Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) Chief Executive Officer Graham Peachey said the outcomes were historic and a major achievement for the new National System for Domestic Commercial Vessels, which will come into effect on July 1."For the first time there will be single national standards for competency for seafarers and safe operation of vessels operating in near-coastal waters, and the ability to implement these standards nationally," Mr Peachey said.

"In addition, the Council also agreed another ground breaking initiative: new national accreditation arrangements for marine surveyors. For the first time in Australia, domestic commercial vessel surveyors will operate under a single consistent arrangement."

"The new standards move us from eight different systems to one whilst maintaining a strong safety culture."

The new arrangements for crew competencies under Part D of the National Standards for Commercial Vessels (NSCV) will include competency based training to ensure candidates have greater exposure to practical on-board skills.Seafarers will be able to use their new national certificates to work anywhere in Australia without needing to have them reassessed by state and territory maritime jurisdictions, cutting out unnecessary red tape.

Regulation of crewing requirements will now be covered by Part E of the NSCV. Under new enhanced regulatory obligations, vessel operators will be responsible for addressing risk through implementing safety management plans and practical guidelines, which will be rigorously overseen by AMSA.

The unanimous agreement follows three years of extensive national consultation through industry reference groups involving representatives from the oil and gas industry, the fishing and ferry industries, seafarer trade unions, aquaculture representatives and cargo operators.

Source: AMSA

They are particularly interested in the availability of internet facilities on board ships.

They have set up an internet based survey for seafarers to complete and the result will be presented to a Conference in early June.

The results of such a survey would be of interest and could assist in securing the wider availability of internet facilities for seafarers on board ships.

The survey can be completed by logging into:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SeafarerSurvey

Source: AMOU

Fortunately some times there are some good news, because a handful of ports are able to offer a free internet connection to seafarers. One of these is the Port of Montreal, which, thanks to this service, has won the International Association of Ports and Harbors' (IAPH) bronze 2013 Port Communications Award. The prize recognizes a project that provides free Wi-Fi on Port of Montreal territory to seafarers whose ships are docked in port. The service allows mariners to connect more easily with family and friends back home.

The IAPH has presented its biennial awards at its 28th World Ports Conference held in Los Angeles from May 6 to 10. Gaιtan Vigneault, the port's director of information technology, accepted the award on behalf of the Montreal Port Authority and the team that implemented the project.

"Our secure and multifunctional Wi-Fi system covers the entire Port ofMontreal territory," Mr. Vigneault said. "Teamwork was behind its successful implementation, which required a multitude of technologies for infrastructure, Internet connectivity and communications itself, and security, log-in and firewall software."

The Port of Montreal provides seafarers with a log-in identification and password so that they can connect to the Internet anywhere on port territory, from Citι du Havre to Contrecoeur.

The free Wi-Fi service allows seafarers to connect with their loved ones 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, via email, Skype and social media without having to leave their ship.

This is just a starting point, but the ITF Trust hopes that other ports can soon follow this example.

Source: ITF

She was "completely surrounded" the moment she was seized by Somali pirates, she recalled during an interview on TODAY.

"Yelling, screaming, hitting windshields with AK-47s. Guns in my face, and then we just take off driving through the desert into God only knows where."

"They never treated us humanely," she said. "A lot of times I just felt like an animal put on display."

For more information and to watch the interview, click here.

Source: Today News

This year's theme for Day of the Seafarer is Faces of the Sea. It is a natural evolution from last yearʼs successful theme of ʻIt came by sea and I canʼt live without itʼ. Fundamentally it moves the theme to bringing the campaign back to the unsung heroes of shipping - the seafarers themselves and literally spotlights the human face of shipping and the sacrifices that seafarers make.

IMO invites seafarers to participate for the success of this campaign and voice their support using social media.

"Take a picture of yourself, or ask a colleague to take it, from a ship while working at sea or in port in a situation that surprises, or that inspires those that rarely consider what its like to be at sea. Post to any of the IMO's social media channels, telling us how many days you have spent at sea this year and why you posted this picture."

