Concerns are being raised in some circles that the industry is not ready to deal with the impact of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, often described as the ‘fourth pillar of the maritime regulatory regime’. The MLC 2006 will come into force, as is usual for such legislation, one year after ratification by ILO member states representing a third of global gross tonnage. As things stand now, Liberia, Panama, the Bahamas and Norway are amongst those that have ratified the convention. Experts say that they expect final ratification later this year, and implementation by the end of 2011 or early 2012.
Meanwhile, some are questioning the wider industry’s understanding or preparedness to handle MLC2006; a few are even drawing parallels with the somewhat confused implementation of the International Safety Management Code a decade or so ago. This does not bode well for the future, because the MLC has been rated as important as SOLAS, STCW and MARPOL, and a convention that is supposed to make a substantial difference to the working conditions of mariners at sea.
BIMCO estimates are that MLC 2006 will apply to about 70,000 vessels and 1.2 million seafarers across nationalities, ranks and flags. The convention sets minimum standards for the health, safety and welfare of seafarers; it also covers, in considerable detail, mariner issues related to food, health, medical care, welfare, protection, pay, working conditions, accommodation and fatigue. Compliance with such a broad convention will obviously not be easily possible last minute, say industry sources, pointing out that the five main areas that the MLC covers are panoptic and extensive in scope. These are: minimum requirements for seafarers to work on a ship; conditions of employment; accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering; health protection, medical care, welfare and social security protection; compliance and enforcement.
Analysts say that shipowners and managers are not allocating enough resources towards the MLC2006 which may be less than two years away. In addition, certification and inspection administrations will have to come up to speed quickly and put mechanisms in place that will be robust and effective. The International Maritime Employer’s Committee has made a statement recently saying that Port and Flag states were unprepared for MLC 2006. Their secretary-general Giles Heimann said that many stakeholders continue to underestimate the impact of the regulations and have failed to budget time and resources for the preparation required. He said that a “well respected open register” had admitted it is not prepared for MLC implementation because it had not yet managed to get a “single word down on paper as far as national legislation is concerned”.
In other seafarer HRD related issues, InterManager has warned the industry that criminalisation of seafarers and piracy are the two major reasons for the fall in mariner retention and recruitment. “Legislative measures following an accident or incident have made the seafarer increasingly susceptible to criminalisation, and a rising incidence of piracy has led to correspondingly high personal risks," Brian Martis said at a conference recently. "A one-sided view of public interest coupled with political expediency has severely curtailed the human rights of the seafarer. The current shortage of skilled and qualified seafarers, already a significant crisis in the maritime industry, is further exacerbated. I know of several officers who have indicated they will discourage their children from taking up a career at sea."
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Showing posts with label seafarer fatigue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seafarer fatigue. Show all posts
Monday, 29 March 2010
Thursday, 11 March 2010
MCA cracks down on seafarer working hours
The British Maritime and Coastguard Agency has sent out a tough warning to shipowners and crews that it will henceforth be examining mariner fatigue issues very closely and will take stern action if necessary. The MCA statement, emphasising that defaulters may well face legal action, is seen as part of a continuing drive by the UK regulatory authority to enforce compliance of the STCW regulations as they pertain to seafarer working hours.
Seafarer fatigue is well known to be the root cause of many accidents at sea. The MCA says its inspections will check safety standards and that it will not hesitate to take enforcement action where necessary. “Anyone found failing to meet safety standards can expect the Agency to take prompt and tough action,” the agency says. MCA Assistant Director of seafarers and ships Paul Coley is blunt. "It has been known for many years that tiredness caused by long working hours and low crewing is dangerous to both ships and its crews”.
The MCA statement should not be a bolt from the blue for the industry: the organisation has been in the forefront of highlighting seafarer fatigue issues, especially in areas around the British Isles. The MCA had mounted a concerted campaign to examine working hours on board fishing vessels in the middle of last year; it had then stated that it would emphasise enforcement of working time regulations, seek international recognition of the problem of fatigue at sea and ‘seek a cultural shift over the longer term so that excessive working hours would be no longer acceptable”.
The latest move will see all ships visiting the UK being subject to closer scrutiny, whether British or foreign. Interestingly, the MCA statement pointedly refers to short sea trade vessels running with sometimes very small crews, quite common in Europe: they will face ‘redoubled scrutiny’. The regulatory authority says that its surveyors will closely examine records of watch keeping and other working hours aboard all vessels that fall under their purview. They will verify accuracy of these records, matching them to times of previous port calls and work patterns. If there is not enough time for detailed scrutiny while MCA officials are aboard a vessel, surveyors will ask for copies of the documents they require, especially documents that pertain to the operating pattern of the ship.
