Seacurus Bulletin 05/06/2014
MARITIME LABOUR CONVENTION AND SEAFARER NEWS
Human Angle
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has blamed human error and poor judgment for the three collisions that occurred in Singaporean waters earlier this year, but a survey of seafarers conducted by Captain Kuba Szymanski, secretary general of InterManager, shows another side to the story. According to the survey, masters complained about small traffic, local vessels not equipped with AIS and not reporting to VTS.
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EU Defence
The European Union ambassador to the Philippines is coming to the defense of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) “There are attempts to undermine Marina through spreading of misinformation and rumours. Some people want [Marina Administrator] Mr. [Maximo] Mejia to be fired. I have respect for Marina, and I am confident that when Emsa comes for the audit in October 2014, they will see a significant improvement", said Ambassador Guy Ledoux.
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MLC Expansion
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said it will push for the expansion of the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) of 2006 to provide more protection for seafarers worldwide during the 103rd International Labor Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland. POEA Administrator Hans Cacdac said among the proposed amendments to the MLC is the inclusion of financial security in case of death or long-term disability.
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New Centre
The Mission to Seafarers is (MtS) has opened the new International Drop-in Centre (IDIC) in Jurong Port Singapore on Tuesday. The newly refurbished centre has been upgraded and relocated from another part of the port, and is now a thoroughly modern and spacious facility where seafarers who come into Singapore can find rest and support from MtS’s dedicated team of maritime welfare professionals.
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Seafarer Comms
Airbus Defence and Space will highlight the benefits to crew welfare of its innovative new BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) solution for the XChange communications management platform at Posidonia 2014. Introduced earlier this year, the BYOD solution enables crew to use their own devices on board for voice and data communication, seamlessly with Pharostar VSAT, FleetBroadband or Iridium OpenPort. The BYOD Solution combines the latest WiFi technology.
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Reshaped Business
Compania Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV) announced in a statement that starting 1 July, it will reorganise its structure by separating each of its business units. CSAV will see all activities related to the containerised cargo business get integrated under one subsidiary company to operate the container liner services. The operations of CSAV liner services will be transferred to Norasia Container Lines and Empresa de Transporte Sudamericana Austral Ltda.
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PIRACY AND MARITIME SECURITY NEWS
NATO Extension
NATO officials this week decided to extend NATO’s counter-piracy operation until the end of 2016 as Somali pirates continue to threaten ships transiting the Horn of Africa region. Operation Ocean Shield works closely with other naval forces patrolling the Indian Ocean including US-led maritime forces, called Combined Task Force 151, and EU naval forces. It includes ships from Spain, Italy and Turkey operating covering an area greater than 2 million square miles.
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Common Attacks
A deadly pirate raid on a Bahraini fishing dhow has sparked a surge in reports of similar incidents in the Gulf. Indian Embassy first Secretary Ram Singh told the GDN that diplomats had been shocked to receive alarming accounts from Asian crew members suggesting such attacks were "routine". It follows an incident last month in which Indian fishing captain Thomas Glattus Soosai was shot dead by pirates, who boarded the Bahraini fishing dhow.
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Security Competence
Maritime security should be regulated through an EU wide policy to avoid a costly plethora of national standards, says leading maritime security company GoAGT. Gerry Northwood OBE, COO of GoAGT, said: “At the moment EU member states are legislating independently and creating an incoherent patch work of regulations across Europe for private maritime security services. Collectively these are expensive to implement and are a burden to shipping.
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Malacca Patrols
After a spate of piracy attacks, four Navy patrol boats are searching around the clock in the Malacca Strait, while a number of Navy patrol aircraft have been placed on standby to patrol the increasingly pirate afflicted area. There is major concern in the rise of attacks, as it was considered that ship hijackings had been all but eliminated in the Malacca Strait in recent years.
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Cyber Threats
The maritime sector’s evolving technologies and inter-connectivity has become a double-edged sword similar to other industries. An increasing reliance on these systems and equipment makes us more vulnerable should they be lost or compromised. Being ahead of vulnerabilities affecting navigation, machine and engine control, cargo operations and communications is a challenge. Cyber security awareness in the maritime sector has been at a relatively low level.
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ENDS
Daily news feed provide by Seacurus Ltd – providers of MLC crew insurance solutions www.seacurus.com
Best regards,
S Jones
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