Vol. 5 No. 2 March/April 2008

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Can’t sleep?
Try quitting
smoking
Page 3

THE 25TH ASIAN SEAFARERS’ SUMMIT MEETING

Shortage of seafarers seen as major core
Delegates discuss, exchange
opinions on current state andproblems of FOC vessels
Yoji Fujisawa

JSU strengthens
ties with Manila
The JSU president andother executive members
attended the PhilippinesJapan Manning Cooperative
Forum 2008, held at theinternational assembly hallin Manila on Feb. 28 and 29.
After a grand opening ceremony in the presence of Philippine President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo, andattended by about 2,500 persons, including Japanese andPhilippine dignitaries fromthe shipping industry, families of seafarers and maritime academy students.
At the forum, Japanese andPhilippine panelists gave presentations. JSU President
Yoji Fujisawa in his presentation said “Thus far, the JSU,
in response to the wishes ofunions in seafarer-supplying
countries in the Asia-Pacificregion, has taken the leadership in having Asian voicesreflected in the international
community of seafarers.
“Above all, considering that
the Japanese merchant fleet
relies heavily on the Philippines for the supply of crewmen, the JSU has strengthened its partnership with thePhilippine seamen’s union inan effort to protect seafarers’
employment and rights.
“Henceforth, the JSU also
intends to take an active partin seafarer education andtraining programs, involving
government authorities as
well, and strive to establish
an adequate system for reinforcing qualitative competitiveness and strengthening
its voice in the international
community with a view tofurther improving the lives
and working conditions ofboth Japanese and Philippine seafarers.”
The other presentation
made it clear that the Japanese merchant fleet will be
expanded to more than 3,000
vessels within five years, giving rise to a shortage of morethan 10,000 seamen for their
JSU, see Page 2

T

he 25th Asian Seafarers’ Summit
Meeting took place at the
JSU/AMOSUP Mariners Homein Manila, the Philippines, on Feb. 26
with 55 delegates from 17 unions
attending. The JSU was represented
by a seven-man delegation, led byPresident Yoji Fujisawa.
Present at the summit as an observer
for the first time was a delegation fromthe ITF Secretariat comprising General Manager Stephen Cotton, ITF SSD;
General Secretary Brian Orrel, NAUTILUS UK; and National Secretary
Paddy Crumlin, Maritime Union ofAustralia.
The meeting adopted a Resolution
Seeking to Establish and Organize an
Asian Seafarers’ Ad Hoc Committee toexchange information, data, know-how
and technology for the professional
career development of Asian seafarers,
submitted by AMOSUP.
It was decided to name the ad hoc
committee members, in charge withspecific activities for the committee, assoon as possible.
At the opening ceremony of the summit, speeches were delivered by Adm.
Eduardo Ma. R. Santos, president,
Maritime Academy of Asia and Pacific(AMOSUP-MAAP); Capt. Gregorio S.
Oca, president of AMOSUP; and JSU
President Yoji Fujisawa; followed by akeynote speech by Hon. Jose L. Atienza, secretary, Department of Environment & Natural Resources of the

JSU President Yoji Fujisawa (seated third from right), join fellow delegates of the25th Asian Seafarers Summit Meeting in Manila on Feb. 26, 2008.

Philippines.
At the meeting, the delegates discussed and exchanged opinions on thecurrent state and problems of flag-ofconvenience (FOC) vessels of the respective countries, based on the latest
data on shipbuilding trends, preparedby the secretariat.
Concerning the promotion of Asian
seafarers’ education and training, it
was announced that the serious shortage of seafarers and the joint government/labor/management efforts toresolve such a shortage differ fromcountry to country.
In this regard, ITF delegate Cotton
proposed that the ITF Seafarers Section meeting, scheduled for June thisyear in Stockholm, Sweden, shouldtake up the ITF’s more positive in-volvement in the research and study ofthe latest information on the trends ofthe world’s merchant fleet and theshortage of seafarers.
Concerning the FOC campaign review
as well, it was agreed to have Asianvoices focused on the review committee
mainly through its members in AMOSUP, the JSU, the SMOU and the SUR,
since the committee is slated to undertake a phased debate toward the 2010
ITF Congress, which will reach a final
conclusion on the matter.
The delegates also agreed to hold thenext Asian summit meeting in Taiwan
and invite seafarers’ unions in Malaysia and Sri Lanka to attend the meeting. The ITF is assisting the twounions as part of its effort to organize
seafarers in the Asia-Pacific region.