The MCA says that it will also examine evidence of the shipmanager’s audit of crew working hour regulations, move analysts feel is clearly intended to put shore offices under the MCA regulatory microscope: the absence of such evidence may clearly indicate a contravention of the ISM rules and stated company procedures. The MCA says that it will be also looking into SMS systems and DOC and SMC audits where they apply to working hours. In addition, MCA officials will ensure that vessels in British waters use dedicated lookouts at night.
Says Coley unequivocally, "The MCA is determined to stamp out excess hours in UK waters, and so significant breaches of the regulations will be reported to our enforcement unit and may result in prosecution."
"Shipping companies have been warned about the consequences of fatigue many times. This time it is not just a warning”.
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Seafarer fatigue is well known to be the root cause of many accidents at sea. The MCA says its inspections will check safety standards and that it will not hesitate to take enforcement action where necessary. “Anyone found failing to meet safety standards can expect the Agency to take prompt and tough action,” the agency says. MCA Assistant Director of seafarers and ships Paul Coley is blunt. "It has been known for many years that tiredness caused by long working hours and low crewing is dangerous to both ships and its crews”.
The MCA statement should not be a bolt from the blue for the industry: the organisation has been in the forefront of highlighting seafarer fatigue issues, especially in areas around the British Isles. The MCA had mounted a concerted campaign to examine working hours on board fishing vessels in the middle of last year; it had then stated that it would emphasise enforcement of working time regulations, seek international recognition of the problem of fatigue at sea and ‘seek a cultural shift over the longer term so that excessive working hours would be no longer acceptable”.
The latest move will see all ships visiting the UK being subject to closer scrutiny, whether British or foreign. Interestingly, the MCA statement pointedly refers to short sea trade vessels running with sometimes very small crews, quite common in Europe: they will face ‘redoubled scrutiny’. The regulatory authority says that its surveyors will closely examine records of watch keeping and other working hours aboard all vessels that fall under their purview. They will verify accuracy of these records, matching them to times of previous port calls and work patterns. If there is not enough time for detailed scrutiny while MCA officials are aboard a vessel, surveyors will ask for copies of the documents they require, especially documents that pertain to the operating pattern of the ship.
The MCA says that it will also examine evidence of the shipmanager’s audit of crew working hour regulations, move analysts feel is clearly intended to put shore offices under the MCA regulatory microscope: the absence of such evidence may clearly indicate a contravention of the ISM rules and stated company procedures. The MCA says that it will be also looking into SMS systems and DOC and SMC audits where they apply to working hours. In addition, MCA officials will ensure that vessels in British waters use dedicated lookouts at night.
Says Coley unequivocally, "The MCA is determined to stamp out excess hours in UK waters, and so significant breaches of the regulations will be reported to our enforcement unit and may result in prosecution."
"Shipping companies have been warned about the consequences of fatigue many times. This time it is not just a warning”.
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Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Seafarer working hours close to slavery, says UK’s MAIB
London February 24 The maritime industry in the UK was abuzz after the MAIB (the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch) report on the grounding of the “Antari” was made public. The report has rebuked the International Maritime Organisation for not addressing the longstanding problem of maritime fatigue; in fact, it has recommended that the UK government take unilateral action in addressing this issue.
Besides industry channels like Lloyds List, the report was also widely quoted in mainstream newspapers and the BBC, with The Telegraph headline “Exhausted Sailors working 98 hour weeks” saying it all. The lead to the article goes on to quote the MAIB, “Exhausted sailors are regularly falling asleep at the helm, turning their ships into "unguided missiles" which could cause a major disaster off the UK coast.”
The Antari grounded off the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland in June 2008 because the officer on watch fell asleep and remained asleep even as the ship ran aground. Calling the accident part of “a continuing and unacceptable trend”, the MAIB says there was no lookout on the bridge at the time of the incident. The officer fell asleep in his chair on the starboard side of the wheelhouse, in front of one of the radar sets.
The MAIB investigation further revealed that the officer had been working six hours on, six hours off for the previous three and a half months, probably in addition to other duties. He was alone on the bridge at the time, and fell asleep for three hours. The Antari was carrying more than 2300 tonnes of scrap when she ran aground. Nearly three quarters of the hull was damaged and dented, and the bottom ruptured.
