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CSU, JSU meet on projects
to educate Chinese seafarers

Officers from the JSU and Dockers unions rally against Dowa Line on Feb. 5, 2010.

81st ITF FOC/POC campaign held
From Feb. 1-4, the 81st ITF Eastern Asia FOC/POC Campaign
was staged at 42 ports in 15 districts across Japan.
The JSU worked alongside theJapanese Confederation of Portand Harbor Transport Workers’
Unions (Koun Domei) and the
National Federation of Dockworkers Union of Japan (SenkokuKowan) as well as seafarer anddockworker unions of South
Korea, Taiwan and Russia.
During the campaign, protests
were staged against SinotransNagoya and Heyperion, which had
rejected onboard inspections byrolling up accommodation ladders
and other equipment.

Protests were also staged against
Kotoku Kaiun and Dowa Line on
Feb. 2 and Feb. 5, respectively.

and dockworkers organized agroup protest against Kotoku
Kaiun at its head office.

(I) Campaign activities(1) Number of ships that underwent onboard inspections: 116(2) Number of ships that promised to comply with the International Bargaining Forum (IBF)agreements: four(3) Number of ships that began
negotiations: three(4) Number of ships with crewmembers onboard that were helpedin resolving complaints: three(III) Dowa LineOn Feb. 5, a group of 62 Japanese
seafarers as well as port and harbor workers protested in front of
Dowa Line’s headquarters.
The same day, a labor union
from Trinidad and Tobago, amember of the International
Transport Workers’ Federation(ITF), also gave a demonstration,
while ITF inspectors from theUnited States, Canada and Latin
America also conducted onboard
inspections and sent letters ofprotest.

(II) Kotoku Kaiun
On Feb. 2, 37 Japanese seafarers

On Feb. 9, the CSU-JSU Committee for Managing Projects to
Educate Chinese Seafarers helda meeting at the Chinese Seafarers’ Union (CSU)’s headquarters
in Beijing.
Attended by representativesof the JSU, the CSU, the International Mariners Management
Association of Japan (IMMAJ)
and the Dalian International
Maritime Service Co. (DIMSCO), the meeting confirmed various matters relating to the center in Dalian for training andeducating Chinese seamen.
At the start of the meeting,
the CSU-JSU Committee forManaging English-education
Projects for Chinese Seafarers,
an organization for the JSU
and the CSU to discuss projects to educate Chinese seafarers, was renamed the CSU-JSU
Committee for Managing Projects to Educate Chinese Seafarers.

It was followed by discussions
on various matters relating to
the CSU-JSU-IMMAJ China
Dalian Seaman Integrated Training Center, which is currently
under development in Dalian.
It will be a training facility
where Chinese seafarers will beable to learn bridge resource
management (BRM) and English.
It was determined during themeeting that the center would
accommodate 60 students ayear for its English course and
115 students for its BRM
course.
Moreover, it was also agreed
to hold further discussions on
an operation system, the numberof teachers and other workers aswell as training plans, among
other topics.
An opening ceremony for thecenter and an entrance ceremony
for the students will be held on
April 2.

Representatives of the JSU, the CSU, the IMMAJ and DIMSCO meeton Feb. 9 in Beijing.

Left photo: On behalf of the JSU and VGCL (Vietnamese General
Confederation of Labor), JSU Vice President Norimasa Ohuchi distributes graduation certificates and gifts to the trainees.
Top photo: Graduates competing in the English Speech contest.

T

64 seafarers graduate at 23rd VSUP ceremonyo improve the English competency of Vietnamese seafarers
w h o w i l l e ve n t u a l l y b eemployed by the Japanese commercial fleet, the JSU launched an intensive English-language training course in
Haiphong in October 1998 for a class of
20 students.

In December 2000, the class wasenlarged to 40 students, and in December
2002, a similar course commenced in Ho
Chi Minh City for a class of 20 students.
The JSU has been extensively contributing to the improvement of Vietnamese
seamen’s English-language skills.
Meanwhile, the 23rd VSUP graduation

ceremonies were held in Haiphong on
Jan. 27, 2010, and Ho Chi Minh City on
Jan. 28, both of which were attended byrepresentatives from Japan and Vietnam’s
maritime industries.
At the ceremonies, the Japanese andVietnamese organizers of the training
course spoke about the 23rd VSUP Eng-

lish course, honored top performers, andconferred graduation certificates andcommemorative gifts.
Students gave speeches in English toshow how much they had learned overthe previous four months, prior to thecommencement of 64 seafarers from thecourse.

