INS
IDE

Keep yourbrain sharp
and alive!
Page 3Developing more projects for seafarer trainingT

he Maritime Academy of
Asia and the Pacific(MAAP)’s JSU-IMMAJ Campus was completed with muchsupport from interested parties.
In order to improve the quality ofFilipino seafarers, who are essential to the Japanese commercial
fleet, the new facility will provide
high-level academic and training
programs required for mercantile
marine college students.
Attended by many interested
parties from the Japanese andFilipino maritime industries,
including representatives fromthe All Japan Seamen’s Union(JSU), the International Mariners
Management Association ofJapan (IMMAJ), and the Associated Marine Officers’ & Seamen’s
Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP), an entrance ceremony washeld June 8 on the JSU-IMMAJ
Campus for 250 freshmen, whowill receive financial support
under the JSU/IMMAJ scholarshipprogram.
It is expected that the campus
will produce 250 Filipino mariners every year for the Japanesemerchant fleet.
Dalian CSU/JSU training center

On July 20, representatives fromthe JSU, the CSU (Chinese Seafarers Union), the IMMAJ and DIMSCO (Dalian International Maritime
Service Co. Ltd.) confirmed mattersconcerning the establishment andregistration of a CSU/JSU comprehensive training and education

From left to right: Zhang Yong Heng, president of Dalian Int’l Maritime Services Co. Ltd.; Li Tieqiao. president of the National Committee of the Chinese Seamen & Construction Workers’ Union; Yoji Fujisawa, president of the All Japan Seamen’s union.

smoothly with the negotiations,the labor forum ensured that thegroups comprised both leadersand members of the working
committees representing thelabor side.
However, in respect to the proposal made by the International
Transport Workers’ Federation(ITF) for the revised IBF methodology for a new wage system, theJoint Negotiating Group (JNG) –in particular, the IMMAJ, which
demanded reductions of 10 percent from the ongoing wage standards – strongly opposed the IBF
methodology.
As such, it was impossible tohold working group meetings ora general meeting, and the second round of the negotiations
reached a stalemate.
Therefore, executive meetings
were held intermittently to breakthe deadlock, but it was finallydecided that the negotiations
would be carried over to highlevel meetings between laborand management to be convened
on Sept. 8-9.
Ceremonies for VSUP students

center in Dalian. The remodelingwork, including the installation ofsimulators, will be completed inlate October.
The People’s Liberalization
Army, which owns the land,
decided during a meeting on May
8 that the Dalian site would beleased out to provide training andeducation for securing Chinese
seafarers to meet the demands of

the Japanese merchant fleet.
Second IBF bargaining session

On July 6-8, the International
Bargaining Forum (IBF) held thesecond round of its central bargaining sessions for the current
fiscal year in Singapore.
Prior to the negotiations, thelabor side had convened internal

meetings, classifying the items
requested by both sides, otherthan those relating to wages, into
the following categories – Contractual Clause, IBF Administration, and Mechanism of Resolving
Disputes in accordance with theconfirmations made at the firstround sessions.
In order to encourage the dedicated subgroups to proceed

On June 4, the 42nd meeting of
the Vietnam Seafarers Upgrading
Project (VSUP) management committee was convened in Hanoi,
during which representatives ofboth Japan and Vietnam gave
addresses.
At a time when the Vietnamese
MAAP, See Page 4

