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Introduction
This month has been about reorganizing and reviewing the way forward after the ExCo Meeting of September. The Secretariat has had a meeting to discuss what they believe are important points and what needs to be addressed at the forthcoming Strategy Meeting at HQ in December of this year.
In addition, from this month forward the work of the other members of the Secretariat will be included so that everyone is aware of the work conducted by HQ.
IMO
01 – 05 October 2012. Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) – 64th Session. Regrettably, for the first time this year there was no one available to attend this meeting and record the contents. This was unfortunate and once again highlights the need for a dedicated group of persons who are able to cover should the Secretary General not be available.
IMO – Legal Committee – Preservation of Evidence
The original paper was titled “Draft guidelines on the collation and preservation of evidence following an allegation of a serious crime having taken place on board a ship or following a report of a missing person from a ship, and pastoral and medical care of victims” [LEG 99/INF.2]
The response to this paper has been completed and submitted by Charles Boyle of Nautilus International to the IMO on behalf of IFSMA. A paper has also been tabled by the RMT. It has many of the items of concern raised by IFSMA but comes more from a trade union point of view and a UK perspective.
The response to this paper will be interesting as IFSMA has taken the lead and challenged the paper and also the exposure of the Master in respect of this matter.
Annual National Service for Seafarers
Mrs Roberta Howlett attended this event at St Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday, 10 October 2012 on behalf of IFSMA.
Strategy Meeting - Executive Council - London 19 – 20 December 2012
At the ExCo Meeting of September it was decided that a strategy meeting should be held to identify the way ahead.
Communications have been sent out to all ExCo members requesting their attendance and also for papers in respect of the content of this meeting.
The Secretariat will provide a list of bullet points that they believe are required to be addressed. This will complement the papers received from ExCo Members.
At this meeting, on the 20th the IMO Secretary General Mr. Koji Sekimizu will attend a buffet lunch at which time he will receive his Honorary Membership of IFSMA.
IFSMA Workshop in Manila Nov 2012
The FOCUS DAY has a full set of speakers for the event which is centred on the ISPS Code and raises a number of questions on how successful it has been and the direction it is now taking.
It is hoped that a number of delegates will attend from the various memberships of IFSMA to support this event and make it more successful than last year.
A number of logistical issues have been resolved and that these should result in the proceedings being completed. There is a feedback session in respect of the FOCUS DAY at the main conference. This has been scheduled for the end of the day just before the conference breaks up so I do expect there to be a large attendance.
Linked to this event it is hoped that the President Christer Lindvall, myself and Vice President Hans Sande will have meetings with AMUSOP and FILCAPTS during our stay in Manila to discuss the future and other issues that affect IFSMA.
Safety4Sea Forum in Athens October 2012
This was a very successful event where the Paper presented was well received and raised a number of discussion points.
IFSMA was also given free advertising at the event as a supporter of the event, and this was displayed on all materials as well as on the delivery platform of the event.
Great interest was expressed regarding the Paper dealing with criminalization of the seafarer and in particular the Master. A large number of delegates attending were not aware of the situations that exist and how exposed seafarers are.
At the end of the presentation 100 business cards were made available for those who wanted to follow up on any of the items raised. All 100 were taken.
It is regrettable that it was not possible to meet with the Greek Shipmasters’ Association. A number of members were in attendance and it was possible to speak with them. Although they were positive about the benefits of joining IFSMA they said they held no sway over any possible future progress between IFSMA and their organization.
4th Maritime Piracy & Security Summit in London January 2013
IFSMA has been invited and accepted the invitation to speak at this conference. This is the second year of participation, but the first year for IFSMA. Once again this is an important summit to ensure that IFSMA is known and the work that it does.
At present discussions are being held to identify the theme of the Paper, but it is moving onto other security issues and not just piracy. One of the topics will be the preservation of evidence on board ship and the burden placed on the Master. IFSMA is already involved in this issue with Charles Boyle, Director of Legal Affairs Nautilus International, and myself are attending the IMO on the work being progressed.
Reports and updates will be made as this matter progresses.
New IMO Training Project
This took place on 3rd September at the IMO and a full report was attached to the September report.
A letter of thanks for attendance and input was received from the IMO. At this time there has been no further communication on this matter
ECDIS Technical Group
The meeting was held on 9th October 2012 at the OCIMF HQ. There is an paper attached on the way the day went.