MARITIME NEWS(2)JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

Negotiating crewing costs to weigh heavy on
shipowners as freight, charter rates improveB

etter freight rates mightmean owners will haveto pay more in salaries
for seafarers, despite
owners’ pleas. An improving shipping market could work against
shipowners’ interests when negotiations on minimum pay levels
for seafarers re-open next year at
the International Bargaining
Forum (IBF).
If the encouraging early year
trend for firmer demand and better freight rates is maintained in
2010, the owners’ Joint Negotiating Group might find it hard toplead poverty when confronted
with calls from the International
Transport Worker’s Federation(ITF) for better financial entitlements for seafarers.
During three meetings of the
IBF in 2009, and despite ITF
requests for increases for minimum pay levels, shipowner associations from Europe and Asia andthe Inter national Maritime
Employers Committee, whichmake up the group were able touse the financial crisis as an argument to defer changes to pay scaleagreements.
With increases ruled out until
the end of 2010, it seems certainthat union negotiators will returnto the table with a clear idea about
the increases they would like toachieve – particularly if shipping
demand, and thus freight andcharter rates, continue to improve.
It will be an extra cost burden
for shipowners, who are alreadycoping with increased costs arisingfrom the ratification and adoptionof the Maritime Labor Convention (likely in late 2010 and late2011 respectively).
Giles Heimann, secretary-general of IMEC, described the 2009
negotiations as “difficult but amicable”.
He said that a commitment wasmade to hold meetings in 2010 toreview the bargaining methodology ahead of the opening of formal negotiations in 2011.
“We are happy to sit down anddiscuss the system and see if ourunderstanding of the methodology has diverged.
“This is a breathing space that
we can use and we’re open to areview, to sitting down and seeing
what can be done better,” he told
Fairplay.
He predicted there will be “nomajor changes” to the benchmarking system beyond bringing
descriptions and model manninglevels up to date, and said thatowners would not welcome any
increase in crew costs in the short
to medium term
“While an understanding wasreached during 2009 that pay
reviews would be kept on holduntil the end of 2010, initial indications seem to show that theindustry will not undergo any largechange for the foreseeable future,”
Heimann said.
The October 2010 meeting will
look at the “continued effect of
the financial crisis on the ability of
shipowners to agree to any future
increase in minimum salary levels,” he added.

A moratorium on pay increases
could lead to a drop in recruitment and retention of crew – asituation the industry will aim toavoid as it steers a course throughwhat appears to be the tail-end of
the financial crisis.
IMEC may have its entrenched
position on increases, but it has
proved to be effective at improving conditions for seafarers in thepast.
Through the JNG, IMEC was
the first owners’ organisation toclassify the Gulf of Aden as ahigh-risk area commanding
improved terms for seafarers. It
was followed in this decision bymost other owner associations,but Heimann said no further
extensions were planned.
“We increased the high-risk area
three times over and the irony is if
you look at subsequent attacks,
what you see is the pirates following the ships further and further
offshore. Just increasing the highrisk area isn’t achieving very much.
(Source: Fairplay )Green car carrier
scheme begins
Mitsu O.S.K. Lines (MOL) joined
Mitsubishi HI and Sanyo Electric
in a scheme to develop a hybrid
car carrier partly powered byrenewable energy. Funding isfrom Japan’s transport ministry.
MOL considers the project partof a larger plan to reduce damaging emissions from the fleet ofthe future.
“If we were pursuing this purely on a economic basis, then it
would be very difficult to say thatthe project would be profitable,
so we consider this to be just one
more step in realising a new generation of ships,” Yoshikazu
Kawagoe, technical general manager at MOL, said.
The companies are developinga hybrid power supply that stores
solar-generated power in lithiumion batteries, he said. These arecharged when the ship is at sea
but supply power when the vessel
is docked, permitting the diesel
generator to be shut down.
Work is under way on a standard car carrier that will be fittedwith the new system at Mitsubishi’s yards in Kobe, Kawagoe
said.
It will have a capacity of about
6,400 vehicles when completed in2012. (Source: Fairplay)

