experts and engineering staff from marine product manufacturers. The IBEX exhibit hall is free to all qualified marine industry professionals. Save time and money by seeing all your suppliers in just three days.

Train And Educate Your Staff For FREE.

LIVE boatbuilding demonstrations utilizing new methods & materials are ongoing in the Outdoor Demo are located just outside the exhibit hall. The Outdoor Demo area features product-experts working the latest products and processes. They’ll show you and your staff how these new technologies will benefit your business. Plus, every afternoon from 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., IBEX offers FREE Exhibitor Workshops hosted by product experts. The IBEX demonstrations and workshops are FREE to attend.

Learn from boatbuilding experts.

The IBEX Seminar Series offers intensive education for every facet of the boatbuilding industry. Renowned professionals in the boatbuilding industry offer you the opportunity to get inside information on enhancing your shop, yard, or factory. Immerse yourself in intensive education hosted by the foremost authorities on their respective topics. Six sessions are offered in each of the nine topic seminar tracks.

(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

[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.

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

29-31 January 2008, Pacific 2008 International Maritime Conference.  Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia.  
Phone: + 61 2 9265 0700
Fax: +61 2 9267 5443
Email: pacific2008imc@tourhosts.com.au

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

[Top]

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:
 

[Top]

From the Poop Deck

My Living Will
 
Last night, my friend and I were sitting in the living room and I said to her,
"I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug."
 
She got up, unplugged the TV, and threw out my wine.
 
She is such a b***h!

[Top]

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

 
     
  >> [Print this page]  
 
 
  | Home | What's New | Conference Information | Flashlight | About Us |  
  | Contact Us | Links | Site Map | Privacy & Disclaimer |  
  This site was updated on 5 January 2009.  
  Every 3,000 sheets of paper cost us A tree. Let us conserve.
Do not print this page unless absolutely necessary.		  
  © 2002-2008 Asia Conference Ltd. All rights reseverd.