• Study Blames Cuisine, Healthy Habit for Sea Farers Obesity
Studies of seafarers’ health have found some consistent trends – those at sea tend to smoke more, drink more and take less exercise. Not surprisingly, their health is less good than the general population, according to the ITF. Issues include obesity and a study of Danish seafarers found that three-quarters of those over the age of 45 have a weight above normal.
“Besides its influence on health, obesity may be a safety issue at sea. It may be difficult for obese persons to perform safety tasks aboard in emergencies, to use escape routes and ladders and to enter a lifeboat or a life raft. This can be crucial not only for the obese persons, but also for those depending on their actions or who are involved in assisting them,” said the report by Danish occupational health professionals.
Part of the problem may lie in the seafarer’s onboard diet. One company that appears to be taking steps to address this is Garrets International Limited, a London-based marine contract catering company.
Garrets says it got its start when shipping companies looking to save money started to dispense with the services of Catering Superintendents, Pursers and Catering Officers. “As a consequence,” says the company, “tasks traditionally carried out by these officers came within the remit of Engineering Superintendents, with most on-board catering administration duties falling to the Master.
Garrets stepped in to bridge the gap between shipowners/managers, their sea staff and suppliers by offering a complete catering management service. It says that its considerable purchasing power means it can obtain good quality food at the keenest prices.
An indication of Garrets’ purchasing power is that it supplies 7.5 million eggs annually. Those eggsare now free range, preempting an EU requirement that will take effect in 2012. Now, the company says itbis taking its healthy eating free range egg policy a stage further by offering a wider range of new free range and healthy eating products at even more ports in Europe, the U.S., Australia and Korea.
It has also started supplying ships in the Middle East, Far East, U.S. and South Africa with low fat, low sugar and low salt varieties of quality brands of mayonnaise, ketchup, and canned products including baked beans. Another part of the initiative is to supply vessels with sunflower oil instead of the more traditional vegetable oil. Sunflower oil is low in saturated fat, helping to control cholesterol levels.
‘Responsibility’ and ‘Professionalism’ Handbook Launched For Seafarers
The 125 million GT ‘A’ rated North P&I club has written a new handbook on collecting and preserving factual evidence to help raise levels of responsibility and professionalism within the international shipping industry.
The Nautical Institute has published The Mariner’s Role in Collecting Evidence Handbook as a companion to its guide The Mariner’s Role in Collecting Evidence in Light of ISM. The handbook was launched at a major maritime seminar in Newcastle upon Tyne earlier this month.
Speaking at the Institute’s seventeenth biennial “The Mariner and the Maritime Law” seminar at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead hotel, North’s joint managing director Paul Jennings said, “Shipping is one of the safest and most sustainable forms of global transport but we face increasingly punitive legislation and liabilities. We thus need to do everything we can to demonstrate to politicians, regulators and the media that seafarers are responsible professionals – which includes responding correctly to and learning from any mistakes. This new handbook will help us all to do just that.”
Tony Baker, head of loss prevention at North and the handbook’s main editor, said, “The most important reason for collecting and preserving good factual evidence is to establish what really happened. Once that it is known, it is relatively easy to work out how it can be prevented from happening again. The process leads to an increased awareness of potential problems and hence greater care and professionalism on board, making life safer for everyone.”
SHIPTALK: A GLOSSARY OF SHIPPING AND MARITIME TERMS
APRON: The area immediately in front of or behind a wharf shed on which cargo is lifted. On the "front apron," cargo is unloaded from or loaded onto a ship. Behind the shed, cargo moves over the "rear apron" into and out of railroad cars.
BREAKBULK CARGO: Non-containerized general cargo stored in boxes, bales, pallets or other units to be loaded onto or discharged from ships or other forms of transportation. (See also: bulk and container.) Examples include iron, steel, machinery, linerboard and woodpulp.
BULK CARGO: Loose cargo (dry or liquid) that is loaded (shoveled, scooped, forked, mechanically conveyed or pumped) in volume directly into a ship’s hold; e.g., grain, coal and oil.
BULKHEAD: A structure used to protect against shifting cargo and/or to separate the load.
BUOYS: Floats that warn of hazards such as rocks or shallow ground, to help ships maneuver through unfamiliar harbors.
CLERKS: When cargo is unloaded from a ship, a clerk checks the actual count of the goods (number of boxes, drums, bundles, pipes, etc.) versus the amount listed on the ship’s manifest. He will note shortages, overages or damage. This is used to make claims if needed.
DEMURRAGE: A penalty fee assessed when cargo isn’t moved off a wharf before the free time allowance ends.
DOCK: (verb) – To bring in a vessel to tie up at a wharf berth. (One parks a car, but docks a ship.) (noun) – A dock is a structure built along, or at an angle from, a navigable waterway so that vessels may lie alongside to receive or discharge cargo. Sometimes, the whole wharf is informally called a dock.