JSU awarded citation by Philippine President
BY: ISS NOEL CRISTOBALThe Philippine President,
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,
conferred a presidential
citation to the JSU during her
meeting with the Filipino community during the 111th Independence Day celebration on June 19,
which was held at the JSU-owned
Hotel Mariners Court Tokyo.
The citation was given to four
distinguished Japanese institutions in recognition of their outstanding contributions in promoting the close relationshipbetween the Filipino and Japanese people, and for their invaluable support to the welfare of
the Filipino communities inJapan.
The JSU President, Yoji Fujisawa, received the prestigious
award on behalf of the union.
Presently, there are approximately 51,000 non-domiciled members, of which 35,000 are Filipinos working aboard Japanese
owned and operated vessels.
Arroyo, in her speech, thanked
the JSU for being generous andsupportive of the Filipino com-munities. The JSU has often
allowed Filipino communities touse Hotel Mariners’ Court Tokyo
for gatherings such as the Independence Day celebration.
She also mentioned that in an
earlier meeting with the JSU and
the Japanese Shipowners’ Association (JSA), they discussed theeffect of the global economic crisis on both countries, as well as
the welfare of Filipino seafarers
manning Japanese vessels, including the dangers they face of
pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden
off the coast of Somalia.
Arroyo said she was relievedthat the earlier idea of completely banning Filipino seafarers towork on vessels transiting pirateinfested areas was not implemented, as that would create anegative effect on the Japanese
shipping industry, which alsotranslates to lost job opportunities for seafarers.
The Japanese Minister ofTransport and the Prime Minister
himself, Taro Aso, told thePhilippine president that the Diet
had just approved a law allowing the Japanese Self-Defense

Forces (sea and aircraft) to protect and defend not just Japanese-flagged vessels, but all vessels plying the pirate-infested
area, which will provide a great
boost to the safety of Filipino
seafarers.
Arroyo commended the Japanese government, the Japanese
shipping industry and the JSU for
answering the call to protect Filipino seafarers onboard vessels
plying this dangerous corridor ofworld trade.
This shows that Japan is committed to be a strong and reliable
partner of the Philippines and to
the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) region asa whole, she said.
With the present global economic crises continuing to send
shivers and creating challenges
for the entire world economy,
there is no better time than now
to strengthen the partnership
between the Philippines andJapan, Arroyo concluded.
An excerpt of the citation is asfollows:
To the All Japan Seamen’s
Union for its unrelenting support

JSU President Yoji Fujisawa receives the citation from Philippine
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

and outstanding contribution to
the personal well being of Filipino seafarers, as well as for its
strong partnership with the Associated Marine Officers’ and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines(AMOSUP), which resulted in theestablishment of the JSU-AMOSUP Mariners’ Home in Malate,
Manila and prominent maritime
school and training centers in thePhilippines.
For its dynamic partnershipwith the Philippine Seafarers’

Union (PSU) in building theseven-story, JSU-PSU Mariners’
Court Cebu, which has contributed to harvesting the skills
training and development of seafarers.
Given this 19th day of June in
the year of our Lord 2009 in theCity of Tokyo, Japan.
Signed,Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President of the Philippines

MARITIME NEWS(2)

JULY/AUGUST 2009

U.S., Philippines team up to fight piracy
The United States will soon train
Filipino maritime personnel aswell as seafarers on how to combat piracy on the high seas. The
governments of the Philippines
and the United States forged a pact
to promote cooperation in thefield of education and training ofmaritime personnel to counterpiracy off the Somali coast andother dangerous seawaters.
On the last day of President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s working tour in the United States, press
secretary Cerge Remonde said thememorandum of cooperation on
maritime counter-piracy training
and education sought to promote

efficient and safe transport policies
and practices. The accord also
cited the importance of promoting
a healthy maritime transport sector
and its contribution in strengthening trade relations.
“The problem of international
piracy has been a serious cause ofconcern. The signing of the agreement between the Philippines andthe United States hopes to send
the message to the international
pirates that the U.S. is solidly backing the Philippines and its seafarers in this case,” Remonde said.
“The salient provision of theagreement is involving training forself-defense of Filipino seamen,

training of some Navy Seal-type
operation for certain elements of
the Philippine navy to enable ourArmed Forces deal better withpiracy in our part of the world,” hesaid.
During their meeting at theWhite House, Arroyo and U.S.
President Barack Obama agreed toforge closer cooperation in fighting
terrorism and other security
threats.
Under the counter-piracy agreement, the areas of cooperation
include exchanges of information
on best practices with respect tothe enhancement of vessel security
against threats of pirate attacks;