Summit resolution at a glance
AWARE of the continuing shortage ofmarine officers and skilled ratings, which
the 2005 BIMCO/ISF Manpower Update
Report estimated to reach 27,000 officers
by the year 2015;
MINDFUL that the duties and responsibilities of marine officers and skilled ratings are increasingly assigned to and carriedout by Asian seafarers;
INFORMED that many Asian officers andratings do not have the opportunity or the
motivation to qualify and/or be licensed toadvance to the next higher rank or posi-tion;
CONSIDERS that all seafarers, whether
officers or ratings, by the physicaldemands and the technical nature of theirwork, is such a tremendous humanresource that should be constantly developed;
BELIEVES that the seafaring profession
must offer clear and effective ways forcareer advancement, to be able to harness
this tremendous human resource potential
through proper education, training, licensing and certification;

NOTES that during the Experts Meetingon Improving the Quality of Seafarers inAsia, one of the concerns on seafarers’ education and training was the need to increase
the sharing of information about seafarer
matters;
SEEKS to establish and organize, undersuch terms and conditions to be agreed by
the members, an Asian Seafarers’ Ad Hoc
Committee to exchange information, data,know-how and technology for the professional career development of Asian seafarers.

Norwegian/Asian seafarers hold 18th meeting in Manila
The Norwegian/Asian Seafarers’ Committee (NASCO)
held its 18th meeting at
Mariners Home in Manila on
Feb. 27.
The meeting was attended
by about 35 delegates from
20 seamen’s unions and theNorwegian Shipowners’ As-sociation, including JSU’s
ITF Coordinator Shoji Yamashita.
The meeting first approved
the secretariat’s three agenda items on (1) ITF-related
activities, (2) various activities aimed at FOC vessels,and (3) the current state ofcollective agreements.
Then, the Norwegian Seamen’s Union reported on the
results of its FOC campaign
in 2007. Of the 176 vessels
inspected, almost all of themhad concluded ITF-approved
collective agreements, but
the union took protest

actions, such as refusal ofcargo handling, against 12
vessels and organized theircrewmen.
As of December 2007, FOC
vessels with organized crews
numbered 754, up 120 from
NASCO, see Page 3(2)MARITIME NEWS/WARNINGSMARCH/APRIL 2008

Stowaway problem costs shippers hefty sum Union calls
Delegates blast some ports not implementing ISPS
Illegal immigration to the
U.S. and Europe from Asia,
particularly China, continues
to cause concern, according toa joint statement from Japanese shipping line NYK and
the UK Club.
“Shippers, slot charterers
and some terminal personnel
continue to collude in suchcrime,” it adds.
The P&I club’s Peter Lau
says that the UK Club was
involved in 120 stowaway
cases last year, costing about

Japan to double
number of locallyregistered ships
The Japanese government
plans to double the numberof Japan-registered ships in
the next five years in an
attempt to stem the rapid
decline in the number of such
vessels, according to the draftof the Basic Plan on Ocean
Policy compiled by the government’s Ocean Policy
Headquarters.
The government also plans
to increase by half the number of Japanese-crewed ships
on overseas service over the
next 10 years.
The basic plan will statethat the government will formulate a development planfor ocean energy and mineral
resources in fiscal 2008 to
establish a unified system tomanage the development ofmarine resources such as
petroleum and natural gas.
As of 2006, the number ofships registered in Japan
dropped below 100, and Japanese aboard ships on overseas service numbered lessthan 3,000.
The basic plan pointed outthat the nation depends
heavily on marine transport,
and as such, the present
state of affairs is problematic, as it means it would be
difficult for Japan to securenecessary ocean transportation in the case of an emergency.
The government will request shipping companies,
which will benefit from thereduced tax rate the government intends to introduce, toincrease the number ofJapan-registered ships andJapanese crews. (Yomiuri
Shimbun)

