MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

The MISSION of The Merchant Navy Association is to bring all serving and retired Seafarers together in a spirit of

companionship, consideration and commitment towards a united lobby for the Community of the Sea Hi Shipmates,

Please find below more snippets of information since circular #7 was published 6th April 2020. My thanks to MNA National Secretary, Pete Sinke’s daily publication “Maasmond Maritime - Shipping News

Clippings”, Lloyds List, gCaptain, Maritime London, Flashlight and many others from the T’internet, not

forgetting the items sent in by Readers and any other source I can access.

MNA National Contact Points

National Secretary, David Parsons = Email : mnanationalsec@gmail.com Tel: 01935 414 765

Welfare & Events, Tim Brant, - Tel: 01472 85 11 30, Email : t.brant@talktalk.net

National Membership Secretary, Roy Glencross - Mobile: 07738 425875

Email mna.org.membership@gmail.com

MNA Slop Chest, The Supply Officer:- Sandra Broom sananpete@aol.com 0121 244 0190

If you call her, it may go to an answerphone. Please leave a message and she will call you.

Change of Address???? If any member has changed any of their contact details (Postal, E-mail or

Telephone) it is important that you inform ROY GLENCROSS and copy to David Parsons, Tim Brant &

myself. If informing by e-mail send to:- mna.org.membership@gmail.com , secretary@mna.org.uk,

t.brant@talktalk.net, R546060@aol.com

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THANK YOU, COLLEAGUES AT SEA

Photo : Flying Focus Aerial Photography www.flyingfocus.nl ©

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MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

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Just Giving & The Merchant Navy Association We are pleased to say we are now able to offer our supporters the

facility to make donations via our

Just Giving page.

This is a secure means of making payments and enables us to

claim Gift Aid from the Treasury.

Go to www.justgiving.com Click on ‘Search' at the top right-

hand side and type in Merchant Navy Association.

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Coronavirus-Misinformation I have been advised that in the previous issue of The Pulse the article on page/s 22 & 23

purported to be from John Hopkins University is a light fake news (about Vodka, alcohol % in

Listerine, etc….). Not quite dangerous fake, but is fake

The official info is to be found here:

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/#covid-19-basics

https://www.globalhealthnow.org/2020-02/coronavirus-expert-reality-check#malani

See in addition about fake:

• https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/04/03/coronavirus-misinformation-rumors-social-media/

• https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/johns-hopkins-covid-summary/

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2020/04/08/during-covid-19-pandemic-it-isnt-

just-fake-news-but-seriously-bad-misinformation-that-is-spreading-on-social-

media/#4cbde0f87e55

Thanks to Daniele Telara for this advice

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Coronavirus: Australia launches criminal investigation into Ruby Princess The RUBY PRINCESS remains off the coast of Sydney with 200 crew members showing symptoms of

the virus A criminal investigation has been launched in Australia into how cruise ship passengers were

allowed to disembark in Sydney despite some exhibiting flu-like symptoms. More than 600 people on

board the Ruby Princess later tested positive for coronavirus and 10 have since died. The ship remains off

the coast with nearly 200 sick crew members on board. Police in New South Wales said they would look

into whether national biosecurity laws had been broken. Australia has so far reported 5,548 coronavirus

cases and 30 deaths. Those sickened on cruise ships account for nearly a tenth of all cases in Australia.

The country has imposed strict social distancing measures and clubs, cafes, parks and gyms have been

closed in a bid to contain the outbreak source: BBC

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MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

Coast Guard: 93,000 Crew Members Still Stuck on Cruise Ships Off United

States As cruise ships drawdown the number of passengers remaining on board, concern is growing for the tens

of thousands of crew members, mostly foreign nationals, who remain stuck on board these ships in or

near U.S. territorial waters.

The U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday revealed staggering new figures about the number of passengers

disembarked from cruise ships in the United States since the coronavirus pandemic started to wreak havoc

on the industry.

Over the last three weeks, the Coast Guard says it has processed more than 120 vessels, collectively

disembarking 250,000 passengers onto U.S. soil, including the 1,200 or so passengers offloaded from MS

Zaandam and MS Rotterdam in Port Everglades, Florida last week.