piracy and armed attacks as elements of current security threatsand patterns; international conventions, legislation, and regulations
concerned with piracy; executionof response plans for pirate
attacks; drills and exercises to better respond to piracy; and exploring other avenues of exchange
between maritime students andfaculty on mutually accepted
terms.
The cooperation accord will tap
the resources and facilities of theUnited States Merchant Marine
Academy, as well as the maritime
personnel training institutions of
the Philippines. (Source: Shiptalk)Crew abandonment U.S. visa regulations causing trouble forcases increasing
Crew abandonment cases areonce again becoming commonplace, with more and more seafarers stranded on account of the
global economic downturn, according to the ITF.
The problem has been a pronounced feature during shipping
sector-specific slumps and global
recessions in the past, and has
never been entirely absent, evenduring periods of prosperity.
As such, unions and employers
have worked together more closely in recent years, in the hope of
avoiding reruns of situations thatgenerated unfavorable publicity
for the industry as a whole.
However, a spokesman for the
ITF, a trade union umbrellagroup, said that the general trend
in recent months has sharply increased, with new cases coming
in so thick and fast that up-todate figures are difficult to calculate.
A case in point is Apostleshipof the Sea (AoS), which is providing food to the crew of a ship
alongside in the U.K. port of Hullin the wake of the collapse of
Eastwind Maritime Inc.
The Catholic seafarer welfare
concern said it had previously
predicted an upturn in the number of seafarers stranded in ports
around the world, and has been
increasingly concerned that its
prediction is now a reality.
According to a statement from
AoS, its chaplain in Hull, Anne
McLaren, has been onboard tovisit the crew of the Liberia-flag,
6,368-dw/t, 1984-built reefer EW
Snowden, made up of 22 Russian
nationals.
”She has made sure that thecrew have food, and will continue
to support the crew in any way
she can until the port agents andthe shipowners reach an agreement,” it said.
In early March, the International
Shipping Federation and ITF
reached agreement on the principles of a mandatory solution toclaims for abandonment of seafarers, and also claims regarding
death and personal injury.
Details have yet to be finalized
and the agreement is subject toapproval at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) andInternational Labour Organization,
which will amend the new Maritime Labour Convention accordingly. (Source: Lloyd’s List)

chemical carrier, lightering operations

A time limit on seafarer stays
mandated by their visas is causing operational difficulties tochemical carrier and lightering
companies operating in the U.S.
Gulf and off the U.S. West Coast.
The problem is being exacerbated by private terminals thatdeny visiting seafarers access toshore, which compels the crew
to stay onboard until they are ata more favorable port before
conducting routine personnel
changes.
A major international chemical
carrier company that requested
anonymity confirmed that a crew
switch could not be completed
last week in Houston because of
the restrictions.
Five crewmembers that had
traveled to Houston to join theship were flown back to India by
the company and are to be flown
to Brazil to join the vessel at its
next port of call.
The departing crew onboard
could not leave the ship to catchflights home because they had
been in the United States for two
to three days beyond the 29 days
allowed by their visas. Had theygone to the airport, they would
have been allowed to leave theUnited States, but would havebeen banned from re-entering for
10 years.
The company said the crew
switch could have been done a