JSU, from Page 1

operation. It was confirmedthat the government, laborand management organizations concerned of both countries, will cooperate closely inpursuit of solutions to thisUS$2 million.
While numbers and total
costs have fallen compared to
1998-2003, average costs percase hasmore than doubled,
to around $14,500, in 2007.
“The impact on individual
shipowners was likely to begreater given the rising deductibles and non-reportingof small and quickly solved
cases,” Lau said.
Ro-ro and multi-cargo vessels accounted for 31 percentof the cases for the 10-year

period from 1998-2007, followed by bulk carriers (23percent) and container ships
and general cargo vessels(both 16 percent).
The problem was discussed
recently by the club and 50
members of NYK senior regional management, including terminal representatives
from major Chinese ports including Shanghai and Shenzhen and UK P&I Club representatives.
At Lloyd’s Maritime Aca-demy’s maritime security
conference in London, shipping line delegates commented that the only benefit they
had felt from the ISPS Codewas a drop in stowaways carried as their detection had
increased.
Delegates particularly fromshipping companies were,
however, acerbic in notingthat ports in some parts of
the world were clearly not
implementing ISPS on the
shore side, since stowaways
still managed to reach thequaysides. (Lloyd’s Register/Fairplay)

USCG boss urges seafarer respect
Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen has urged
members of his service totreat commercial seafarers“with the utmost professionalism and respect.”
In a communication sent
to “all hands,” Adm. Allen
acknowledged that he has“received reports fromhighly respected professionals recounting Coast
Guard boardings, inspections and investigations not
displaying professionalism.

“Additionally, some havesaid they lost the complete
trust they once had in the
Coast Guard and are fearful of retribution if theychallenge the Coast
Guard.”
Allen wrote, “We mustchange this perception,”noting that licensed anddocumented mariners are“professionals who share
our interests in a safe, secure and environmentallycompliant industry.”

He recalled the words ofAlexander Hamilton (thefirst U.S. Secretary ofTreasury who launched
the Revenue Cutter Service) that free men are
impatient of “everythingthat bears the least markof domineering spirit” andsaid that applies “as much
today as it did in 1790 andequally to international
mariners and our trading
partners.” (Lloyd’s Register/Fairplay)

Japan grants aid to Melaka security
Security is one of the major
concerns of the International
Maritime Organization (IMO).
Based on the facts from the
IMO, ISPS Code was implemented due in part to theterrorist attack in the UnitedStates of America on Sept.
11, 2001.
In Feb. 25, 2008, the Japanese government granted aid
to the Malaysian government
for the upgrading of maritime security in Melaka
Strait, which is known for its
piracy incedents.
Sources said that about
YEN473 million was approved by the Japanese government to improve the Malaysian maritime security inMelaka Strait.
Japanese Ambassador Masahiko Horie and Malaysian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Secretary-General Tan Sri
Rastam Mohd Isa signed andexchanged the notes for the
grant aid.
“Straits of Melaka isoneof the most important shipping lanes from the eco-nomic and strategic perspectives, carrying onethird of the world’s sea
trade” Horie said.
Additionally he told reporters that, “Maritime security
is an obvious and vital element for Japan’s international security and critical in its
relations with key partners,
particularly the littoral
states in the Straits of Melaka,” after signing the notes
at Wisma Putra.
Japan noted that highanticipation of international
users, increased volume ofmaritime interchange placed
considerable demands and afinancial burden on the Malaysian government.
In addition, the entry of
China, India and other countries emerging economies to
the globalization would result in a continued growth ofthe maritime trade whichadds additional security implementation on the Malaysian government in Melaka
Strait.
According to Horie, “Japanremains committed in providing impetus for a fundamental transformation of
Malaysia’s maritime security
through the development
and improvement of essential capabilities.”
Maritime security enforcement agencies had a key rolein the protection of the vitalsea lane to prevent disruption to the global supply
chain, ” he added.
Moreover, the effective
responses against threats
require cross-agency, crossboundary and cross-territorial cooperation and effort.
The Japanese government
together with other organizations will be continuing tosupport the program of the
Malaysian government toensure safe navigation on the
Melaka Strait protecting themarine resources and to advance prosperity and freedom as well as controlling
terrorist attack by improving
their existing Malaysian Sea

problem, based on a common
awareness that the anticipated sharp increase in merchantships will bring about anacute shortage of seafarers.
On March 1, a ceremony forthe new “JSU-IMMAJ Campus” was held at MAAP, withmany people attending fromthe quarters concerned,
including Philippine Vice President Manuel Noli de Castro
and other government officials, JSU president, Japanese
shipping firms’ representatives and families of students.
The confirmation that all
graduates of the campus will

be assigned to the Japanesemerchant fleet has made it
possible to build a campus
large enough to accommodatea maximum of 1,000 students– 250 at each level. The newcampus is scheduled for completion at the end of thisyear.