MAAP graduates 1st batch from BSMTE qualification program Container fleet
The Maritime Academy of Asiaand the Pacific (MAAP) recently
achieved another milestone withthe graduation of the first batch of
the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd)-approved Bachelorof Science in Marine Transportation and Engineering (BSMTE).
MAAP president Vice Admiral
Eduardo Ma. R. Santos (AFP, ret.)said the academy is the only institution offering this course in the Philippines, and it is a “fusion” of thecurricula for the Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation(BSMT) for deck officers and the
Bachelor of Science in Marine
Engineering (BSMarE) for engi-

neer Officers.
The course lasts nine semesters
or four-and-a-half years and thegraduates can take the licensure
examinations for OIC of a Deck
Watch and OIC of an Engineering
Watch administered by the Professional Regulations Commission(PRC), according to Santos who
added that “aboardship, these dual
qualified officers can be assigned
either to the deck or to the engine
department as deemed necessary
by the shipping companies concerned.”
This scheme has been practiced
predominantly in European shipping firms but of late, only rela-

tively large companies are using it,
he said.
This BSMTE course offering at
MAAP is customer-driven. A.P.
Moller-Maersk Lines specificallyrequested for a Dual Qualification
Course in line with its innovative
scheme to develop a “dual maritime leader.”The course was officially openedin 2006 with 22 male midshipmen.
Now there are 16 in the graduatingclass, while there is still a total of
115 cadets in the succeeding classes, with all scholars of A.P. MollerMaersk. Midshipman Angelito D.
Gonzales of Limay, Bataan is graduating at the top of his class.

Vice Admiral Santos, together
with MAAP board chairman Capt.
Gregorio S. Oca (MM, Ph.D.) congratulated the graduates for surviving, consequently hurdling the grueling academic schedule, andexpressed high hopes that their
double dose of education would
result in a double dose of accomplishments.
In his commencement address,
Mr. Jesper Dalgaard Larsen, president of Maersk Filipinas Inc.,
exhorted the graduates to continue
persevering to improve themselves
and show to the world the versatility and competence of Filipino seafarers. (Source: MB)

Every year, the International Maritime Organization chooses atheme for its World Maritime Day,
which is generally celebrated during the last week in September. In
2009, the IMO chose “Climate
Change” as the theme. This year,
2010, will be named “Year of the
Seafarer,” the IMO said. The following is an excerpt of the dedication posted on its Web site.
“The International Maritime
Organization has decided to dedicate next year to you by choosing,as the theme for World Maritime
Day, ‘2010: Year of the Seafarer.’
Our intention is to pay tribute toyou, the world’s 1.5 million seafarers – men and women from allover the globe – for the unique,and all too often over-looked,
contribution you make to the wellbeing of all of us….
“At IMO, we are ever-consciousof the important role you play inhelping us achieve safe, secure andefficient shipping on clean
oceans.…And so, we will celebrate

IMO dedicates 2010 ‘Year of the Seafarer’

are abandoned in ports; are notrefused shore leave for security
purposes; are protected whenyour work takes you into piracyinfested areas; and are not left
unaided when you are in distressat sea.
“[Some] 1.5 million seafarers
serving the daily needs of morethen 6.5 billion citizens of theworld!
“It is a fact that goes unnoticed
or is taken for granted by most,but one that should be trumpeted
loud and clear.
“For seafarers the world overdeserve our respect, recognition
and gratitude and, during 2010,
we at IMO are resolved to ensurethat the world does take notice ofyour exceptional role and contribution and of the special debt
that all of us owe to you.
“We thank you for that! With
best wishes for the Year of the
Seafarer – and a safe returnhome!” – E.E. Mitropoulos, secretary-general

next year’s World Maritime Day
theme with much pride in yourcontribution to our objectives, tothe facilitation of more than 90
percent of the world’s trade, andto sustainable human development.
“In so doing, we also seek toreassure you, at the ‘sharp end” ofthe industry, that we, who areresponsible for the international
regulatory regime and who serve
shipping from ashore, do understand the extreme pressures thatyou face and that, as a result, weapproach our own tasks with agenuine sympathy for the workthat you carry out.
“At the same time, we will seek
to add impetus to the ‘Go to Sea!’
campaign, which we launched in
November 2008 to attract new
entrants to the shipping industry
and, in particular, to encourage
young people to follow in yourfootsteps by becoming the seafarers of tomorrow.
“We launched that campaign inassociation with the International
Labour Organization, the ‘Round
Table’ of shipping industry organizations (International Chamberof Shipping, International Shipping Federation, BIMCO, International Association of Independent
Tanker Owners and International
Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners) and the International
Transport Workers’ Federation, allof whom will be joining us in celebrating the Year of the Seafarer.
“Last, but most importantly, wewant to convey to you a clear message that the entire shipping community understands and cares foryou – as shown by the efforts wemake to ensure that you are fairly
treated when ships on which you
serve become involved in accidents; are looked after when you