few days earlier at the Mississippi
River, but a private terminal there
had a policy prohibiting shore
access even to seafarers withvisas. The 29-day limit had
expired by the time the ship wasin Houston.
At least four other chemicaltransport companies trading in
the U.S. Gulf have experienced
problems involving the 29-day
limit, sources said.
The problem lies in a provisionin the D-1 visa category for merchant seafarers, which limits one
contiguous stay in the UnitedStates to 29 days. Seafarers who
exceed the limit can stay on theship in a U.S. port, but cannot goashore. No provision exists for
D-1 stays to be extended.
Sources close to the Houston
incident said chemical carriers of
this kind arrive at a U.S. northeast port, and progress towards
the U.S. Gulf. In Houston alone,they might load at several berths,
which could take up to three
weeks.
Lightering ships face a similar
situation. Since their job is to
shuttle back and forth between
the lightering area and a shoreside facility, foreign seafarers
these vessels are not deemed tohave left the United States, andrun up against the 29-day limit.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Houston isunderstood to take a lenient
view of lightering crews, and is
known to issue paroles thatenable crews to keep working
lightering ships beyond 29 days.
Sources elsewhere claim thatlightering companies active off
Los Angeles and Mississippi have
conventionally had to work within the 29-day rule.
Ships that arrive on the West
Coast of the United States and go
on to Houston via the Panama
Canal have also been cited as
facing D-1 problems. This isbecause canal transit is notdeemed a foreign stop and thetotal time taken for the journey
and loading could exceed 29
days.
Under strict interpretation of
U.S. immigration law, even if a
visa holder physically leaves theUnited States, he or she is notdeemed to have left until touching down at a foreign port.
The West Gulf Maritime Association (WGMA) is fronting theindustry reaction around Houston.
WGMA director for maritime
affairs Niels Lyngso said, “We areconcerned about the negative
effects added security measures
have on the welfare of seafarers.
In this case, we are working with
CBP to mitigate the stringent
effects of the 29-day rule.”(Source: Lloyd’s List)

Cloudy skies
for tradeconditionsTrade conditions now
are even worse thanin the 1930s, a senior shipping industry official
said recently, with weak
global demand and fleet
oversupply set to dampen
recovery prospects for the
seaborne transport sector.
Around 90 percent of theworld’s traded goods byvolume are transported bysea, with many hoping for aworld economic recovery
via resurgence in freightactivity. But a reduction indemand for raw materials,
manufactured goods andconsumer products has hit
the shipping sector hardsince last October.
The Baltic Dry Index –which gauges the cost of
shipping resources including iron ore, cement, grain,coal and fertilizer – collapsed to a record low lastDecember of 663 points
and has remained volatile
since then.
The index hit a morethan eight-month high on
June 3 of 4,291 points, driven by Chinese demand for
raw materials, especiallyiron ore, which helped
boost freight rates. Average
earnings for Capesize vessels – the largest class ofdry bulk ships – dropped to
US$60,490 a day from theirpeak of $233,988 a day inJune 2008.
Worries have been growing over the number ofvessels expected to hit the
shipping market in the
coming years. Shipbroker
Simpson Spence & Young(SSY) forecast new dry
bulk vessels being delivered this year would total
47 million dw/t versus 24
million dw/t entering thefleet in 2008. A further 7.5
million dw/t is expected tohit the dry bulk market in2009 from ships converted
from oil tankers, it said.
(Source: Reuters)

AMOSUP to lobby for job retention, not wage increases
A Filipino seafarers’ labor groupsaid it would not ask for an
increase on behalf of its members
during their collective bargaining
agreement (CBA) talks withshipowning employers in September, but that it will lobby for theretention of jobs even in times ofcrisis.
Gregorio Oca, chairman of the
AMOSUP, said his group cannot
ask for an increase at a time when
the global shipping industry is facing such a crisis. “We just want our
seafarers to keep their jobs; what
we’re after here now is for theirsecurity of employment,” he said.
However, Oca said that his
group will not accept an earlier

proposal by the employers for a
10 percent to 15 percent wage
decrease.
“Some ship owners relayed tous that they want to reduce thesalary, so as not to lay off seafarers. We said no…of course we
don’t want that,” he said.
During their last CBA discussions with the International Maritime Employers’ Committee Ltd.
(IMEC), which comprised mostly
European shipowners, they haveagreed on an increase of salary of
about 7 percent.
Oca said that due to the shortage of competent officers, many
employers have pirated somecrewmembers by offering themsalaries “beyond” what was agreed
upon during the AMOSUP-IMEC
CBA discussions. At the moment,
there are 500 ships already laid off
all over the world, but Oca said
employers are still keeping theirworkforce intact in hopes that thecrisis will turn for the better.
September’s meeting between
AMOSUP and IMEC will cover collective bargaining agreements for2010 to 2012.
The last CBA discussion washeld in November 2007.
Giles Heimann, the IMEC secretary-general designate, did notcomment on employers’ request to
reduce salaries. “We vowed tomaintain all our crew and we haveno plans to lay off workers at thispoint despite the crisis,” he said.
IMEC currently sponsors AMOSUP’s cadetship program at the
MAAP to ensure continued support of quality seafarers to IMEC
members and to the industry, with
the IMEC occupying a seat on theboard at the MAAP.
The group is the world’s largest
employers of Filipino seafarers
with approximately 52,000 Filipino
ratings and 14,000 Filipino officers
serving aboard members’ ships.
IMEC is comprised of 130 member-companies and operates 6,500
ships and employs a total of
157,000 seafarers of various
nationalities.

