mv RENA, MSC Chartered ship for Australia/New Zealand service and her schedules.

In a press release issued a few days ago by MSC, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A in an unsigned note on their webpage said to the effect that they were only the charterers, they did not have anything to do with the navigation of the RENA:-

http://www.mscgva.ch/news/news_detail_eid_403_lid_2.html

However, it is surprising that the media in New Zealand and Australia have not picked up on the schedules set by MSC for their ships, chartered, managed, owned orotherwise. Take a look here at ther "Capricorn" service:-

http://www.mscaustralia.com/schedules/vessel_schedule_import_oz.html

10-11 ports rotation in 13-14 days is inhuman and probably impossible given the rules and regulations supposed to be followed onboard ships. Those who set these gruelling schedules knew this and know this and are again probably from MSC - but hey, they are not responsible, as charterers, right?

Wrong.

Do the maths. With the Master and Chief Officer awake throughout port stays plus approaching and leaving portplus while at sea plus for all sorts of other responsibilities, it would be fair to assume that by the time the RENA was approaching TAURANGA and/or the Astrolabe, things were pretty much knackered on board as far as rest hour regulations were concerned. the other officers, probably junior 2nd Mate and 3rd Mate, would not have had too much rest either.

A look at the time sheets before they go into the ocean would be of interest. If, however, the timesheets as well as the data from the various data recorders onboard can not be salvaged, then some simple maths working things backwards with available records in ports can be done.

And then, after that, find out who were the wonder boys and girls who laid out schedules of the sort that the MSC Capricorn Service boasts of.

For a country, New Zealand, where dirt on shoes can attract penalties for tourists, letting schedules of this sort endanger the complete environmental balance can only make me, a seafarer from far away and simpler India, look on in amazement. Was there nobody in the whole of New Zealand's maritime administration that noted this simple truth - schedules which simply broke every rest hour and logical rule about ship operations?

At the end of the day, it is fatigue in so many cases of incidents at sea - but what are the responsibilities of those setting the schedules, then? The Master and 2nd Mate will no doubt get it in the neck and probably be laid up for life, but what about the more experienced shore staff, who put them on this amazingly intense schedule, with its tragic consequnces?

It is difficult not to get emotional when you see a proud ship breaking her back, helplessly, in a part of the world which one has wonderful memories of.

But the realities are that the schedules set by MSC for the RENA and the other ships on their Capricorn Service were and still are brutal. And they are still on the same brutal schedules, ongoing. And it appears as though governance in New Zealand is doing nothing about it, the real cause.

Readers may wish to take a look at this previous post on the subject of maritime fatigue:-

http://matescabin.blogspot.com/2010/11/fatigue-at-sea-lllloooong-post.html

mv RENA (MSC chartered container ship aground in New Zealand) / AMSA reports

https://www.amsa.gov.au/Shipping_Safety/Port_State_Control/Ship_Detention/201107.asp





Ship name:RENA
IMO:8806802
Flag:LIBERIA
Ship type:container ship
GT:37209
Deadweight:
Year keel laid:1989
Cargo type:containers
Classification Society:American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)
ISM issuing authority:Germanischer Lloyd (GL)
Last special survey:04.2010
IMO registered owner:5567387
Registered owner:Daina Shipping Co, LIBERIA
IMO company:1996297
ISM company:Ciel Shipmanagement SA, GREECE
Charterer:MSC Australia
Date time of detention:21.07.2011 @ 14:00
Port of detention:Fremantle, WA, AUSTRALIA
Date time of release:22.07.2011 @ 20:15
Port of release:Fremantle, WA, AUSTRALIA
Detention period:1 d 6 h 15 min
Delayed beyond scheduled sailing time:0 d 14 h 15 min
Recognised organisation attended:Yes
ISM issuing authority attended:No
Serious deficiencies related to RO:Hatchway cover securing arrangements defective.
Incorrectly tensioned quick action cleat for hatch cover
Cracked compression rubber pad and rusted adjustment thread and not on quick acting cleat
Serious deficiencies relating to ISM:Nil.
Other serious deficiencies:Cargo not stowed and secured as per cargo securing manual.
Securing pins for lashing bar not original
Vessel has not been maintained between surveys.
Conditions of release:MF/HF radio equipment, hatch cover securing arrangements & cargo securing equipment to be permanently repaired as per Flag dispensation.