capacity falls in ’09
The active capacity of the world’s
20 largest ocean container carriers shrunk 2.4 percent over the
past year, but there was relatively
little change in their global market shares.
The top 20 lines actually boosted their combined fleets by 1.6
percent in the year to Jan. 1, 2010,
but their effective capacity
declined as they idled more vessels in response to lower cargovolume, according to Alphaliner,
the Paris-based container shipping consultant.
The combined capacity of the
top 20 reached 10.81 million
TEU on Jan. 1, compared with
10.63 million TEU a year ago.
The leading carriers idledcapacity currently stands at
743,000 TEU, equivalent to 6.9
percent of their operating fleet.
This is more than double the328,000 TEU of idled capacity,or some 3.1 percent of the fleet,on Jan. 1, 2009.
There were no new entrants toAlphaliner’s Top 20 rankings
although as a group their shareof total liner shipping capacity
slipped from 81.6 percent to 79.2
percent over the year. Danish carrier Maersk Line retained its overall lead with capacity of 2.04 million TEU, despite its global market share shrinking from 15.6
percent to 15 percent.
There are 5,892 ships active inthe liner trades with a combined
capacity of 13,642,270 TEU,
according to Alphaliner. This
includes 4,709 fully cellular vessels with a total capacity of
13,048,701 TEU. (Source: Journalof Commerce)

SEAFARERS’ CORNERJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

(3)

Don’t get zapped: How to remove static electricity

S

tatic electricity results from anunequal (positive and negative) charge between two
objects. What it creates is an annoying spark that can startle and sometimes jolt you unexpectedly. Here’s
how to minimize these shocks.
Step 1: Limit contact between
moving bodies. Items collect static
charge when spare electrons(trapped by a lack of conductive
outlet) are collected or “swept up”
by a passing body. Creating lots offriction—say, by rubbing yourhands on something or dragging
your feet along the carpet—encourages static electricity buildup.
Step 2: Put a cotton layer between
materials that tend to hold static electricity. Paper, plastic and synthetic
materials are efficient generators ofstatic electricity. Hair, clothes andshoes are well known producers.
Step 3: Experiment with different soles to reduce your shoes’
take-up of charge from synthetic
carpets. Spray the carpet with ananti-static agent available from carpet suppliers.

Step 4: Wet your hair slightly
before styling, and use a modern
hairdryer with a built-in ion emitter(these reduce static buildup).
Step 5: Increase humidity. Static
effect is increased in environmentsof low humidity. Buildings using
air-conditioning, high levels ofheating, or those with a lot of insulation can have low humidity.
Install a humidifier in your building.
Install a radiator-hung water container to increase humidity.
Open a window.
Step 6: Ground the static bytouching a grounded appliance,
wiring a ground circuit, or by
applying a neutralizing charge. Static accumulates in areas where thecharge cannot escape.
Step 7: When working with sensitive electrical components or volatile materials (such as papers/
powders/flammable liquids) sparksand electrical discharge can cause
catastrophic failure in sensitiveelectrical components and ignite
volatile substances. Take steps toeliminate them:
Wire work surfaces to grounding
points. Resistive “Touch Me First”
grounding pads let users drain off
any static charge accumulated without causing a spark or a shock.
Wear static control wristbands,
which are wired to grounding
points (Do NOT wear them whenworking on CRT [Cathode Ray
Tube] televisions or computer
monitors. More than a few people
have been killed when the strap
touched a main capacitor).
If nothing else is available, toucha grounded metal object once in awhile to remove any charge fromyour body. Touching a water tap
works extremely well as does touching a corner of a wall where there ismetal stripping under the plaster.
Professional devices are available
that control static electricity by useof alpha-emitting devices containing Polonium.
Tips
Static brushes can be used by man-ufacturers to control static in printers and other machines.
To reduce the “shock” simply
use a less sensitive part of yourbody to discharge such as yourknuckles, elbow, leg, or arm.
You can create an inexpensive
anti-static spray by dumping a lotof fabric softener into a spray bottle filled with water. Spray this on
carpets and other surfaces to prevent static buildup.
You can reduce or even eliminate
the “shock” you feel by discharging
the spark through a metal object.
For example, grasp a bunch ofkeys and use the keys to touch anearby grounded object.
The current will flow painlessly
between a large area of your hand
and the keys. Since the pain you
usually experience is a result of thecurrent being funneled through atiny area like the end of your finger, you will be pleasantly surprised.
Shaving or clipping the hair on
hairy legs will cause less static electricity to build up in the first place.