SEAFARERS’ CORNER

JULY/AUGUST 2009(3)

Challenge your brain regularly for increased mental fitnessBrain fitness has basic principles: variety and curiosity.
When anything you do
becomes second nature, you needto make a change.
If you can do the crossword
puzzle in your sleep, it’s time foryou to move on to a new challenge in order to get the best
workout for your brain.
Curiosity about the world
around you, how it works andhow you can understand it willkeep your brain working fast andefficiently. Use the ideas below tohelp attain your quest for mental
fitness.
Play Games
Brain fitness programs andgames are a wonderful way totease and challenge your brain.
Suduko, crosswords and electronic games can all improveyour brain’s speed and memory.
These games rely on logic,
word skills, as well as math andmore, and are also fun to do.
You’ll benefit more by doingthese games a little bit every day– spend 15 minutes or so, nothours.

Making simple changes, meditating, will help you to stay young
Meditation
Daily meditation is perhaps the
single greatest thing you can dofor your mind and body health. It
not only relaxes you, it gives
your brain a workout. By creatinga different mental state, youengage your brain in new andinteresting ways while increasing
your brain fitness.
Eat for your brain
Your brain needs you to eat
healthy fats. Focus on fish oils
from wild salmon, nuts such as
walnuts, seeds such as flax seed
and olive oil. Eat more of thesefoods and less saturated fats.
Eliminate trans-fats completelyfrom your diet.
Tell good stories
Stories are a way that we solidify memories, interpret eventsand share moments. Practicetelling your stories, both new andold, so that they are interesting,compelling and fun.
A few basic storytelling techniques will go quite a long way
in keeping people’s interest bothin you and in what you have tosay.
Turn off your television
The average person watches
more than four hours of television everyday. Television canstand in the way of relationships,
life and more. So turn off yourTV and spend more time living
and exercising your mind andbody.

toothpicks all will challenge yourbrain and give you something tothink about.

Read something different

Make simple changes

Books are portable, free fromlibraries and filled with infinite
interesting characters, information and facts. Branch out fromfamiliar reading topics. If you
usually read history books, try acontemporary novel. Read foreign authors, the classics andrandom books.
Not only will your brain get aworkout by imagining different
time periods, cultures and peoples,
you will also have interesting stories to tell about your reading, what
it makes you think of and the connections you draw between modern life and the words.

We love our routines. We havehobbies and pastimes that we
could do for hours on end. But
the more something is “second
nature,” the less our brains haveto work to do it. To really help
your brain stay young, challenge
it. Change routes to the grocery
store, use your opposite hand toopen doors and eat dessert first.
All this will force your brain to
wake up from habits and pay
attention again.

Exercise your bodyto exercise your brain

Learn a new skill

Physical exercise is great brain
exercise too. By moving yourbody, your brain has to learn
new muscle skills, estimate distance and practice balance.
Choose a variety of exercises tochallenge your brain.

Learning a new skill works
multiple areas of the brain. Yourmemory comes into play, youlearn new movements and you
associate things differently. Reading Shakespeare, learning to cookand building an airplane out ofTrain your brain
Brain training is becoming a
trend. There are formal courses,
Web sites and books with programs on how to train your brain
to work better and faster. There issome research behind these programs, but the basic principles arememory, visualization and reasoning. Work on these three concepts
everyday and your brain will beready for anything.