DOCKAGE: A charge by a port authority for the length of water frontage used by a vessel tied up at a wharf.
FLEETING: The area at which barges, towboats and tugs are berthed until needed. The operation of building or dismantling barge tows.
GANTRY CRANE: Track-mounted, shoreside crane utilized in the loading and unloading of breakbulk cargo, containers and heavy lift cargo.
HOME PORT: Port from which a cruise ship loads passengers and begins its itinerary, and to which it returns to disembark passengers upon conclusion of voyage. Sometimes referred to as "embarkation port" and "turn around port."
JIT: The abbreviation for "just in time," which is a way to minimize warehousing costs by having cargo shipped to arrive just in time for its use. This inventory control method depends on extremely reliable transportation.
WEEKLY PIRACY REPORT
21.11.2010:
2145 UTC: Posn: 15:30N – 059:17E around 580nm SE of Salalah, (Off Somalia)
Armed pirates in a skiff chased and boarded a tanker underway. The crew locked themselves in the citadel. On 22.11.2010 naval helicopter confirmed no pirates seen on vessel. Later crew regained control of their vessel.
21.11.2010:
Posn: 21:50.2N – 091:39.5E: Chittagong anchorage, Bangladesh.
Robbers attempted to board a tanker engaged in anchoring operations via the poop deck using a rope and hook. Alert crew on anti piracy watch noticed the robbers and informed the bridge who raised the alarm. Seeing the alert crew the robbers jumped back into the water and escaped in a waiting boat with around 10 other robbers. Attempt to contact port control failed.
21.11.2010:
1114 UTC: Posn: 14:49N – 059:55E, around 360nm SE of Salalah, (Off Somalia).
Pirates armed with guns in a skiff chased and fired upon a container ship underway with intent to hijack. Vessel activated anti-piracy measures and took evasive manoeuvres. The vessel managed to evade the attempted boarding.
21.11.2010:
0235 LT: Posn: 05:13.5N – 004:02.1W, Abidjan anchorage, Ivory Coast.
Three robbers armed with knives boarded a tanker at anchor. Duty officer noticed the robbers and raised the alarm. Robbers managed to escape along with stolen ship’s stores.
21.11.2010:
0720 UTC: Posn: 02:43N – 055:20E, around 600nm east of Mogadishu, Somalia.
Pirates armed with guns and RPG in skiffs chased and fired upon a fishing vessel underway. Ship increased speed, took anti-piracy measures and managed to evade the attempted boarding.
22.11.2010:
0904 UTC: Posn: 01:31N – 055:48E, around 620nm east of Mogadishu, Somalia.
Five skiffs with four to five armed pirates in each skiff chased and fired upon a product tanker underway with intent to hijack. Effective anti piracy measures including increase in speed, evasive manoeuvres and communication with naval authorities resulted in the pirates aborting the attempt. A suspected mother vessel was noticed in the vicinity.
22.11.2010:
0500 UTC: Posn: 01:30N – 055:25E, around 600nm east of Mogadishu, Somalia.
Armed pirates in two skiffs launched from a mother vessel chased and attempted to board a fishing vessel underway. Anti piracy measures resulted in the attempted boarding to be aborted.
22.11.2010:
2300 UTC: Posn: 15:53N – 058:14E around 250 nm ESE of Salalah, Oman, (Off Somalia).
Two white skiffs with five armed pirates in each skiff chased and fired upon a bulk carrier underway with intent to hijack. Master raised alarm, activated SSAS, sent distress message, increased speed and contacted warship for assistance. The pirates attempted to board the ship several times and finally aborted the attempted boarding upon seeing the presence of a warship and two helicopters at the location. No injuries to crew but the ship sustained some damages.
24.11.2010:
1110 UTC: Posn: 14:44.5N – 065:59.7E, around 690nm ESE of Salalah, (Off Somalia).
Five pirates armed with automatic weapons in a skiff chased and fired upon a bulk carrier underway with intend to hijack. Due to effective anti piracy measures the pirates aborted the attempt to board. Crew and vessel safe.
24.11.2010:
0301 UTC: Posn: 15:09N – 067:05E around 750nm east of Salalah, (Off Somalia).
Six pirates armed with automatic weapons and RPG in a skiff chased and fired upon a chemical tanker underway with intend to hijack. Due to effective anti piracy measures the pirates aborted the attempt to board. Crew and vessel safe.
25.11.2010:
1439 UTC: Posn: 19:47.3N – 062:56.5E, around 525nm NE of Salalah, (Off Somalia).
Pirates armed with guns and RPG in a skiff chased and fired upon a tanker underway with intent to hijack. Ship increased speed, sent DSC alert and took evasive manoeuvres. The tanker managed to evade the attempted boarding. Crew and tanker safe.
26.11.2010:
0300 UTC: Posn: 05:38N – 068:27E around 255 nm west of Maldives group of islands, (Off Somalia).
Master reported to owners that pirates were onboard and his vessel was hijacked. Further report awaited.
