Maritime Safety News Today – 8 November 2007

Golden Nori Updates

South Korean sailor released by Somali pirates; 22 other Asian …
International Herald Tribune – France
The sailor — one of two South Koreans aboard the Golden Nori — returned home with South Korean officials this week, an official at the Foreign Ministry said …

Pirates: US Navy Offers To Help Philippine Seamen Held Hostage In …
Pacific News Center – USA
Meanwhile, the Japanese company Dorval Kaiun KK, the owner of the hijacked chemical tanker MV Golden Nori told reporters in a press statement in Tokyo, …

Philippine official says crew members of Japanese ship hijacked …
International Herald Tribune – France
The Golden Nori was seized by pirates Sunday. “Because of a lack of central control, we have no (Somali) government to talk to to ask for information. …

Filipino captain in hijacked ship contacts family–DFA
Inquirer.net – Philippines
By Veronica Uy MANILA, Philippines — The Filipino captain of the hijacked chemical tanker Golden Nori has contacted members of his family and told themOther News

Other News 

Barge carrying coal hits reef in La Union
GMA news.tv – Quezon City,Metro Manila,Philippines
QTV reported Wednesday that the vessel hit the seabed of San Fernando Bay amid rough waters. Typhoon “Kabayan” (international code name: Peipah) had

‘Erroneous’ nautical mapping blamed for cruise ship accident
TravelMole – London,England,UK
Incorrect mapping information has been blamed by Louis Hellenic Cruises for the sinking of the cruise ship Sea Diamond off Santorini in April.

Arroyo orders probe into illegal hiring of 9 Pinoy sailors
GMA news.tv – Quezon City,Metro Manila,Philippines
The Filipino seafarers reportedly seized control of a fishing vessel UAICSIXA, and took hostage of their captain after complaining of maltreatment and

COMMUNIQUE FORUM OF DIALOGUE ON GIBRALTAR
gibfocus.gi – Gibraltar
Comprehensive cooperation in maritime safety and environment issues constitutes an important part of the agreed future agenda of the Forum.

Headwind Of “Huh?” And Death In Spaces

The Viking Islay incident has sharpened up concern about the continuing number of fatalities in enclosed spaces aboard ships. The Maritime Accident Investigators International Forum, MAIIF, has got the bit between its teeth for a submission to the IMO. Talking to maritime investigators regularly what comes through is a sense of frustration at being called upon to investigate the same sort of incidents, with the same type of fatalities, time and time again. Their job, after all, is to find out the lessons to be learned from such incidents and disseminate those lessons throughout the industry, but not enough people seem to be listening.

What is especially tragic is that all too often seafarers die trying to save others who have got into trouble in enclosed spaces, often officers whose responsibilities include supervision and enforcement of safe entry procedures.

So what on earth is going on?

At the heart of this problem is competency, or competency assurance, a concept that seems to be having a hard time against a headwind of “huh?” from the industry. Competence is the ability to carry out a task safely to a given standard.

Successfully completing a course in, say, enclosed space entry, on board, on shore, online or on a computer doesn’t assure the seafarer’s competency in the workplace. It certainly doesn’t provide any assurance that a seafarer will remain competent in six months or a year’s time. People forget, they acquire bad habits, both of which feature in The Case Of The Silent Assassin. Sometimes they haven’t been adequately trained or simply don’t understand what an enclosed space actually is or where the danger comes from.

If there is to be a solution to the continuing unnecessary deaths of seafarers it must be holistic. It has to start with onboard assessment of seafarer competency to identify the training needs that will keep them alive.

It’s a fairly commonsense approach but one which the industry has yet to accept but until it does seafarers will go on dying in the numbers they do now.