VOICES from SEAFARERS

JOKE CORNER
Seamen’s Sins

Capt. Manuel Luis M. Kierulf with crew of M/V SIRIUS LEADER
Capt. Dionisio R. Dandan and officers of M/V KAMO
Thanks to the JSU staff for the regular visitations and the welfare goods
we regularly receive.

We do appreciate your concern and support to us. Please continue tocommunicate with us by visiting us regularly.

Capt. Rodrigo C. Cansancio andC/O Evaristo G. De Guzmanof M/V POLAR QUEEN
While we thank the JSU for
the facilities it helped build in
our country, we wish the union
to negotiate for more increases
in the present rate of foodallowance for members.

Crew of M/V HOEGH SYDNEY posing with JSU staff
This is the first time that we were visited by JSU staff and we learned a
lot about the union. Please visit us regularly.

Congratulations to Capt. Roberto C.
Satiada of M/V United Spirit for being
awarded by the Japan Meteorological
Agency and by the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration, USA for his
distinguished achievement and contribution to both agencies.
All Japan Seamen’s Union

I. A seaman was drinking
beer while watching TV. His
wife was getting the table
ready for dinner.
He said to her, “I neverwant to live in a vegetative
state, depending on somemachines and fluids from abottle. If that ever happens,just pull the plug.”
The wife stopped what
she was doing, unplugged
the TV and threw out his
beer.
II. A dying seaman whispers
to his wife who is keeping
vigil by his bedside.
Seaman: Before I die I
have something to confessto you...
Wife: Shhh, not now.
Seaman: But I need to tell
you that I cheated on you...
Wife:Yes, I know.
Seaman: I need to clear
my conscience before I
die...
Wife: Just lie back and let
the poison work.
By ISS John Canto

You take the shore party,
I’ll stay with my ship.
– Capt. Jack Sparrow –ADVISORIES/WARNINGS(4)

JULY/AUGUST 2009

Anti-piracy mission off Somalia warns MSDS tanker
of more attacks as weather changes requirement
The British commander of the European
Union (EU)’s anti-piracy operation off the coastof Somalia warned that there could be a significant increase in pirate attacks on merchantships following the end of the monsoon season.
Rear Adm. Peter Hudson, the senior British
officer commanding the EU anti-piracy mission, said the current monsoon season – withwaves rising up to four meters – had led to adrop in the seizing of merchant ships in theregion.
But as the weather changes in the next few
months, pirate activity could pick up sharply,
Hudson told the U.K.-based Financial Times.
“There’s a possibility that pirates will comeout in force in the autumn,” he said. “As thecommander, I have to work with colleagues inNATO and other coalition forces to make sure
we put our ships in the best place to counter
that.”At present, the large anti-piracy patrol operation involving 34 naval ships has led to amarked decline in successful pirate attacks onmerchant shipping. Six months ago, one inthree pirate attacks in the region were successful. Today, it is one in nine, an official fromOperation Atalanta said. However, with 25,000
merchant ships passing through the Gulf ofAden each year, the scale of the challenge ishuge.
Hudson warned already merchant shippingthat a significant number of attacks might takeplace in the Gulf of Aden in September inspite of increased surveillance operations by
national navies off Somalia. Since the EU task
force was launched a year ago, it has been in
the vanguard of the international anti-piracy
drive.
The EU coalition has some 12 ships on
patrol in the region, NATO has five, and the
U.S.-led “combined maritime force” four.
National navies, including Russia, China, India
and Japan, have a total of 13 ships on antipiracy patrol.
Hudson said there was far more pressure on
pirates because of the large number of forcesin the area. But the scale of ocean that needed
to be patrolled – 2 million square kilometers –made anti-piracy operations difficult. (Source:
Shiptalk)