Aid, see Page 3

for manningshake up

Seafarers see the minimum
safe manning rules as “ajoke” and a radical overhaul
is required to ensure thatthey deal with the problemsof fatigue and excessive
workloads, Nautilus UK has
warned.
Speaking at a seminar on
manning levels organized by
the Isle of Man Ship Registry, senior national secretary Paul Moloney said research by the Nautilus Federation had shown that morethan one in five officers frequently or always work morethan 91 hours a week.
Moloney, who was among aseries of key speakers at theseminar, said the membership survey had shown a consistent view that crew complements fail to relate to theactual operation of vessels.
“Some companies had responded to the evidence ofoverload by appointing an
extra third officer to deal
with paperwork and administration. Other operators
should follow this example,”he said.
But, he added, “the authorities also need to do more todeal with the serious healthand safety risks presented
by excessive hours at sea.
There is random testing of
seafarers for alcohol, why
not random testing for
fatigue?”
The Nautilus official told
the seminar that the issue ofmanning levels could not betackled without measures toaddress the growing global
shortage of skilled officers.
He argued that the industry needs to do more to “sell”
seafaring careers to young
people, emphasising the variety of employment opportunities at sea and ashore.
Improving levels of qualification, for instance throughthe foundation degree
scheme, would also help toenhance the “value added” byskilled seafarers and promotesecure employment.
As well as boosting theirtraining efforts, Moloney suggested that employers will
have to take a number ofother measures to “manage”
the shortage of officers. They
could include “pyramid”
manning structures, agreements with unions on manning models and guarantees
of job security.
“We need to see more employers engaging in better
planning to deal with shortages, and talking to us aboutthat be stressed,” said Moloney.
While regulation is notalways possible, Moloney
said, “there was a strong casefor measures to protect the
EU ferry sector through aframework in which competition can flourish while European maritime employment
is protected.” (Shiptalk)SEAFARERS’ CORNER

MARCH/APRIL 2008

(3)

Good night’s sleep: Is it possible for smokers?
By J.M. CASTILLOJSU ISS Trainee

S

Studies show more reasons to quit puffing

mokers are not used to agood night’s sleep, scientist
said. Researchers who study
the brain activity of smokers while
they slept found out that smokers
have less deep sleep than the nonsmokers. Smokers also complainthat their sleep did not leave themwell rested.
Nicotine from cigarettes seems to
be bad dreams for sleeping smokers. Because it can act as a stimulant, that’s why they hardly to fallasleep, the researchers said. And
minor withdrawal of symptoms
that occur as the night drags on

can further disturb a smoker’s
sleep, they added.
Researchers led by Dr. Naresh
Punjabi of Johns Hopkins
University of Medicine set out tostudy more about the sleep problems of smokers. “Smokers
undoubtedly, have sleep-relateddifficulties. They have difficulty
falling asleep and maintaining
sleep.” The question is why they
have these difficulties?
“The issue was whether sleep
problems could be blamed on the
medical complications brought onby smoking, or whether smoking

itself was the culprit,” Punjabi
said.
Researchers identified a group of
40 middle-aged smokers who hadnone of the many medical conditions associated with smoking, andcompared to equal numbers of nonsmokers of the same age and physical type.
They were hooked up to electroencephalogram or EEG machine,
while sleeping in their homes,
which record the brain’s electricalactivity. Compared to non-smokers,
smokers spend less time in deep
sleep and more time in light sleep.

JOKE CORNER

VOICES from SEAFARERS

Capt. Rajiv Saini
Master of M/V AZUL CIELO

The present high wages
being enjoyed by the seafarers
is long overdue. Being at sea,
away from the family and society, we deserve high wages.
However, as we are being
provided high wages, we arealso experiencing a lot of stressdue to additional work andresponsibilities. With so many
maritime regulations being
implemented, the seafarers
have less time for rest andrecreation. We hope maritime
authorities and shipping companies realize the stress being
experienced by seafarers anddo something about it.

Crewmembers of M/V KEN UN thank the
JSU for the regular ship visitation by its staff.