The removal of passengers from these vessel comes after the international cruise ship industry announced

an initial 30-day suspension on sailings, with many of the major cruise lines now extending the

suspension through at least the end of April.

Although the drawdown of passengers stuck on board cruise ships is viewed as a major milestone in one

of the areas hardest hit by the virus (i.e., cruise ships), what remains alarming now is the number of crew

members who still remain stuck on board these ships.

According to the Coast Guard, as of Sunday there were 114 cruise ships still carrying 93,000 crew

members either in or near U.S. ports and waters. This includes 73 cruise ships with a combined 53,000

crew members either moored or anchored in U.S. ports and another 41 ships with 41,000 crew members

still underway in the vicinity of the United States.

Ultimately, however, it is the obligation of the cruise lines for the care, safety and welfare of their

seafarers, the Coast Guard says.

“The entire DHS team is working together to ensure no seafarer will be left untreated during this

emergency to the best of our collective ability, however, proactive measures are critical to ensuring our

limited search and rescue resources and already stressed shore-side medical services do not get over-

burdened,” said Rear Adm. Eric Jones, commander of the Coast Guard’s 7th District. “This emergency

situation requires cruise ships to take additional measures to be reasonably self-sufficient in these

emergency circumstances through improved on board medical care and protocols and pre-approved

medical transport procedures.”

On Monday, the Coast Guard announced it had carried out medical evacuations of three cruise ships crew

members with COVID-19-like symptoms within the Miami and St. Petersburg, Florida areas of

responsibility Saturday and Sunday.

In a Marine Safety Information Bulletin issued last week, Rear Adm. Jones said foreign-flagged cruise

ships should prepare to treat COVID-19 patients at sea for “an indefinite period of time” as shore-side

medical facilities and resources become overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients.

Although the MSIB stated that MEDEVACs would still be considered if deemed necessary by a Coast

Guard surgeon, the vessel owner or operator are required to secure commercial transportation ashore and

confirm hospital availability before any such evacuation is authorized.

The MSIB instead recommended that ships should seek help from their respective flag states, such as

Panama, Liberia and the Bahamas, as is often in the case with cruise ships.

On Monday, the Cruise Lines International Association said as of April 6, seven of its members’ cruise

ships remained at sea with passengers, representing 2.5% of CLIA members’ global fleet.

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Fired Teddy Roosevelt Captain Tests Positive for COVID-19 – Report https://gcaptain.com/fired-teddy-roosevelt-captain-tests-positive-for-covid-19-

report/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gcaptain+%28gCaptai

n.com%29&goal=0_f50174ef03-c950ffcb06-139894965&mc_cid=c950ffcb06&mc_eid=4c72dd3685

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MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

Hospital Ship USNS Comfort to Start Accepting COVID-19 Patients

The U.S. Department of Defense has opened the hospital ship USNS Comfort to patients with COVID-19 in

order to relieve pressure on New York area hospitals, the Northern Command announced Tuesday 7th April.

https://gcaptain.com/hospital-ship-usns-comfort-to-start-accepting-covid-19-

patients/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gcaptain+%28gCapta

in.com%29&goal=0_f50174ef03-4e9956123d-139894965&mc_cid=4e9956123d&mc_eid=4c72dd3685

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Oil tanker lost steering in icy Ob Bay “In severe ice conditions the ship could be squeezed by the ice,” says icebreaker captain Dmitry Lobusov,

“It was necessary to get to work quickly.” By : Thomas Nilsen It was on March 29th that two of Russia’s

nuclear-powered icebreakers had to set course to rescue the 43-years old tanker VARZUGA which had

lost steering in shallow ice-covered waters east of the Yamal Peninsula.T he oil tanker was reportedly

sailing with ballast. Normally, the cargo is different kinds of petroleum products like bunker or diesel-fuel

to Russia’s Arctic ports. VARZUGA can carry 16,000 cubic meters of oil.The operator of the tanker,