While it may be unpleasant to yourpsyche, it works very well.
Try carrying an anti-static dryer
sheet in your pocket, and rubbing
it once in a while. This works todissipate static for people as well as
laundry.
Warnings
Store volatile materials away fromareas known to cause static buildup.
When using fabric softener on
carpets and other surfaces that you
walk on, be certain to avoid walking on the sprayed surface until thesurface has dried. Footwear canbecome very slippery if fabric softener is accidentally applied to thesoles of footwear.
Never let anyone get into or outof your vehicle while gas is being
pumped, as this can cause a staticbuildup that can discharge when
you come in contact with the metal
pump, or when the nozzle comesin contact with your vehicle's fuelport.

VOICES from SEAFARERS
C/Engr. Lauro A. Muravellaand crewmembers of
M/V CAPE
ENTERPRISE
We seafarers get homesick
working on board for long
periods of time. But your shipvisitations ease our boredom.
Thanks for the latest maritime
information.
Crewmembers of M/V OAKLAND
Our company is confident of our skills that is why they provide stablejobs for us onboard. With the union behind us, our relationship withthe company is harmonious.  

Capt. Antonio B.
Saroca and crew of
M/V SHIRANE
with JSU staff

Capt. Edgar S.
Palquiran
M/V OLYMPIANHIGHWAY
Visits by JSU Officers is agood sign that the JSU is looking out for our welfare. I suggest that email is good at present but if possible, seafarers
should be provided with satellite telephone accessible toeverybody on board at a cheaper price. Hope that this suggestion will be realized soon.

We are grateful for
all the assistancethat our union isgiving to us
and also gratefulfor the fraternity
that binded us all
seafarers.

Thank you for yourregular ship visitation;
this way you keep us in touch and abreast with the current news andinformation regarding union activities and funding of various facilities
that support the members.

The crew and I
thank JSU union officers and ISS for visiting our vessel, andwe appreciate verymuch the welfare
goods distributed to
all the Myanmar
crew. Hope to see
you again.  

joke corner
Difference Between Guts & Balls

Capt. Jaime M. Tecson
M/V BORONNAVIGATOR
Capt. Gilberto S.
Poblete,C/E James C. Tiu
and crew of
M/V INUYAMA

Capt. Myo Thu Myint (2nd from right) and other officers of
M/V GLOBAL NEXTAGE

Every seafarer who completes
his contract should be entitledto be replaced no matter how
good or bad his performance isand the company should do
its duty to ensure the loyalty of
their crew. I thank the JSU Union
Officers and the ITF coordinator for quickly acting on our
problems and request.

There is a medical distinction. We’ve all heard about people
having guts or balls, but do you really know the difference
between them? In an effort to keep you informed, the definitions are listed below:
GUTS – Is arriving home late after a night out with the guys,
being met by your wife with a broom, and having the guts toask: “Are you still cleaning, or are you flying somewhere?”BALLS – Is coming home late after a night out with the guys,
smelling of perfume and beer, lipstick on your collar, slapping
your wife on the butt and having the balls to say: “You’re next,
Chubby.’I hope this clears up any confusion on the definitions. Medically speaking there is no difference in the outcome. Each
results in death.
Submitted By: Hero

(4)ADVISORIES/WARNINGSJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

Guidelines address post-piracy care for seafarers Guards urgedT

he Seamen’s Church
Institute (SCI) has published Preliminary Guidelines: Post-Piracy Care for
Seafarers, outlining preliminary strategies on caring for seafarers (merchant mariners) affected by piracy.
The document, based on cutting-edge mental health researchand ongoing discussions withshipowners, crewing agencies, representatives of governments, andother stakeholders in the industry,
provides practical guidelines forthe maritime industry.
SCI presented the Preliminary
Guidelines to Working Group
Three of the United Nations Contact Group on Piracy off the
Coast of Somalia on Jan. 27, prior
to the Plenary Meeting of theContact Group the following day.
SCI also plans to submit the document to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at the

