Spread the word: seafarers are key workers Nautical Institute CEO Captain John Lloyd FNIwrites: A Fair Future for Seafarers was the theme shared around the globe on the Day of the Seafarer on 25 June.
We make no apology for mentioning this vital campaign again in this newsletter and thank IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim for bringing the subject to the fore. The NI is delighted to support the promotion of the recognition of seafarers as key workers, essential workers for our global community.
It is important not just to talk to ourselves: sharing the message with the global community is vital. Few really understand the message of ‘No Shipping – No Shopping’. Few understand the sacrifices that mariners make with prolonged periods away from home.
Now we are seeing evidence of contempt and disdain on the part of some authorities, not even allowing the dignity of repatriation for a Captain who died in the service of others. This terrible incident pours shame on those who would not allow the vessel to berth.
It also highlights the importance of a strong support network for our seafarers. I thank all of the participants at our webinar on 25 June who shared their experiences of providing and receiving practical and emotional support.
Our thoughts are with all mariners at this time, especially those stuck far from home and who suffer delays in returning to their families.
To all our seafarers we extend the hand of friendship and the voice of support. The Nautical Institute AGM Event – 28 July 2021 According to tradition, the NI builds a day of events around its AGM. This year is no different, except that it will be a virtual event.
The day itself will be split into four separate elements, all of which can be attended, and should be registered for, individually (please note, all times are UTC): 10:00-11:00 Seafarer Welfare Webinar 12:00-13:00 Annual General Meeting 13:00-14:00 Zoom Social 14:30-15:30 Autonomous Ships Webinar
Although the AGM and Zoom Social are only open to members of The NI, we welcome everyone to the webinar elements of the day.
Seafarer Welfare Webinar (10:00-11:00 UTC) How support is evolving
The mental health and welfare of seafarers is a matter of growing concern. For 50 years, The Nautical Institute has promoted safety, and the proper welfare for seafarers is a key component of the NI safety toolbox.
The role of welfare teams in ports, whether through a port welfare committee or the global network of seafarer missions, has changed due to Covid 19. But change is not new to these dedicated individuals; many of them volunteer their time to serve others.
Chaplin David Reid, FNI will lead a discussion to explore what changes have been successful and what the challenges for the future may be. Panellists will include representatives from the Seamen’s Church Institute, NAMMA, The Mission to Seafarers and Stella Maris.
Click the link to register for the Seafarer Welfare Webinar
Annual General Meeting (12:00-13:00 UTC) – NI members only
Introduced by our President, Jillian Carson-Jackson FNI, the AGM provides the opportunity for members to have their say about the NI and its Council. It will include the adoption of resolutions and the election of the Council.
Click the link to register for the Annual General Meeting – acceptance may take up to two working days.
Zoom Social (13:00-14:00 UTC) – NI members only
Sadly, not an in-person event but still an opportunity to network. Pour yourself a drink, grab a canapé and then relax for a time with colleagues from all over the world. The zoom meeting will be split into separate rooms so that you can find like-minded people to discuss maritime issues or simply catch up with friends.
Click the link to register for the Zoom Social – acceptance may take up to two working days.
The development of Maritime Autonomous Ship Systems (MASS) has continued at pace over the past few years with more MASS entering operation all the time. They come in a variety of sizes and have a diverse set of operational capabilities which all place their own unique demands on those who own and operate them as well as on the wider maritime community. MASS are one aspect of the development of robotics and artificial intelligence (RAI) systems across the various transport sectors. Case studies will demonstrate to delegates how autonomous shipping is developing.
This webinar will be presented by James Fanshawe, CBE, AFNI, Chair of the UK MAS Regulatory Working Group, responsible for the Maritime Autonomous Ship Systems (MASS) UK Industry Conduct Principles and Code of Practice, and Ann Till, AFNI, Chief Vessel Operator at Ocean Infinity, a world-leading marine robotics company.
Click the link to register for the Autonomous Ships Webinar
The NI looks forward to welcoming you to our 2021 AGM Event.You’re in Command with our schemeAre you a Chief Officer or Master who has just taken command – or are about to? If so, The Nautical Institute’s distance learning Command Diploma Scheme is the perfect next step in your professional development.