Arkhangelsk-based JSC Bunker, has so far not said anything in public about the incident which first

became known on April 3rd when Rosatomflot published information about the emergency rescue towing

that started last Sunday. Lack of steering for the tanker was caused by a failure with the Azipod, a

propeller mounted on a steerable pod, including the electric motor driving the propeller. The area where

the tanker got stuck in ice without steering had a depth of only 15 meters. Consequently, the larger

nuclear-powered icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy” couldn’t operate at full capacity and got assistance from a

second nuclear-powered icebreaker, the “Vaigach” which can sail in more shallow waters. The two

icebreakers managed to get the tanker out from the Ob Bay and the “Vaigach” continued the emergency

towing through the Kara Sea to the ice-free waters of the Barents Sea where a small tug on April 3rd took

over and is currently towing the oil tanker towards Murmansk. Captain Dmitry Lobusov on the bridge of

“50 Let Pobedy” describes the emergency: “It was necessary to get to work quickly,” he tells. “In severe

ice conditions, the ship could be squeezed out by the ice.” Captain on the icebreaker “Vaigach”,

Aleksandr Skryabin concludes: “Thanks to the professionalism of the crews of the nuclear icebreakers,

the VARZUGA tanker was able to be taken out from the ice captivity without incident.”

This is the second time the oil tanker VARZUGA sailing into trouble in icy Arctic waters. Back in 2010,

the tanker collided with her sister vessel, the “Indiga” somewhere along the Northern Sea Route. Both

tankers were then loaded with diesel fuel, but the collision did not cause any spill or severe damage to the

ships, the Barents Observer (external link to archive) reported at the time. In 2010, the two tankers sailed

for Murmansk Shipping Company. Originally built in Germany, the VARZUGA (then named “Uikku”)

sailed for Finnish oil company Neste in the Baltic Sea from the late 1970s. In the early 1990s, she sailed

Russia’s Northern Sea Route in the summer and the Baltic Sea during winter. In 1997, “Uikku” became

the first non-Russian merchant ship to navigate the entire Northern Sea Route. Murmansk Shipping

Company bought the tanker in 2003.In 2017, another oil tanker, the “Chukotka+” got stuck in ice in the

Sannikov Strait between the New Siberia Islands and the mainland. The ship sailed alone and aimed for a

voyage across the Northern Sea Route. The ship drifted with the ice onto a sand bank and was finally

pulled off the ground by the nuclear-powered icebreaker “Yamal”. Source : BarentsObserver

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MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

Acting Navy Secretary Modly Resigns Amid Uproar Over Leaked Speech to

Carrier Crew Thomas Modly has offered his resignation following criticism of his handling of a crisis involving the

captain of a coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier, …………..

https://gcaptain.com/acting-navy-secretary-modly-resigns-amid-uproar-over-leaked-speech-to-carrier-

crew/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gcaptain+%28gCaptain.

com%29&goal=0_f50174ef03-4e9956123d-139894965&mc_cid=4e9956123d&mc_eid=4c72dd3685

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UAE makes crew change concessions By: Sam Chambers

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is easing its crew change restrictions, much to the relief of thousands of

seafarers across the world. In a circular, the UAE’s Federal Transport Authority said the first stage of the

lifting of restrictions would be aimed at seafarers with a resident visa, crew on laid up passenger ships,

crew with medical issues and for those who need to leave on compassionate grounds. The FTA will allow

crew to leave so long as the signing off crew must be well for the last 14 days before leaving the ship and

has not been in contact with a known or suspect case of Covid-19 in those 14 days. An airline ticket must

also be shown. The FTA said it was looking to get crew change operations back to normal as quick as

possible. Other important shipping centres that have made eased crew repatriation regulations in recent

days include Hong Kong and Singapore. On average, around 100,000 seafarers change ship every month,

something that has ground to a halt over the last six weeks as the spread of coronavirus around the world

has created unprecedented travel restrictions. Maersk, the world’s largest container-line, told its seagoing

staff over the weekend that all crew changes – which had been on hold through to mid-April – will now

be postponed to May 12 at the earliest. Source : Splash 247

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Book Review By Frank Neyts “Rails Across the Sea”

Recently Mainline & Maritime published a remarkable booklet entitled

“Rails Across the Sea, The Harwich – Zeebrugge Train Ferry Story”.