The main point in question is that the Nautical Institute wants to produce a book to support the checklist for the type specific / familiarization of ECDIS on board ship. This is on top of the IMO Model Course 1.27.
The NI will only coordinate the book and each chapter of approximately 3000 words will be written by an organization or individual who is a member of said organization. At present it is not clear what the benefits are from taking part and if IFSMA would receive any royalties from such a venture.
This matter has been circulated to the President and all other ExCo members. As of writing this report only the President has replied to the Secretariat.
Danish Maritime Organisation visit to London – October 2012
Office staff from the Danish Maritime Organisation held a one day seminar at HQ. The Secretariat arranged the appropriate meeting room, refreshments and lunch for the day.
It is hoped that other Associations will take note of this and perhaps use the facilities, if available, to foster future events. IFSMA is able to organize the meeting rooms and equipment free of charge and can also provide buffet lunches at a very good price. There are no administrative charges for any work undertaken by IFSMA in supporting such events, and there are a number of hotels close by which can be used.
Sidelights Article
Tom Bradley from the Council of American Master Mariners requested an article for their publication ‘Sidelights’, which has been written and forwarded to him. The main thrust of the article is in respect of the criminalization of the seafarer.
The articles will be available to all IFSMA members on the website. The contents are aimed at an American audience, so this has to be taken into consideration when reading the contents.
DVD on Fair Treatment of Seafarers
IFSMA has been approached by Seafarers’ Rights International to be part of the Steering Committee for a forthcoming DVD to be produced by VIDEOTEL. This has been agreed and it is hoped that the work will be completed by April 2013.
The first meeting of the Steering Committee will take place at Videotel offices on 6th November 2012 at 0930 hours. It is envisaged that a further two meetings will take place.
Initiative on NGO Work Group
This is an initiative for NGOs and other organizations involved in the rights of seafarers to work together to enhance the working life of seafarers. It is not another working group that has a rigid formula for existence but more of a loose association where certain organizations can come together to support each other and progress important issues.
The position of IFSMA is to host the initial meeting to explore whether this can work or not and how it would be structured.
However, it has been brought to the attention of HQ, that upon hearing of this project the Nautical institute is progressing its own initiative on this matter. Only time will tell how this progresses, but the central focus must not be on who does what but that seafarers of all ranks have their life improved.
Irish Institute of Master Mariners
There have been on-going discussions of developing further ties with this Association and to also form links with the Maritime College at Cork. These discussions are in the early stages, but it is hoped that further developments will take place and that these will be reported in later issues of this report.
There is also an opportunity for IFSMA through IIMM to forge links with Maritime Ireland and look towards planning a Seminar/Conference in Cork at a future date.
Branch Membership
There was a successful meeting with the Turkish Ocean-going Masters’ Association about joining IFSMA, and we await to hear from them in due course. Paul Owen was responsible for this initiative and a full report was made to the ExCo Meeting held last month.
Also, I am very pleased to report that the Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union recently joined IFSMA. It is thanks to the ExCo members who assisted in this matter and brought this to a satisfactory conclusion.
With each Association joining it is a matter of identifying others who can be approached. The long term goal must be to have Member Associations in as many countries as possible to truly represent the Ship Masters of the world.
HQ Renovation
As a result of the ExCo meeting in September and the forthcoming Strategy Meeting in December of this year, it has been decided to suspend all renovation work until such time as final decisions are reached and the way ahead can be clearly marked out.
Notice of AGA and Call for Papers
The Notice of Annual General Assembly was sent out during the month. Unfortunately, due to a clash of events, the date has since had to be adjusted to one week later and this very important IFSMA event will now take place on Tuesday 16th and Wednesday 17th June in Melbourne, Australia. A revised notice has been sent by Email. The AGA will be held in conjunction with the Company of Master Mariners of Australia “2nd Master Mariners Australia Biennial Congress” which we will join on the Wednesday afternoon and which continues on the Thursday and Friday.
The Call for Papers for the 39th Annual General Assembly was also sent out with a deadline of 15th January. Summaries may be sent initially if members have difficulty submitting the complete paper by the deadline.
For further information on the AGA, or Call for Papers, please contact headquarters.
Future reports will expand on the items listed above and new projects as they are initiated. It is hoped that in the near future more feedback will be received from Associations and Individual Members so that new projects and matters can be discussed and hopefully progressed.
Captain John W. Dickie
Secretary General IFSMA
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