New report looks at causes of propulsion loss when switching fuels
Ships switch fuel oil fromresidual fuels to distillate fuels inorder to reduce emissions.
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
expects ships will switch fuelmore frequently to comply withnew emission reduction regulations. When switching fuel oil,some ships have experienced
propulsion losses linked to procedural errors or fuel oil incompatibility.
American Petroleum Institute(API) developed a paper titled“Technical Considerations of FuelSwitching Practices” that discusses
problems that lead to propulsion
loss while switching fuel.
The document is available at

http://marineinvestigations.us andmay be useful to vessel owners,
operators, and engineers interested in preventing fuel system failures and propulsion casualties,
while meeting current and future
exhaust emission control requirements.
In order to prevent casualties
associated with fuel oil switching,
the USCG strongly recommends
that owner and operators do thefollowing:• Consult engine and boiler
manufacturers for fuel switchingguidance• Consult fuel suppliers forproper fuel selection• Exercise tight control whenpossible over the quality of thefuel oils received• Consult manufacturers todetermine if system modifications
or additional safeguards are necessary for intended fuels• Develop detailed fuel switching procedures• Establish a fuel systeminspection and maintenanceschedule• Ensure system pressure andtemperature alarms, flow indicators, filter differential pressuretransmitters, etc. are all operational• Ensure system purifiers, filtersand strainers are maintained• Ensure system seals, gaskets,flanges, fittings, brackets and supports are maintained• Ensure a detailed system diagram is available• Conduct initial and periodic
crew training• Complete fuel switching welloffshore prior to entering restricted waters or traffic lanes
This safety alert is provided for
informational purposes only anddoes not relieve any domestic orinternational safety, operationalor material requirement. Developed by the Office of Design
and Engineering Standards andOffice of Investigations andAnalysis, USCG Headquarters,
Washington, DC.

MAAP, From Page 1

Asia Flag of Convenience/Port ofConvenience (FOC/POC) campaign was carried out at 38 ports
in 15 regions across Japan. The
JSU worked together with the
National Council of Dockworkers’
Unions of Japan and the Japanese
Confederation of Port and Harbor
Transport Workers’ Unions, aswell as seafarer and dockworker
unions of South Korea, Taiwan
and Russia.
From South Korea, the head of
the Korea Special Seafarers’
Union (KSSU) and the director
general of the union’s international bureau joined the campaign.
They participated in the protest in
front of Kotoku Kaiun’s head
office and the inspections at thePort of Yokohama.
The JSU made exchanges with
the KSSU in order to enhance its
international cooperation withother countries.
Working toward safety and theconclusion of the ITF agreements,
the JSU-led party conducted
protest rallies and activities(appeal activities) against Kotoku
Kaiun’s FOC fleet, Hong Kongflagged unorganized FOC ships,
Singapore-flagged unorganized
FOC ships, other unorganizedships, and others to beware of,based on the councils by seafarers and dockworkers to address
the FOC/POC issues, which had
been established across Japan.
It was also confirmed that theactivities had advanced steadily inJapan, Russia, South Korea, andTaiwan.

Campaign activities included
the following:(a) The JSU visited 121 ships to
conduct onboard inspections.
(b) The JSU supported crewmembers of four ships to settle
their complaints.
(c) 10 vessels agreed to sign
the ITF agreements.
(d) Negotiations began for
signing the ITF agreements witheight vessels.
(e) 15 ships were requested toundergo port state control (PSC)
inspections and/or receive instruction for improvements.
(f) One ship was found to havea problem with its side ladder;
one ship was pointed out to havea problem with its manning standards; and 13 ships were foundto lift their side ladders in unsafe
manners and/or violate seafarers’
rights of organization.
Activities for the ITF agreements to be signed included thefollowing:(a) Protest in front of the head
office of Kotoku Kaiun in Imabari, Ehime prefecture
On July 14, a group of 42, consisting mainly of seamen anddockworkers in the Chugoku andShikoku regions, as well as representatives from the JSU headquarters, made a protest march to thehead office of Kotoku Kaiun.
As the company dealt with theprotestors dishonestly, saying thatit never ordered crewmembers of
its vessel to reject others fromembarking, the group read a letter of protest, yelled and voiced

their discontents, and distributed
fliers in front of the head office.
(b) The campaign staged protest rallies against six vessels
owned by Kotoku Kaiun.
(c) The campaign conducted
protest and appeal activities
against seven vessels owned by
Kotoku Kaiun.