The book is bilingual, the Dutch title being “Sporen over de Zee, Het

verhaal van het treinveer Harwich – Zeebrugge”, Kevin Hoggett signed

as the author. It is the first full history of the Harwich – Zeebrugge train

ferry service. The author worked for British Rail at Zeebrugge (Belgium)

in the train ferry service. He had access to previously unpublished material

and images (including maps, advertising and other ephemera). The story

includes the history of the ‘precursor’ services operated by the military in

WW1.The Harwich – Zeebrugge train ferry service started on April 24th,

1924 and was set up by Great Eastern Train Ferries Ltd. (GETF). In a

very short time it became very successful especially for transport of

perishables from the European Continent to the UK. This was done in special temperature-controlled

wagons.

During the big depression in the thirties, GETF was taken over by the London and North Eastern

Railways (later becoming part of British Rail). Due to the breaking out of WW2, the train ferry service

was suspended on September 1st; 1939 and resumed mid-September 1944. At the beginning of the war

the three ferryboats were taken over by the Royal Navy and converted to “Landing Craft Carriers”. Two

of them did not survive the war. The service was finally stopped when the Chunnel, the canal tunnel

under the Channel, became operational. Al those years the service was run on a daily basis, with up to

four sailing in each direction. “Rails Across the Sea” (ISBN 978-1-900340-59-3) counts 80 pages, 96

images of which 35 in colour. It is available as softback (retailprice £14.95 exclusive P & P). The book

can be ordered via the better bookshop, or direct with the publishers, Mainline & Maritime, 3 Broadleaze,

Upper Seagry near Chippenham SN15 SEY, Tel. +44.(0)1275.845012. Ordering can also via the link

https://mainlinemaritime.myshopify.com/collections/maritime-1/products/rails-across-the-sea .

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MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

Pandemics Not sure if I passed this on before, but it’s an interesting graphic about the history of pandemics

Thanks for this Lester

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Mega container ship mishap in Busan By ; Mikhail Voytenko

Container ship MILANO BRIDGE in the afternoon Apr 6 contacted gantry crane 85 at Busan New Port

container terminal while proceeding to berth 7 with pilot on board, then she contacted berthed container

ship SEASPAN GANGES, and moving on momentum further on, contacted cranes 81 and 84. Crane 85

collapsed, cranes 81 and 84 were derailed, crane 85 operator was slightly injured. SEASPAN GANGES

left port shortly after accident, understood damages were slight or none. MILANO BRIDGE as of 1100

UTC wasn’t yet moored, probably because of crane debris on her stern. Container ship MILANO

BRIDGE, IMO 9757187, dwt 146931, capacity 13870 TEU, built 2018, flag Panama, operator ONE.

Container ship SEASPAN GANGES, IMO 9630365, dwt 115177, built 2014, flag HK. Source Maritime

Bulletin

To view the movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84mloYb8zbE&feature=emb_logo

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Commonwealth War Graves – on Facebook It’s too late to join them on Thursday 9 April for the first of the brand CWGC Live series when Historian

and Interpretation Officer Max Dutton as he talked on a virtual tour of the Somme.

Tune into our Facebook page at 2.30pm (UK time) every Thursday to hear from specialists from

within the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as they delve deeper into the work that we

undertake.

You can post your questions on our Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/commonwealthwargravescommission/?mc_cid=0facbf2245&mc_eid=93d04a

cbb4, or ask them directly.

Coming up on the CWGC Live series...

In the Garden with Director of Horticulture, David Richardson - 16 April

A Virtual Tour of Gallipoli with Historian, Max Dutton - 23 April

Into the Archives with Chief Archivist, Andrew Fetherston - 30 April

CWGC Architecture with Director of Works, Jon Gedling - 7 May

Coming soon...

Starting next week our new podcast 'The 1.7 million stories of the CWGC'

Follow us on social media to find out more.