The biggest differences took place
just before after falling asleep, supporting the idea that nicotine’s
effects are more acute in earlystage of sleep, according to thestudy.
“In addition to that, about 23 percent of smokers reported that they
had not had restful sleep, comparedto 5 percent of nonsmokers. Thesefindings were published in the journal Chest, published by theAmerican College of Chest physicians. This study provides yet one
more reason to stop smoking or tonever start,” said Dr. Alvin
Thomas, president of the American
College of Chest Physicians, in astatement.

I propose that the JSU &AMOSUP consider those future members, like cadets onboard the JSU AMOSUP covered vessels, to be allowed
the benefits being enjoyed by
the regular seafarers.
Jo Ann Bantuana
Deck Cadet
M/V BALTI HIGHWAY

A shipping manager was given the task of hiring a captain tocommand a newly built vessel. After sorting through a stack ofresumes he found four captains who were equally qualified...AnIndian, a Korean, a Chinese and a Filipino.
He decided to call the four in and ask them only one question.
Their answer would determine who would get the job. The daycame and as the four sat around the conference room table theinterviewer asked, “What is the fastest thing or action you knowof?”Acknowledging the Indian captain on his right, the man replied,“A THOUGHT. It just pops into your head. There’s no warning thatit’s on the way; it’s just there. A thought is the fastest thing I knowof.”“That’s very good!” replied the interviewer.
“And now you sir,” he asked the Korean captain. “Hmm...let mesee. A blink! It comes and goes and you don’t know that it ever
happened. A BLINK is the fastest thing I know of.”“Excellent!” said the interviewer. “The blink of an eye, that’s avery popular cliché for speed.”He then turned to the Chinese captain who was contemplating
his reply. “Well, at my dad’s factory, you step inside and on thewall there’s a light switch. When you flip that switch, across therooms and workshops the lights come on. Yep, TURNING ON A
LIGHT is the fastest thing I can think of.”
The interviewer was very impressed with the third answer andthought he had found his man. “It’s hard to beat the speed of light”
he said. Turning to the Filipino captain, the fourth and final man,the interviewer posed the same question. The Filipino replied,“After hearing the three previous answers, it’s obvious to me thatthe fastest thing known is Diarrhea.”“WHAT!?” said the interviewer, stunned by the response.
“Oh, I can explain sir,” said the Filipino. “You see sir, the otherday I wasn’t feeling so good and I run soo fast to the toilet, but before I could THINK, BLINK, or TURN ON THE LIGHT, shit, I
already had it in my pants.”
The Filipino is now in command of the new vessel.
Submitted by: HeroThe crew of M/V LILAC told the JSU that
their wages should be in compliance with thepresent IBF agreement.
Aid, from Page 2

Good Day.
I thank you so much for coming to my vessel spending yourprecious time explaining to mycrew regarding some new benefits and privileges that we aresupposed to have and enjoy.
The important informationthat you have relayed havegiven us something to depend
and rely on, which could possibly help us in our time of need.
As we are working onboard a
PCC vessel, the crew don’t haveeven just a few minutes to visit
the Seamans’ Club in Yokohama even though it’s so near tous.
And we are so glad that you
are the ones coming to us torelay some important information like the free training, sea-

Capt. Willy Doruelo
M/V ANDROMEDA SPIRIT

mans’ home that are for us toenjoy.
I’ll send your message to mycompany regarding the fresh
watermaker for lifeboats, DVDplayer with CDs, and the auto-mated external defibrillators, inorder for them to request to
JSU; but I hope the company
will provide us with the computer to have free e-mail access,which if given will surely benefit
us all especially this type of vessel which normally doesn’t stayat port for more that eight
hours.
With free e-mail onboard, we
can communicate with our families 24 hours a day. I’ll expect
your visit to my ship again tocheck these items that we aresupposed to have. The crew on
the other ships I met werealready enjoying this free e-mailaccess onboard.
See you again.
God Bless You All.
Best Regards,
Capt. Willy Doruelo

Surveillance System.
The upgrading of the program includes the installationof a Radio Direction Finder(RDF) System and ElectroOptronics System (laser camera) on Malaysia’s remotesensor sites, thus allowing
long-range visual surveillancein the vicinity day and night.