Lifeboat safety questioned
on 20% of ships examined
One in five ships examined by
the Paris MoU were found tohave deficiencies reg arding
launching lifeboats.
An inspection campaign was
conducted by Paris MoU member
countries from Sept. 1 to Nov.
30. They carried out 5,749 inspections.
Testing of lifeboat launching
drills found that one in eight was
not performed satisfactorily; theParis MoU blamed a lack of training for this result.
The body also raised concerns
about safety management systems
relating to lifeboats on manyships.
There were 80 cases of ships
being detained in the three-month
period because of serious deficiencies in lifeboat launching
appliances. (Source: Fairplay)meeting of the Maritime Security
Committee in May.
About the Clinical Study
In order to devote more attention
to caring for seafarers affected bypiracy, SCI initiated the first-ever
Post Piracy Trauma Assessment
and Treatment study. ClinicalResearcher Michael Garfinkle,
PhD heads SCI’s clinical study inconjunction with Mount Sinai
School of Medicine and the New
York Psychoanalytic Institute.
The clinical study seeks to identify unique stressors of piracy hostage situations, along with immediate and ongoing medical evaluation strategies for crewmembers

and their families.
Study outcomes include plansfor clinically assessing seafarers
after piracy incidents, assisting families during prolonged piracy episodes, and triaging short- and longterm mental health treatment.
Based on experience gained
through the clinical study andstakeholder responses, SCI will
update Preliminary Guidelines,
available online at http://www.
seamenschurch.org/law-advocacy/piracy-trauma-study
SCI desires to speak with seafarers who have experienced piracy, including attacks, hostage-taking, or simply sailing through highrisk piracy areas.
Contact Clinical Researcher
Michael Garfinkle, PhD at +1 212
349 9090 ext. 240 or by email at
mgarfinkle@seamenschurch.org.
SCI researchers strictly protect
privacy. (Source: Marinelink)

London Club warns out-of-date charts
contributing to shipping accidents
The London P&I Club warns that
out-of-date onboard charts andother nautical publications still
appear to be a contributory causeof shipping accidents.
In the latest issue of its StopLoss
Bulletin, the club notes, The International Convention for Safety ofLife at Sea (SOLAS) requires that,“All ships should carry adequate
and up-to-date charts, sailing directions, lists of lights, notices to mariners, tide tables, and all other nautical publications necessary for theintended voyage.”
However, the London Club says,
from time to time, it receives areport from a P&I ship inspector
that the charts or other nautical
publications on an entered ship areout of date.
Two incidents reviewed recently
by the club emphasize why compliance with the requirement is imperative.
In the first case, a telecommunications company alleged that a submarine cable had been damaged bya ship’s anchor. The first assumption was that, if the anchor had
contacted the cable, then it musthave been because it was dragging
and the ship had not been able torecover the anchor in due time.
However, the club-appointed
surveyor quickly established thatthe ship had, in fact, anchoreddirectly over the cable but that thebridge team had been completely
unaware of the hazard beneaththem.
The surveyor identified that theship had used an old edition of thechart, which predated the laying of
the cable.
Apparently, on preparing thepassage plan, the second officer
had not checked that he had thecurrent edition of the chart.
In the second case, the investigation into the circumstances inwhich a ship suffered damage as it
struck a hazardous wreck confirmed that the current edition of
the chart was in use but that it had
not been properly corrected.
A chart correction showing thewreck had been issued some three
years previously. (Source: Maritime
Global Net)

Criticism mounts over U.S. Coast Guard ballast-water rules
A U.S. Coast Guard proposal
requiring vessel operators to meettighter ballast-water standards
was roundly criticized in a comment period.
The Coast Guard is considering a two-phase regulation to
mandate that commercial vessels
install ballast-water management
systems that prevent nonindigenous species from being intro-

duced into U.S. waters.
New vessels would have tomeet Phase One requirements byJan. 1, 2012. The Phase Two
deadline – which requires certain
organisms found in ballast water
to be reduced 1,000 times by volume – is Jan. 1, 2016.
Deadlines for existing vessels
would be at the time of the vessel’s first drydocking after Jan. 1,