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A New Day for the American Merchant Marine: The Philly Shipyard and

National Security Multi-Mission Vessels https://gcaptain.com/a-new-day-for-the-american-merchant-marine-the-philly-shipyard-and-national-

security-multi-mission-

vessels/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gcaptain+%28gCaptai

n.com%29&goal=0_f50174ef03-64cfa97826-139894965&mc_cid=64cfa97826&mc_eid=4c72dd3685

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MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

Hurtigruten temporarily suspends operations Following the latest developments in the coronavirus situation Hurtigruten decided to continue a

temporary suspension of its operations: Norwegian coast: Operations will be suspended until 20 May

2020. As of now, the first scheduled round trip departure from Bergen will be on 21 May. Expedition

cruises: All Hurtigruten expedition cruises will be suspended until 12 May. In addition to the previously

cancelled cruises, this includes the MS Fridtjof Nansen’s departure from Hamburg on 29 April as well as

MS Spitsbergen’s departure from Longyearbyen 6 May.In addition, Hurtigruten’s Alaska expedition

cruise season will be postponed to July due to new travel restrictions from Canadian authorities. This

means that the 17 May, 31 May, 12 June, 24 June and 1 July MS ROALD AMUNDSEN Alaska

departures unfortunately will be cancelled.

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Portugal: Customs seize 100kg cocaine on container ship at Sines port The Tax and Customs Authority (TA) announced Monday that it has seized more than 100 kilograms of

cocaine at the Port of Sines during a control operation on a container coming from South America. In a

statement, TA states that the drug was stowed inside four sports bags hidden among the legitimate cargo

of a container and that it was detected during “a non-intrusive control of a container” that had been

selected “under local risk analysis criteria”. The seized cocaine would have a market value of about four

million euros and was handed over to the Judiciary Police. “The narcotic was packed in a container from

South America carrying legitimate cargo, and was misused for that purpose, waiting for the right moment

to be removed from it and illegally introduced into the European Union,” adds TA, which warns that this

seizure takes place within the framework of the powers of control and surveillance of the EU’s external

border that are assigned to it and that are exercised in “any circumstance 24 hours a day,” that is, even in

the current context of a state of emergency. TA points out that the technique used by drug traffickers has

been used in other international ports, which, “due to its characteristics, is difficult to detect, as it is

specially designed to evade the usual risk analysis and assessment techniques used by the various customs

authorities worldwide”. Source : macaubusiness

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Kiwis to be evacuated from cruise ship; 60% test positive for coronavirus By ; James Griffiths and Jackie Castillo, CNN,

Australian and New Zealand passengers will be evacuated from a stricken Antarctic cruise ship Thursday,

after almost 60% of those on board tested positive for the coronavirus. The GREG MORTIMER, a cruise

liner operated by Australia's AuroraExpeditions, departed March 15 on a voyage to Antarctica and South

Georgia. Since the beginning of April, however, the ship has been stuck off the coast of Uruguay, after

authorities refused to allow passengers to disembark due to the risk of coronavirus. Of the 217 people on

board, 128 passengers and crew have now tested positive for the virus. Six passengers requiring

specialized care have been transferred to medical facilities in Montevideo -- a video posted online by th

Uruguayan navy showed them being transferred from ship to ship wearing full protective gear. Passengers

from European and American who have tested positive fo coronavirus, however, will have to remain on

board until they have a negative test result, after which they may be able to depart via Brazil, Aurora said.

All passengers will be retested every two or three days, according to the company's website. ……… no

mention of the crew ………………… Source: newstalkzb.co.nz

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ICS Issues New Guidance for Managing Ship and Seafarer Certificates

During Coronavirus Crisis https://gcaptain.com/ics-issues-new-guidance-for-managing-ship-and-seafarer-certificates-amid-

coronavirus-

pandemic/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gcaptain+%28gCa

ptain.com%29&goal=0_f50174ef03-64cfa97826-

139894965&mc_cid=64cfa97826&mc_eid=4c72dd3685

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MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

Cruising was halted weeks ago. But 7 ships and 6,000 passengers are still at

sea BY ALEX HARRIS

The ALBATROS transited the Singapore Strait March 15 in the Westbound TSS

Photo : Piet Sinke www.maasmondmaritime.com (c) More than 6,000 passengers on seven cruise ships are still at sea waiting to dock — even though cruising

was halted in mid-March.