The MAIB confirms that, contrary to international requirements, no lookout is provided on many ships at night, leaving the officer of the watch alone on a six hour watch. Given the number of accidents that had occurred with officers falling asleep, it was possible to extrapolate that there were more unreported incidents of ships sailing in UK waters with no one awake onboard, the report continued. “It can only be a matter of time before these ‘unguided missiles’ cause a catastrophic accident,” concluded the MAIB.Stephen Meyer, chief inspector of the MAIB, said that seafarer shift patterns were "as close to slavery that we have in the UK. People are working 98 hour weeks, week after week, and they do not have a single night's sleep in that time. They never get more than five hours and the cumulative effect is enormous."
Five years ago, in a 2004 safety report, the MAIB had said that minimal crewing leading to unacceptable levels of fatigue in bridge watch keepers needed to be addressed urgently by the IMO. It now says, “The IMO has failed to address this issue satisfactorily”. The MAIB has taken the “exceptional step of recommending that the UK administration takes unilateral action to ensure the safety of shipping within UK waters and to protect the environment”.
Going further, the MAIB said that, “In the five years since that earlier report, there have been no changes to international standards or requirements to address this issue and similar accidents continue to occur.” The IMO, in turn, confirmed that the UK had submitted a proposal to MSC 84 in 2007 “to the effect that, through amendment of Solas regulation V/14, an auditable procedure for establishing vessels’ safe manning levels should be introduced”.
The MAIB now wants the UK Government to put pressure on the IMO to urgently address the issue of fatigue and manning on board ships. Meanwhile, the MAIB has asked the UK Department of Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to increase inspections on ships believed to be undermanned.
Mr. Meyer said that in the last few years, the MAIB has investigated nine other groundings. In six of these, the officer on watch fell asleep.
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Besides industry channels like Lloyds List, the report was also widely quoted in mainstream newspapers and the BBC, with The Telegraph headline “Exhausted Sailors working 98 hour weeks” saying it all. The lead to the article goes on to quote the MAIB, “Exhausted sailors are regularly falling asleep at the helm, turning their ships into "unguided missiles" which could cause a major disaster off the UK coast.”
The Antari grounded off the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland in June 2008 because the officer on watch fell asleep and remained asleep even as the ship ran aground. Calling the accident part of “a continuing and unacceptable trend”, the MAIB says there was no lookout on the bridge at the time of the incident. The officer fell asleep in his chair on the starboard side of the wheelhouse, in front of one of the radar sets.
The MAIB investigation further revealed that the officer had been working six hours on, six hours off for the previous three and a half months, probably in addition to other duties. He was alone on the bridge at the time, and fell asleep for three hours. The Antari was carrying more than 2300 tonnes of scrap when she ran aground. Nearly three quarters of the hull was damaged and dented, and the bottom ruptured.
The MAIB confirms that, contrary to international requirements, no lookout is provided on many ships at night, leaving the officer of the watch alone on a six hour watch. Given the number of accidents that had occurred with officers falling asleep, it was possible to extrapolate that there were more unreported incidents of ships sailing in UK waters with no one awake onboard, the report continued. “It can only be a matter of time before these ‘unguided missiles’ cause a catastrophic accident,” concluded the MAIB.Stephen Meyer, chief inspector of the MAIB, said that seafarer shift patterns were "as close to slavery that we have in the UK. People are working 98 hour weeks, week after week, and they do not have a single night's sleep in that time. They never get more than five hours and the cumulative effect is enormous."
Five years ago, in a 2004 safety report, the MAIB had said that minimal crewing leading to unacceptable levels of fatigue in bridge watch keepers needed to be addressed urgently by the IMO. It now says, “The IMO has failed to address this issue satisfactorily”. The MAIB has taken the “exceptional step of recommending that the UK administration takes unilateral action to ensure the safety of shipping within UK waters and to protect the environment”.
Going further, the MAIB said that, “In the five years since that earlier report, there have been no changes to international standards or requirements to address this issue and similar accidents continue to occur.” The IMO, in turn, confirmed that the UK had submitted a proposal to MSC 84 in 2007 “to the effect that, through amendment of Solas regulation V/14, an auditable procedure for establishing vessels’ safe manning levels should be introduced”.
The MAIB now wants the UK Government to put pressure on the IMO to urgently address the issue of fatigue and manning on board ships. Meanwhile, the MAIB has asked the UK Department of Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to increase inspections on ships believed to be undermanned.
Mr. Meyer said that in the last few years, the MAIB has investigated nine other groundings. In six of these, the officer on watch fell asleep.
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