This self-study scheme helps you prepare for the responsibilities and realities of command and show employers you have gone beyond the minimum. We’ve listened to feedback and improved the Scheme to facilitate self-learning, making it easier for non-native English speakers to progress.
The course takes you from the point where you hold, or are studying for, a Master’s ticket and gives you the confidence to take on that demanding role. It’s split into five units: Understanding the role of an effective Master; Onboard leadership and management; Shiphandling and navigation; Ship’s commercial business; and Emergencies and drills.
To get the best from the course, we really recommend you sign up for the full NI Command Diploma. You will receive assessment of your work by experienced mariners, certification and a copy of the publication The Nautical Institute on Command (the book is also available from the online bookshop).
To see exactly what is involved, we recommend you go to our Command Scheme webpage where you can download the course booklet
For more information or to sign up, either email us at command@nautinst.org or purchase online. Welcome to the world’s fifth ocean US-based National Geographic Society (NGS) has determined that the waters below the 60th parallel and encircling the continent of Antarctica is the Southern Ocean. That makes it the world’s fifth ocean, adding to the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian and Pacific.
Of course, it’s always been there, but the NGS decided over a century ago that it was just a southern extension of other water bodies. Why the change? NGS geographer Alex Tait explained: “We want to recognise it because of its ecological separation.” It ties in with the society’s wish to focus public attention on this environmentally sensitive, and threatened, region.
The Nautical Institute is happy to endorse these sentiments, while pointing out that Polar Ship Operations, by Past President Captain Duke Snider FNI, is essential reading for anyone about to sail for the first time in the ice-prone Arctic and Southern Oceans. Along with Capt Johan Buysse’s Handling Ships in First-Year Ice, the title is available from the NI’s online bookshop. Seafarer skills survey There’s just time to complete a short survey about the future of work in the maritime sector. It’s part of research being conducted jointly by the ITF union and the World Maritime University.
All seafarers are invited to take part in the online survey, which takes just 15 minutes to complete and is completely confidential – no one will be able to identify you from your responses.
The survey asks, for example, whether you feel your employer has provided sufficient training for your present job, whether there are enough decent employment opportunities at sea and ashore, and the length of the employment contract you signed and how long you actually served (given the Covid crew-change crisis, we suspect there could be some interesting responses to that one!).
Your answers will help the ITF and WMU ensure that no seafarer is left behind as the industry changes.
Take the survey now – your responses must be in by Wednesday 30th June.The Navigator looks at layersThe June issue of The Nautical Institute’s free magazine The Navigator explores the use of layers in an integrated navigation system (INS).
In ‘The multi-layered art of navigation’, CSMART instructor Antonio DiLieto explains how to choose the right combination of ECDIS and radar inputs for route monitoring, collision avoidance and sensor integrity monitoring.
The art and science of parallel indexing and use of lines of position are discussed next. Given the vulnerabilities of equipment dependent on satellite-based sensors, PI is a valuable means of position-fixing, especially when set up as layers on an INS.
Dr Andy Norris FNI lifts the lid on future developments including “unjammable and unspoofable” inertial sensors and optical technology such as hand-held ePelorus. The magazine concludes with 10 top points to remember on navigational layers.
Covid restrictions have made it harder than usual for some readers to obtain copies of The Navigator, so don’t forget you can read the magazine online, download it or get the app from our website.
Book of the Month – Mooring and Anchoring Ships Mooring and Anchoring Ships Volume 2: Inspection and Maintenance, by Walter Vervloesem FNI, is our Book of the Month for July. And as regular readers know, that means everyone can get 40% off the listed price for one month only.
This book is essential reading for all surveyors, inspectors and ship operators concerned about proper use and maintenance of mooring equipment. To reinforce the message, there are over 500 photographs – taken on the author’s numerous ship visits – that illustrate both exemplary and inappropriate practice.
This month’s deal is even more appealing because the discount also applies when you buy Volume 1 Principles and Practice (by I C Clark FNI) at the same time as Volume 2.
Mooring and Anchoring Ships Volume 2 is normally priced at £120.00 (£84.00 for NI members), but until 31 July 2021 it is available to all at the discounted price of £72.00.