Many of those passengers boarded lengthy around-the-world cruises

months ago, before the virus infamously spread on cruise ships like the

DIAMOND PRINCESS and GRAND PRINCESS. Only one — Aurora

Expeditions’ GREG MORTIMER — has publicly reported cases of

COVID-19 aboard.

All but two of the ships have plans to dock within the month. Two

planned to dock Sunday, including the GREG MORTIMER, which

arrived in port Saturday afternoon Eastern Daylight Time. Late Thursday,

the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended a “no-sail”

order for cruise ships — first imposed on March 13 — for the next 100

days and admonished the industry for improperly containing the spread of

the virus onboard its ships.

The agency gave the cruise industry until April 16 to come up with a new

and improved plan to get the final 6,000-plus passengers — as well as

tens of thousands of crew members — back on land safely.

The main cruise industry lobbying group, Cruise Lines International

Association, called its earlier proposals to contain the virus “far-reaching”

in a statement and stressed that there could be unintended economic

consequences if the order were kept in place for long. A Miami Herald

analysis found seven ships still at sea with passengers on board and four in or near ports with passengers

still on board.

Tug assisting the

KONINGSDAM during the

Panama canal passage

southbound at 11 Apr 2020

at 11:00 hrs local time

Panama

Photo : via Panama Canal

Webcam

Photo : Jan-Paul Lamers

Staff Engineer Officer

Koningsdam ©

MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

PACIFIC PRINCESS

The PACIFIC PRINCESS left Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades on Jan. 5 for a 111-day world cruise.

After coronavirus cut it short, most passengers disembarked and flew home when the ship docked March

21 in Fremantle, Australia, Princess Cruises said.But 115 passengers remained on board. Some did not

meet the International Air Transport Association’s fitness standards for air travel,” according to a Princess

statement. Others “were unable to return home by aircraft due to individual medical conditions unrelated

to COVID-19,” according to Princess. The PACIFIC PRINCESS plans to unload four Hawaiian residents

in Honolulu on Monday, when the vessel docks to refuel, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reported. From

there it will sail to Los Angeles to unload the other 111 passengers on April 24. Princess is owned by

Miami-based Carnival Corporation.

MSC MAGNIFICA

Two weeks ago, the MSC MAGNIFICA

docked in Western Australia without

allowing anyone ashore, according to

Australian news site news.com.au. The

Australian government said the ship has

been “inconsistent” with its reporting of

the health of its passengers. Premier

Mark McGowan told the news site at

least 250 of its 1,771 passengers are

suffering upper respiratory illness, a

claim the operator, MSC, denied. The

ship departed from Italy in January on a

116-day sailing and originally was due

to dock in Rome on April 29. But the

line has declined to comment on its final

destination to Reuters. An MSC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a Miami Herald request for

comment. As of Saturday, the ship was passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, between Yemen and

Eritrea, according to Cruisemapper.

COSTA DELIZIOSA

The COSTA DELIZIOSA owned by Costa Cruises, left Venice on Jan. 5 with a slated return date of

April 26. The company is still working with Italian officials to find a port to disembark in, Newsweek

reported. So far its itinerary only includes stops for more fuel and supplies On March 13, when Miami-

based Carnival Corp., which owns Costa Cruises, stopped sailing, the COSTA DELIZIOSA’s sailing

continued. “The current world tour itinerary will be completed to allow guests to disembark and return

home,” the cruise line said in a statement reported by NBC news. The ship has 1,830 guests and 899 crew

members on board at this time, the company told the news outlet. Saturday it was just off the coast of

Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea, according to Cruisemapper. Costa did not immediately return a request

for comment.

COLUMBUS

The COLUMBUS, owned by Britain’s Cruise & Maritime Voyages, departed Jan. 6 from London for a

120-day world cruise. It plans to dock at London Cruise Terminal on April 14 with 907 passengers and

619 crew members on board, Newsweek reported. Saturday it was located in the Atlantic just north of

Portugal. On April 3, the company told the news outlet no one on board was showing COVID-19

symptoms.