2014 for Phase One and afterJan. 1, 2016 for Phase Two.
In its comments, the World
Shipping Council estimated thecost to install equipment to meet
proposed standards at
US$900,000 to $2.3 million pership.
The council also noted thataside from costs, the proposal –which the Coast Guard estimateswould affect more than 7,500
existing vessels – leaves the door
open for individual states torequire their own, stricter ballastwater requirements.
“It is simply not reasonable forships to be expected to comply
with different ballast-water treatment standards in the various U.S.
states they call,” the council
argued. (Source: Fairplay)

P&I Club warns of sea-ice buildup in major Northern China ports
Freak weather conditions and/or
abnormal weather patterns havebeen reported in several parts of
the world during recent months
warns the American P&I Club.
One of the latest examples is asignificant buildup of sea ice insome major northern Chinese
ports, the volume exceeding, itsays, anything experienced in
more than 30 years.
In an alert to its members, theclub says the problem is centredaround Bohai on the northern

Yellow Sea coast, affecting ports
such as Bayuquan and Dalian.
At Bayuquan, patches of ice
500 milimeters to 600 milimeters
thick have formed in some places, while lesser patches have been
seen in the immediate vicinity ofthe port.
Three icebreakers are working
to avoid delays to ships, while thelocal Maritime Safety Authority isstrictly supervising inbound andoutbound vessel traffic.
Other northern ports – such as

Jingtang, Caofeidian and Xingang– are said to be not so seriously
affected.
On Jan. 17, the Chinese
National Sea Weather Forecast
Station reported that floating ice
around Liaodong Gulf extended
as far as some 60 nautical miles
from shore, at Bohai Gulf around22 miles, Northern Yellow Sea
around 14 miles, and Laizhou
Gulf around 33 miles.
However, with more cold
weather fronts expected later, ice

coverage around the Bohai coast
could expand, according to the
club’s correspondents in China,
Huatai Agency & Consultant Services Ltd.
The club advises that vessels
scheduled to call at northern
por ts, especially Bayuquan,
should be ready for extreme
temperatures and ensure Port
State Control requirements arestrictly followed to avoid unnecessary delay. (Source: Maritime
Global Net)

for Haiti vessels

Ships delivering aid to Haiti
should install guards at accesspoint to address increased
security risks, according to the
U.S. Coast Guard.
“Due to the devastation causedby the recent earthquake, the U.S.
g ove r n m e n t h a s c o n c e r n s
regarding Haiti’s current ability to
execute, maintain and audit”
inter national por t security
standards, the Coast Guard said
yesterday.
It also urged captains to ensurethat all security actions areincluded in their ship log, andalso to report such actions
directly to the captain of the port
before arrival in the United States.
Increased security measures willsee “generally expedite” vessel
entry back into U.S. ports, it
added.
While 250 boxes per day can beoffloaded at a repaired pier in
Por t-au-Prince, most relief
supplies are still being diverted toalternative ports in Haiti and
Dominican Republic and truckedfrom there. (Source: Fairplay)

POEA to enforce
anti-piracy training
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA)
recently came out with a circular(Memorandum Circular No. 02,
series of 2010) issued for the purpose of providing additional training for all departing seafarers as anintervention to address piracy-related issues.
All manning agencies shallrequire their seafarers to undergo
training on practical measures toavoid, deter or delay piracy attacks
prior to deployment regardless ofthe vessels’ trade routes. This
training shall be separate to the
Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) conducted for departing seafarers.
The training shall be provided
free to seafarers which shall be conducted in-house by manning agencies. Manning agencies which cannot conduct an in-house anti-piracy
training may avail of the training
provided by other manning agencies whose training module has
been approved by the POEA.
This mandatory anti-piracy
training was effective from February 2010.

All Japan Seamen’s Union
15-26, Roppongi 7-Chome,
Minato-Ku, Tokyo 106-0032
Tel.: (03) 5410-8320
Fax: (03) 5410-8336
E-mail: iss@jsu.jp
Internet: http://www.jsu.or.jp
Publisher: Hideo Ikeda
Send inquiries to the attentionof Mr. Keiji Watanabe,
Director, Foreign Trades Dept.