Captain Prem Kumar, TS Rajendra 1980-81, Master RAK AFRIKANA

Passed away in Delhi a few days ago due to accumulated effects of torture and stress caused in the course of a year under piracy off Somalia. Brave man survived by his braver wife and children.


Full report follows, subject to sensitivities of the family to be cleared first from family, and close batchmates.


Whatever, he got his ship's complement back home, safe and sound.


Captain Prem Kumar, aapko, topi uttaar. Up over there, my guru, Captain Ramdas K. Menon, who had immense faith in you and told me so, must be proud though sad, too.


How much more will we tolerate from an insensitive, corrupt and thoroughly compromised administration, which will not think twice about playing with lives also?


Today - all of us know atleast 2-3 people who will not go back to sea. Do we know what this means??

Anti-Piracy - what do YOU want??

Ok, so one has been attending a few seminars and conferences on the issue of piracy, mainly one-way gab-fests which don't merit even a passing mention - since they seem to be monopolised by people who are not necessarily old but are certainly behind times in their approaches to reality. For example, the BIGGEST flaw in these seminars and conferenes is that the actual seafarer on the frontline of piracy does not have a simple voice.

In addition, there are these meetings and discussions held at various levels in governance, the notes and reports on which come out partially in the media a few days later and on the RTI boards after some time - when they aren't "leaked" by assorted interested parties. As of now, barring some rapid steps taken by the Indian Navy when they were finally given the brief, the rest is of not much real good. Oh yes, the Foreign Ministry diplomats are doing a good job too, somewhere, but that's always under wraps, till wikileaks brings those out.

In a way, that's good - the anti-piracy movement ashore could do with some more discretion too. But that's as long as there IS an anti-piracy movement. Which, even if it is, does not seem to be filtering down to the seafarers on the ships.

As a result, courtesy the rapid evolution of social media onboard, natural progression to the way it has moved ashore - some of us who have been more than vocal on the subject are receiving inputs from seafarers who would otherwise not have a voice. Even this, cloaked behind earnest requests for anonymity, is rare. But it seems to be growing.

Here are some examples;-

1) Facebook seems to have a few groups on the subject already, some are open to all, some are closed and some are by invitation. Once in, the discussions are fairly controlled, but the message gets across - there seems to be no shortage of people who will not go into the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean piracy impacted areas in a hurry. However, poverty worldwide being what it is, reality and truth is that there are others willing to go in too.

2) On Indian seafarers, I have seen a rise in the statistics on my blog and articles pertaining to piracy, on this blog and elsewhere. Even older articles are being read, and re-read - and then distributed further or linked ahead. That feels good, too.

3) Most importantly, I have to word this carefully, assume a scenario (like in orals . . .) where I have also had access to a few email messages to the effect that - we or my spouse/son are on such-and-such ship which is heading into the piracy area, we have not got any anti-piracy measures on board other than fire hose and some barbed wire, we do not want to sail but the owners/managers are telling us they will give us a DR and play around with our wages. On top of that, the ship is in terrible shape and there are rumours that the owner has sold it, taken huge insurance and is now purposely moving into an insurance game.

And so, I have sent such and such photos and such and such scanned documents to such and such person, and if something happens to me then please make sure they are published but only if something bad really happens to me.

What would you do in my place, dear reader?

+++

The power of social media can not and should not be under estimated by the regulators, owners, operators, classification societies, flag states, port states and everybody else involved.

Views invited.