26.11.2010:
0114 UTC: Posn: 00:26S – 070:00E around 185nm west of Maldives group of Islands, (Off Somalia).
Six armed pirates in a boat chased and fired upon a bulk carrier underway. The vessel enforced anti piracy measures and evaded the boarding. The vessel sustained some damages to RPG and gunfire. Further information awaited.
Turkey Imposes Pollution Fines On Ships
BIMCO and P&I clubs have advised Ship owners that the Turkish Authorities have been imposing fines on ships for polluting the sea with grey and/or galley water whilst entering or departing Turkish ports.
They further added that these Fines are calculated based on the vessels‘ gross tonnage and bear no relation whatsoever to the damage or alleged damage caused by the pollution, ,causing small spills of greywater to trigger large fines.
The Masters of the vessels mistakenly believe that such discharges are permitted, notwithstanding copies of the local regulations which may have been furnished to the Master. According to Turkish Environmental Law it is prohibited to release directly or indirectly any kind of waste or leftovers into the environment. The Turkish Environmental law has given “any kind of waste” a very broad meaning and thus includes greywater as a pollutant.
In a recent case the Turkish Authorities imposed a large fine due to pollution of the Turkish waters by grey water (galley water) discharged from the ship while the ship was at berth. Another ship was also fined heavily because the crew was washing the compass deck and bridge wing with a fire hose, resulting in dirty water (oil, dust residues and some foreign materials) on deck leaking into the sea.
Four Months After Accident: MSC Plans To Refloat Sunken MV CHITRA From Seabed Off Mumbai
Plans are coming together to raise the sunken container ship MSC CHITRA (33,130-gt, built 1980) that sank after colliding with another ship, the bulker KHALIJIA (45,798-dwt) in the approaches to Mumbai, India in August this year.
The collision left MSC Chitra taking on water and listing badly before sinking in shallow water. A considerable number of containers were lost overboard of which some have not been found and are believed to be lying on the sea bed.
Salvors and the shipping line hope to recover 596 containers remaining on the ship once she has been refloated. The salvage plan is to raise the ship and pump out the holds while the containers remain on board – this has been delayed so far because of adverse weather and sea conditions.
A total of 314 boxes have so far been recovered either from the ship or from the ocean. MSC said that delays arose from toxic fumes and gases that escaped from some of the containers – with the monsoon having ended there is little wind to blow this away from the area being worked.
Germany Begins First Piracy Trial in 400 Years
Germany’s first pirate trials in some four centuries began Monday with the prosecution of 10 Somali men, who allegedly tried to commandeer a German container ship in April.
The shift in venue from courts in the Horn of Africa, most often Kenya, is the result of a new policy of trying suspected pirates in the country where the affected ship is registered.
Piracy no longer carries a penalty of decapitation in Germany, but the alleged gang, ranging from 17 to 48 years old, could receive as many as 15 years in prison each.
The group is charged with attacking the MS Taipan off the Somali coast, which has become infested by buccaneers over the past two years.
Nearly two dozen vessels and some 500 people are currently held by Somali pirates, according to the London-based International Maritime Bureau.
There have been renewed international efforts to increase patrols in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, but prosecution of the apprehended marauders has been lacking.
With few fears of reprisal, lucrative booty has become an irresistible lure for many would-be raiders.
Several of the accused contend they are simply fishermen. Others will have to be tried in juvenile court due to their age, which has been difficult to ascertain due to a lack of proper documentation.
Through a joint statement issued by their lawyers, the defendants opined that piracy in the region can be attributed to political instability in Somalia and the over-fishing of its waters by Western nations.
British Mercenaries Drafted To Take on Pirates
British mercenaries could be used in the fight against Somali pirates.
According to secret documents revealed yesterday, the plan has the approval of the UK government’s Foreign Office.
The Daily Telegraph said that senior Foreign Office officials had held detailed discussions with a UK security firm employing former members of the elite Special Boat Service (SBS) about setting up and running the operation.
The plan would involve the former SBS soldiers training Somalis to take on the pirates along the Somalia coast but could also see them in action on Somali territory.
The Daily Telegraph said the proposal not only had the approval of the UK Foreign Office but also the transitional government in Mogadishu.
The report said that the ex-SBS men will act as ‘mentors’ to Somali troops on patrols going into action in armed encounters with the gangs.
"The plan is particularly sensitive because previous attempts to train Somali military recruits have seen them swap sides and join the pirates or Islamic insurgents, taking their weapons and equipment with them," the report says.
It adds: "Operating in fast boats capable of outrunning the pirates’ converted fishing vessels, the plan is to retake the coastline and prevent the pirates from putting to sea or returning to shore with kidnap victims."
The initiative also reflects growing western government frustration with the escalating pirate menace and the cost — in terms of naval protection and ransom payments.
But aid officials and seafarers unions say only dealing with poverty and insecurity in Somalia can solve the problem.
Discussion about this post