economy is growing rapidly,
highly skilled local seamen tounderpin Vietnam’s maritime
society are necessary. As such,
Vietnam said it was grateful to
the JSU for working on the VSUP
training and education programs,
which have contributed to developing Vietnamese seamen.
As for a vocational college inVinh, located in central Vietnam,
which is under discussion for the
purpose of securing workers formarine, transport and port industries, Vietnam stated that it would
recruit teachers and develop curricula. It also said that it would
like to begin designing and constructing the school during thethird quarter.
Graduation and entrance ceremonies were held for fifty-two
21-year and fifty 22nd-year students, respectively, in Ho Chi
Minh City on June 5 and Hai
Phong on June 6, witnessing theattendance of many guests fromJapanese and Vietnamese maritime industries.
The ceremonies were all successful, with most of the guests
saying that they were grateful to
the JSU for contributing to thedevelopment of Vietnamese seamen.
ITF East Asia
FOC/POC campaign

On June 14-16, the ITF East

BackgroundKotoku Kaiun is an Imabaribased midsize shipping company
that owns approximately 30 FOC
ships. As it has not signed any
appropriate ITF labor agreementsthat meet international standards,
we, seafarer and dockworker
unions, have been recommending the company to sign them forseveral years now.
However, Kotoku Kaiun has
never intended to hold negotiations with us, and intercepts conversations that we try to makewith crewmembers of its ships byasking them to close walkways
and lift up side ladders.
These acts are strictly prohibited and are malicious illegal
behaviors according to international laws and the Constitutionof Japan.
Therefore, we are carrying out
international campaigns to makeKotoku Kaiun sign the ITF agreements, which clarifies seafarers’
rights and to ensure that dockworkers are responsible for cargohandling activities, both of which
are minimum international andsocial requirements.

moves forward

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
announced that it submitted a Federal Register notice to the marine
community containing guidance on
new IMO measures.
These new measures require that
all tank ships subject to the International Convention for the Safetyof Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention
carrying Annex I cargoes and all
ships using Annex I marine fuels tohave Material Safety Data Sheets(MSDS) aboard.
The SOLAS convention requirement will become effective Jan. 1,
2011. It does not apply to inlandbarges or any other ship not subject to the SOLAS convention.
After Jan. 1, 2011, nations party
to the SOLAS can be expected toverify that ships subject to the convention have MSDS as required.
After that date, all U.S.-flagged vessels under the SOLAS convention
traveling overseas should expect
foreign administrations to ask for
MSDS for each Annex I cargo andmarine oil fuel on board.
Also after that date, all foreignflagged vessels under the SOLAS
convention at U.S. ports should
expect the USCG to ask for MSDS
in fulfillment of the United States’
duties as a party to the SOLAS convention.
The USCG expects that ship’s
personnel receive MSDS in a working language or languages understood by them, and also expects
that occupational exposure limits
referenced in a MSDS be based on
an internationally recognized standard.
The IMO has recommended aformat for the MSDS and the USCG
encourages the use of this recommended format and content, which
is set out in the notice.
Some nations party to the SOLAS
convention may require MSDS tofollow the IMO recommendations
for format and content.
In most cases, vessels will already have MSDS for all cargoesthat usually will contain the recommended information. In somecases, certain recommended data
may not apply to the bulk liquid inquestion (data not applicableshould be so noted). However,some member nations may require
all of the recommended information.
The notice is available at the
Office of the Federal Register Public
Inspection Desk at www.federalregister.gov. After publication, it
will be available in the Federal Register and at www.regulations.gov,
docket number: USCG-2009-0553.

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: Shinichi Tanaka
Send inquiries to the attentionof Mr. Masanobu Makizoe,
Director, Foreign Trades Dept.