IMO's message to seafarers continues: "But this is just a small glimpse of what we have in store, so stay tuned for more information on how to get involved, our toolkits will be available in a few days."

"In the meantime, feel free to download our campaign's branding and start spreading the words."

Find more information on how to participate here.

Source: IMO

By way of clarification and for owners guidance the financial security requirements which will become effective in August 2013 are set out below.

Standard A2.5 - Repatriation

This Standard and accompanying Guidelines provide that seafarers are repatriated at no cost to themselves and shipowners shall provide financial security for the liabilities contained in the Standard.  All clubs considered the provisions on repatriation in case of insolvency.  The Japan P& I Club boards subsequently agreed that they would provide repatriation cover for insolvency risks on a non-poolable basis.

This Standard does not include a provision on outstanding unpaid wages following abandonment.  Liability for unpaid wages following abandonment is a feature of the principles agreed in the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2009.  These principles are not applicable at this stage and there is no requirement in the MLC 2006 to provide financial security by way of insurance cover for unpaid wages.  The ILO principles are subject to further discussion and negotiation and to take this forward ILO has scheduled a meeting for April 2014.  It will then take several years for the principles to be considered in ILO, finalised and implemented in MLC Member States.   The current position, however, is that unpaid wages are not covered by the MLC and there is no requirement to provide financial security for such unpaid wages.

Regulation 4.2 - Shipowners' Liability (for sickness, injury or death)

This financial security requirement is limited to incidents that are broadly already covered by the Clubs in respect of death or long term disability of seafarers.  To clarify the cover that Clubs have had in place for some, in 2009 clubs adopted a policy decision to waive the pay to be paid and retrospective withdrawal of cover rules for valid seafarer death and personal injury claims and with the introduction of that policy decision and the rule changes introduced at the entry into force of the MLC Club cover is MLC compliant.

Standard 1.4 Recruitment and Placement

There has been some misunderstanding as to the requirements on owners and insurers as regards recruitment.  The MLC does not introduce a requirement on owners to provide financial security in respect of the recruitment of seafarers.  The MLC imposes duties and obligations on States Parties to the convention and agencies involved in recruitment and placement services may be subject to specific licencing requirements, but this is a matter for each State Party to consider when implementing the Convention.

Standard 2.2 Wages

It has been suggested that that the MLC introduces an obligation on owners to maintain financial security for unpaid wages.  As noted above in the context of insolvency this is incorrect.  The MLC does not introduce a requirement on owners to provide financial security for the payment of wages.  It does, however, introduce obligations on States Parties and in turn States will require owners to ensure seafarers are paid.  This does not require owners to meet their obligation to pay wages through the provision of financial security.

Other matters

The International Group of P&I Clubs has contacted each of the 38 States Parties to ask whether their administrations will accept a Certificate of Entry as evidence of the owners financial security (in respect of Standards 2.5 and 4.2).  To date such confirmation has been received from Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Kiribati, Liberia, St Kitts & Nevis, Marshall Islands, Malta, Switzerland Tuvalu and the UK.  Some States have not yet developed their implementing legislation and others have not yet considered the issue.  Engagement with the remaining States on his issue is continuing.  To date no State has said they will refuse a Certificate of Entry.

Source: Japan P&I Club

The Black Sea is one of the most dangerous places on earth to be a seafarer, and is the focus of an intensive ITF campaign to increase safety and drive up standards. This action is the latest move in that campaign, and will involve joint inspection teams made up of ITF inspectors and union activists visiting ships in Black Sea ports.

There are around 2,400 vessels working the Black Sea, many of which are over 20 years of age, and around 800 are over 30 years old. The shipping market is characterised by ancient vessels moving low value goods, with rock bottom and unpaid wages where sinkings are not uncommon, and the risk of death and injury is deemed to be part of the job. This action will seek to expose such unacceptable conditions and bring them to the attention of the public and governments - to put them on notice that things will have to change with the coming into force on 20 August 2013 of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006.