NASCO, from Page 1
year before (812 Norwegianseamen and 13,051 nonresident special union members),
while organized crews of Norway’s international vessels
consisted of 930 Norwegians
and 9,954 nonresident special

The IMO Maritime Security as implemented through
ISPS Code in relation to thegovernment is well supported by the Japanese government, helping other nations
in developing their maritime
security, promoting a safer
navigation to neighboring
countries is a big help to themaritime industry. (Bernama, Malaysian National
News Agency)

union members, according to
the report.
The committee also heard areport that collective agreements had been revised for a
total of 11 unions, including
AMOSUP, the PSU, the
NUSI/MUI and the KPI. The
next session will be held in
Taiwan.

INFORMATION/ADVISORIES(4)MARCH/APRIL 2008

Lifeboat accidents resulting from on-load release hooks

For the last 20 years, accidents
during mandatory lifeboat
drills have been an ongoingissue in the discussions of the safetyof seafarers.
Background
The lifeboat accidents are associated with the on-load release functions of the lifeboat hooks which aremandatory under IMO regulations
for all ships built after June 1,
1986. On ships built before this datethere are generally off-load hooks
that cannot be released unless the
lifeboat is fully supported by thewater.
The number of accidents and thenumber of people killed or injured
runs into the hundreds. However,there are no official records for the
total numbers and the lack of suchrecords may be one of the reasons
why the regulators have not managed to change the situation. The
end result is reduced confidence indavit launched lifeboats.
During 2007, Gard registered two
accidents resulting in one death andsix others being injured. Comparedto other types of accidents on board
ships and in relation to the 6,200
vessels entered with Gard, one may
consider these figures are low.
The dilemma is, however, that theaccidents with lifeboats do not occur
in normal work situations on board,but during mandatory drills withthe vessel’s lifesaving equipment.

Events &Advisories
The U.S. Coast Guard
issued a notice stating that,
effective March 20, it will impose conditions of entry on
vessels arriving in the UnitedStates from Syria.
With the exception of vessels arriving from certain
named ports, any vessel
arriving in the United Statesthat called in Syria during its
previous five port calls must
demonstrate the following:(1) that it implemented
measures in accordance withthe ship’s security plan equivalent to Security Level 2;(2) that each access point tothe vessel was guarded andthat the guards had total visibility of the exterior to theship while in the Syrian port;(3) that it attempted to execute a Declaration of Security;(4) that it logged all security actions in the ship’s log;
(5) that it reported suchactions to the USCG Captainof the Port (COTP) prior toarrival in the United States;and(6) that each access point tothe vessel is guarded andthat the guards have total
visibility of the exterior to theship during U.S. port calls.
Similar conditions of entry
have been imposed on ships
arriving in the United Statesfrom:• Cameroon• Equatorial Guinea• Guinea-Bissau• Indonesia• Liberia• Mauritania

Due to many accidents withlifeboats, IMO regulations no longer
require people to be on board thelifeboats during lowering and hoisting. The crew members can beplaced into the lifeboats by othermeans after launch, such as lifeboat
ladders or taxi-boats in port.
Accidents with on-load releasehooks are found to occur due to lackof maintenance, lack of knowledge
or poor design. When complying
with the IMO requirements forhooks to have both off-load and onload capability, it has proved difficult to design sufficient barriers
against the effects of poor maintenance and human error.
General advice
Due to the increased attention to
the problem of on-load releasehooks, we have received many questions from members about what todo. While Gard cannot recommend
one manufacturer over another, we
will in the following attempt provide some general advice.
1) It is very important to know
the type of hook release system
which is installed on your lifeboats.
While it would be natural in a shore
based industry to have such animportant item standardized, theGard Conference last autumn
revealed that there were 72 different systems in use, and the number
is still growing.
2) Ensure you have clear and cor-