If you buy the two volumes together (normally £205), you pay only £123. The Nautical Institute is already holding the prices of its publications at 2020 levels, so this has to be the deal of the year!
Order your choice – just Vol 2, or Vol 1 + Vol 2 – via the online bookshop, quoting the code BOTM.2020 – a year like noother The centrepiece of NI’s membership magazine Seaways this month (July) is the Institute’s Annual Report. Despite being the most challenging of years, the Institute stayed true to its principles and kept on course, thanks to the dedication and commitment of the CEO, Trustees, HQ staff, members, sponsors and supporters.
Major adjustments were necessary, and much activity went online, including the AGM, branch meetings and short courses, which had to transition rapidly from in-person to Zoom. Live webinars proved hugely popular and can be counted as a silver lining in the cloud of coronavirus.
The Report notes that last year the NI gained its first Sapphire Affiliate, Ocean Technologies Group. Sapphire Affiliates undertake to donate a certain sum to the NI every year, providing vital support for the Mariners’ Alerting and Reporting Scheme (MARS) and NI’s free magazine The Navigator.
During 2020, The Nautical Institute Foundation was formally established and began to engage with the maritime community, focusing on safety and the environment.
A summary of the NI’s main activities last year can be found in our 2020/21 Impact Statement. Head of Information and Publications The Nautical Institute is expanding its technical communications with the maritime industry. That means we are seeking a dynamic and forward-looking Head of Information and Publications.
This is a key role in the Institute, involving publishing activities such as commissioning and reviewing new books (and e-books), updating NI’s existing best practice guidance, and overseeing periodicals, contracts and royalties, budgets, sales and marketing activity.
The role also covers warehousing and distribution, relationships with booksellers and bulk purchasers (such as training institutes and ship operators), managing publishing staff and contractors, and attending management meetings.
This is an exciting time for the Institute generally and its publishing activity in particular. If you have a background in B2B publishing or similar, are educated to degree level or above and have the right to work in the UK this could be the right move for you.
To find out more, please see the website or contact hr@nautinst.org, quoting reference no NI21-01. Applications must be with us by Friday 16 July 2021.
Too many pilot boats Making assumptions without verification can be risky, as we have seen in previous MARS reports.
A bulk carrier was outbound under pilotage in darkness and approaching the pilot disembarkation point. Meanwhile, the Captain of a pilot station mother ship (PSMS ‑ a base for pilots and pilot tender crews) started to reposition the vessel, planning to cross the bulk carrier’s bow. The PSMS, showing pilot lights, was put on autopilot and the Captain concentrated on administrative tasks.
A few minutes later, the outbound ship reached the pilot disembarkation point. The pilot disembarked and boarded the tender, which disengaged from the bulk carrier.
The pilot and bulk carrier’s bridge team believed the PSMS was involved in this pilotage operation and assumed that it wouldn’t hinder their operations. However, a minute after dropping the pilot, the bulk carrier and the PSMS collided, resulting in some minor injuries aboard the mother ship.
Preoccupation with any task other than navigation in a busy fairway in darkness is likely to be unsafe, but the bulk carrier’s bridge team was also at fault by not using VHF to confirm the PSMS Captain’s intentions.
There’s more in the full MARS report online. Remember, you can submit your own confidential reports of incidents and near misses ‑ see the reporting webpage for details.
Events guide The Institute has a network of over 50 branches worldwide and many organise local events, some of which may not be listed below. Check with your local Nautical Institute branch for details of their activities.
IMPORTANT: Please be aware that due to the Coronavirus pandemic many events will not be going ahead. We recommend you check with the organiser to see whether a particular event has been cancelled, postponed or transferred online. 29 June Greece Branch – Safety First: Learning from accidents30 June NI South East Australia Branch, The Digital Transformation of Official Nautical Charts and Publications, in person event 14 July SW England Branch – Behavioural Safety Leadership, online 14 Aug SW England Branch – Falkland Islands Conflict – General Belgrano, online 13-17 Sep London International Shipping Week 20-21 Sep Women in Shipping Virtual Summit, online 13-15 Oct CMA Shipping, partner event