ITF acting general secretary Steve Cotton commented: "Some of the worst ships in the world are to be found plying the Black Sea. Work conditions are often shameful and safety non-existent. The human cost is enormous."

He continued:  "This event is intended to shine a light on malpractice and make seafarers aware of their rights and how to exercise them under the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006."

To view the June 2012 report Black Sea of Shame, click here.

Source: ITF

The MLC is an ancillary of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention established as the fourth pillar of the international maritime law embodying various extant international maritime labour conventions and recommendations, as well as the fundamental principles to be found in other international labour Conventions.

The code of the convention contains five titles: 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 as well as compliance and enforcement.

The advantage of the agreement to Nigeria is that it will benefit young Nigerians who will get employment as seafarers in the international seafaring business.

There are already 4,362 Nigerians who are currently working on board international ships across the globe. The domestication will further give them coverage on all the items in the convention's code.

The Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku said  for seven years Nigeria was unable to domesticate the agreement despite the various advantages attached to doing so.

Source: Nigeria News Daily

You can also read about the Nigerian ships' risk of detention in the article

Nigerian ships risk detention under new enforcement law

Whilst the minimum standards contained in the MLC should be met by shipowners, planning will be required to ensure compliance with the new certification, inspection and record keeping requirements. The Britannia Club recommends to work with flag state and classification society to ensure compliance with the provisions of the MLC. A checklist, reproduced with ISF permission, to help shipowners ensure MLC compliance is included in the Bulletin.

Ships

All ships over 500 GT engaged in international voyages, must be certified as being MLC compliant.The requirements do not apply to ships which navigate exclusively in inland waters.

Seafarers

The MLC applies to all seafarers. Where there is any doubt as to whether particular categories of persons are to be regarded as "seafarers", the matter must be determined by the flag state after consultation with the relevant shipowners' and seafarers' organisations. Repair and maintenance squads, for example, who spend prolonged periods on board the ship may be regarded by the competent authorities to be seafarers under the MLC.

Certification

Ships greater than 500 GT trading internationally will need a Maritime Labour Certificate and a Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance (DMLC: see below) issued by the flag state and kept on board as well as displayed in a conspicuous place accessible by the crew.

The Maritime Labour Certificate

The Maritime Labour Certificate will follow an inspection by a recognised organization (RO) to ensure compliance with the MLC's standards in accordance with the flag state's national laws.

Certificates are valid for a maximum period of five years with the requirement for intermediate inspections to be held between the second and third year anniversary dates.

DMLC

In addition to the Maritime Labour Certificate there is also a requirement to carry on board and maintain a DMLC.The purpose of the DMLC is to ensure continual compliance with MLC standards, and to assist inspectors in checking that national requirements are properly implemented.

To view the Brittannia P&I Club Maritime Labour Convention bulletin, click here.

Source: Britannia P&I Club

Lloyd's provides guidance to underwriters on the classification of business into various categories using a risk coding scheme which provides a common basis for the classification and description of risk.

The Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) will enter into force on 20 August 2013. MLC stipulates that seafarers have the right to be repatriated at no cost to themselves "in the event of the shipowner not being able to continue to fulfil their legal obligations as an employer of the seafarers by reason of insolvency".

Lloyd's has agreed to exempt the underwriting of the costs of repatriation of abandoned seafarers, following insolvency of the shipowner, from the rules governing Financial Guarantee. However, individual syndicates will need to obtain express approval from Lloyd's Performance Management Directorate (PMD) to write this business.

PMD has agreed to introduce a new risk code for Seafarers Abandonment. This code will be affective from 1st January 2014. All policies which incept on or after this date should be coded using the revised risk code, together with any returns submitted to Lloyd's.

For more information, click here.

Last month, Seacurus launched CrewSEACURE, a new insurance policy to indemnify seafarers in the event of the financial default of their employers which, for the first time, offers recompense in respect of unpaid crew wages. The policy will enable all employers of seafarers to meet their regulatory obligations under the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC), which enters force on 20th August, 2013.

Source: Lloyd's, Crewseacure