rect manuals and instructions about
how to handle the hook release system on board and that such material is made available to the crew.
Ensure that anyone who operates
the lifeboat release gear has been
trained on that particular system.
3) Do not allow anyone nottrained in the operation of your vessel’s particular hook system to operate it. If your crew is not trained in
the operation of the system, send
them for specific training or ask a
specialist in that particular system
to conduct training on board. Up tillnow, most seamen have only
received mandatory shore-based
training in the launching oflifeboats during their education andvery rarely any training on theexact type of release gear found on
board.
4) Give priority to the maintenance of lifeboats. Use strong hanging off pendants to secure the boat
to the davit arm before any work isdone on the hook release system.
For instance, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) now
requires such restraints to be present before their surveyors canenter a lifeboat. For the maintenance of hook release systems,
engage service people from orapproved by the manufacturer.
5) Do not have any people onboard the lifeboat during loweringand hoisting, unless you know yourhook release system is well main-tained and that the crew on board
both understands the mechanismsof the system and the risks represented by human error. The IMO
regulations require the hook system
to be capable of releasing the boatwith the total load of boat, equipment and a full crew. However, if
the boat is released before reaching
sea level, people on board may beseriously injured or even killed.
6) Free-fall lifeboats should beconsidered for newbuildings. If
davit launched lifeboats are selected, review the hook release systems
available in the market and insist
on the safest system available.
Summary
A lot has been learned from 20
years of accidents, and there aretoday on-load release hooks in themarket which are far safer than thefirst generation of hooks. We suggest that the old hook systems are
replaced with new improved
designs.
Since lifeboats with modern onload release hook systems are still
capable of being accidently released
before they are lowered on thewater, Gard strongly recommends
that all owners and shipmanagers
address this issue within theirrespective companies and ensurethat adequate training is provided
to the crew on the specific hook systems within their fleet. (Source:
Gard)Management level course upgraded
The resolution states that
effective Feb. 1, 2008, all OIC
of Navigational Watch applying for STCW Certificates for
management level must havecompleted and duly certified
of at least any one of the function of the prescribed MLC

course for Marine Deck
Officers.
OIC of an Engineering
Watch applying for the upgrading of his certificates ofRegistration/Professional
License from E4 to E3, in addition to the 12 months

seagoing service must havecompleted and duly certificates in Function 1 and 4 of
the MLC for Marine Engineer Officer.
Effective July 1, 2008 , all
OIC of Navigational Watch
and Engineering Watch ap-

plying for Management Level
STCW certficates must havecompleted and duly certificated in Functions 1, 2 and 3 of
the MLC course for Deck Officers and Functions 1, 2, 3 and
4 for Engineer Officer respectively. (Source: Harbor Scope)

OWWA places emphasis on training Filipino seafarers
To catch up with thegrowing global demand formarine officers, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration has set aside
PHP50 million (US$1.2 million) for skills training andupgrading of Filipino seafarers.
Mechanics of the programis still being ironed out,
including partner agencies
for its implementation,according to OWWA administrator Marianito Roque,who had been concurrently
designated as acting secretary of labor.
“We want to give assurance
to our global employers that
we have competent officers
and that we are addressing
this shortage of officers,”
Roque told reporters at thesidelines of the signing of thememorandum of agreementwith industry leaders and theDepartment of Labor and
Employment (DoLE)-Establishing a Maritime Industry
Arbitration System.

Based on a recent study,
the shipping industry has ashortage of 10,000 marineand deck officers.
Roque said the government
wants to keep the country’s

nan sa program na ito ay
iyong the next five years.
Gusto nating ipakita na ngayon ang focus naman natin ay
ang ating seafarers,” Roquesaid.

The program is aiming to attract seafarers
across the country to upgrade their skills forbetter employment prospects.
status in the global maritime
industry as top supplier ofcompetent seafarers and officers because of threats fromother countries supplying
seamen, such as China,
Vietnam and Cambodia.
The program is aiming to
attract graduating highschool students, graduates ofother engineering courses
and seafarers across thecountry to upgrade theirskills for better employment
prospects.
“We are assessing the situation kaya ang ating tiniting-

A “study now, pay later”
plan is being considered forthe program, according to
OWWA deputy administrator
Noriel Devanadera.
An interested student may
initially avail of up to PHP30,000 loan under the program to finance his studies.
“We have no full details yet
but we are planning to tie up
with shipping companies sothat our students will be
employed immediately uponcompletion of the program so
we could be able to recover
our investment,” Devanadera

explained.
The PHP50 million allotment comes in the heels of
allegations of mishandling
the OWWA trust fund thathas been estimated at $10 billion, generated from the $25
contributions of overseas
Filipino workers (OFWs) for
every two-year contract.
A committee of the Houseof Representatives is conducting an audit of the OWWA
funds. (Source: GMANews)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: Takashi Miyake
Send inquiries to the attentionof Mr. Masanobu Makizoe,
Director, Foreign Trades Dept.