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Alarm raised over‘personnel’ plans

Plans to create a new category of people onboard ships,  ‘industrial personnel’, have sparked top-level warnings from several shipping organisations.

The proposals to produce an official definition of industrial personnel, together with associated safety requirements, have been drafted by a working group and were tabled at the International Maritime Organisation last month.

Delegates at the maritime safety committee heard that the plans had been developed in response to the ‘urgent need’ to develop regulations covering the safe carriage of more than 12 industrial personnel,  mainly technicians and support staff,  on international voyages in the growing offshore energy sector.

The new category does not meet the traditional SOLAS Convention definitions of ‘passengers’ or ‘crew’, the meeting was told. Those defined as industrial personnel,  who are being transported or accommodate onboard for the purpose of ‘offshore industrial activities’ and ‘whose main work activities may not be onboard the ship’,  will meet appropriate medical standards, have a ‘fair knowledge’ of the ship and its safety equipment, and will have appropriate personal safety equipment, the draft circular stated.

But, speaking on behalf of the International Federation of Ship Masters Associations, Nautilus senior national secretary Allan Graveson urged the committee to treat the proposals with extreme caution and said industrial workers deserved the same level of safety as passengers.

We do believe that amending SOLAS to give a third category of person is a very dangerous precedent,’ he added.

Worries were also raised at last month’s Nautilus Council meeting. Assistant general secretary Marcel van den Broek said there were grounds for concern over the potential for the proposals to challenge the Maritime Labour Convention and undermine safety on a large scale.

‘If this paper went through unchallenged, it could open the doors to questionable flag states and others to create all sorts of wild west situations at sea,’ he added. ‘It would be like opening Pandora’s box.’ Council member Jessica Tyson said the Union was right to oppose the plans. ‘These could provide a back door way for unscrupulous operators to not do the right thing,’ she pointed out. ‘There have already been some serious accidents on windfarm boats and the need to mitigate the problems is already very evident.’

And Iain Mackenzie questioned whether adding an additional category beyond crew or passenger would be in the interests of safety. ‘If you are not aware of all the hazards, you are a risk for everyone else onboard,’ he added.

Henk Eijkenaar said he was concerned that the concept of ‘industrial personnel’ could be used on other sorts of ships working in the offshore sector,  such as cablelayers and construction vessels,  at the expense of safety standards.

Mr van den Broek said countries including France and Argentina had also expressed concern about the proposals during the IMO meeting, and while the proposals were not withdrawn, they have been delayed for a few years .

New plans to fight fatigue

Various organisations are participating in a new project examining the effects of different watch patterns on seafarer tiredness. Masters and mates on six vessels are being followed over six weeks, while operating their vessels in a variety of work and rest rotas.

Dutch owners have been seeking to introduce more flexible watch patterns,  especially on those with a two-OOW system.

‘However, this flexibility is now restricted by national legislation that requires seafarers to take a rest after every six hours of work,’ Mr van den Broek explained.

On the positive side, he added, trials suggest that there are better watch patterns and there is also evidence to show that many shipowners are now putting more seafarers on their ships than required by the minimum safe manning requirements.

Henk Eijkenaar said he had served on six-on/six-off rotas for some time and believed the system did not cause problems if it was done properly. And, he cautioned, many ships simply don’t have the accommodation to enable extra crew to be carried.

But Aike Cattie described six on/ six-off as ‘a crazy system’ that left many seafarers with insufficient and inadequate rest, especially when combined with ship movement and noise.

Jessica Tyson said some owners are increasing crew complements because they recognised that ships are safer and more efficient when they are operated by well-rested seafarers.

Stephen Gudgeon said the industry is also under pressure from charterers and insurers to ensure that hours of work and rest regulations are complied with,  especially in the tanker sector.

‘While we want to stick to the rules, the problem is often not with the people onboard but it is about the authorities and the ports themselves not thinking about the implications of their actions and how this impacts on the ship and the seafarers,’ he pointed out.

‘Captains and chief engineers in particular can suffer when ports are badly organised and when we get called on at short notice for long standbys, sent out early, doing bunkers and port entry, and then SIRE inspections.’

Managers warn over crew levels

A call by the international ship managers’ association, InterManager, for a root and branch review of the rules governing minimum safe manning levels has been welcomed by many in the industry.

InterManager warned last month that principles used to determine crewing levels may fail to reflect operational realities, and said it plans to analyse the implications for safety and efficiency, and the impact on the Maritime Labour Convention’s rest hours requirements.

The association, which represents in-house and third-party managers, stressed the need for flag states to examine the manning standards for different vessel types, trade routes and cargo types.

It said the rules stipulate the minimum number of crew required to take a ship safely from one port to another. But, it stressed, the principles were not simply intended to set a crew complement,  they also aim to serve as a mechanism to improve overall operational status.

‘Managers are concerned that these previously agreed minimum manning levels may not be properly reflective of today’s marketplace,’ said president Gerardo Borromeo.

‘For example, a VLCC calling at seven ports a year may have a minimum manning level of 18, but a smaller chemical tanker, calling at over 100 ports in the same period, may be required to operate with a much lower crew complement of say 12.

‘This has concerning implications when you consider the number of ports such a vessel may be visiting in a very short period of time.’

InterManager said it plans to ‘engage with industry stakeholders to consider how best to ensure sustainable and safe manning levels, taking into account the current operating and legislative environment, onboard administrative burdens and fatigue issues’.

Mr Borromeo said managers also want to make progress on the concept of the ‘paperless ship’ to cut the administrative burden faced by seafarers.

‘The burden of administrative tasks falling on seafarers in today’s shipping industry is significant,’ he pointed out. ‘Industry surveys have indicated that the volume of red tape is one of the factors adversely affecting recruitment. InterManager aims to improve this situation not just for today’s seafarers but also for tomorrow’s.’

The association is planning to draw up guidelines aimed at reducing the amount of shipboard paperwork and to improve the flow of form-filling between ship and shore.

(With thanks to the Nautilus Telegraph:  www.nautilusint.org)