ASTOR

The Astor, also owned by Cruise & Maritime Voyages, was expected to dock in Bremerhaven, Germany

on April 12, according to Newsweek. Saturday it was located off the coast of Germany.

ARCADIA

The ARCADIA, owned by Britian’s P&O Cruises, is scheduled to dock as originally scheduled in

Southampton, England, with 1,375 guests and 836 crew on April 12 following a 100-day world cruise, the

company said on Twitter. P&O is owned by Miami-based Carnival Corp.

HAL’s KONINGSDAM made without any passengers onboard

her first Panama canal transit above seen passing the Agua Clara

Locks, southbound at 11 Apr 2020 at 11:00 hrs local time

Panama Photo : via Panama Canal Webcam

MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

QUEEN MARY 2

Cunard Line’s QUEEN MARY 2 plans to dock in Southampton, England, in the coming weeks,

according to Newsweek. Most passengers got off in Fremantle, Australia in mid-March, but 264 guests

are still on board. The 113-day New York to New York world voyage began on Jan. 3. Cunard is owned

by Miami-based Carnival Corp. The ship is currently off the southern coast of Morocco, according to

CruiseMapper.

DOCKED SHIPS WITH PASSENGERS ABOARD

CLIA said there are four cruise ships currently docked in ports around the globe waiting to disembark

passengers.

▪ GREG MORTIMER:

Before Aurora Expeditions’ GREG MORTIMER docked Saturday near Montevideo, Uruguay, more than

half the 217 people onboard for an Antarctic cruise tested positive for COVID-19. On Saturday, more

than a hundred Australian and New Zealand passengers disembarked and took a chartered flight home,

the Bangkok Post reported. TV cameras caught passengers and Uruguayans alike celebrating. One cruise

passenger kissed the tarmac.

The charter flight had both sick and healthy passengers aboard, seated in order of illness, the company

told the Post. Around 20 European and American passengers are still on board, along with 80 crew

members. They will have to test negative for the virus before they can return home. Aurora Expeditions is

based in Sydney, Australia.

▪ CORAL PRINCESS:

The CORAL PRINCESS disembarked hundreds of passengers at PortMiami this week, including 37 who

were medically evacuated to Florida hospitals. One man, 71-year-old Wilson Maa of San Francisco, died

in a Miami-Dade hospital after waiting hours onboard for an ambulance. Princess announced Thursday

that 13 remaining passengers must stay on board and do a 14-day quarantine at sea with the crew after

Miami-Dade barred them from transferring to hotels.

▪ ROTTERDAM:

The ROTTERDAM, a Holland America Line ship that carried 800 passengers from the ZAANDAM

through the Panama Canal and onto Port Everglades, is anchored offshore with 29 passengers on board, a

spokesperson for the company confirmed. Holland America Line, which is owned by Carnival Corp., said

it is working to arrange charter flights home for the passengers.

▪ CELEBRITY ECLIPSE:

The CELEBRITY ECLIPSE, now docked in San Diego, disembarked more than 2,300 passengers on

March 30. CLIA confirmed that nine passengers are still on board waiting for travel arrangements home.

San Diego’s KUSI news reported that one former passenger has died of COVID-19 and several crew

members with positive test results are quarantined on board the ship. The ship left from Argentina on

March 1 for a two-week voyage scheduled to end in San Antonio, Chile. But when the ship arrived on

March 15, the nation had shut its borders, forcing the vessel to head to San Diego instead.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Seven Seafarers Charged for Abandoning Stowaways in Raft Seven crewmembers of the bulker TOP GRACE have been charged with attempted murder for allegedly

abandoning two stowaways at sea in a raft, according to South African media. South African prosecutors assert

that the two Tanzanian stowaways recently boarded the Top Grace at the port of Durban, South Africa. The

vessel got under way for Richards Bay, about 90 nm to the northeast. When the crew discovered the

unauthorized personnel, they allegedly put them over the side in a raft with bottled water and lifejackets, then

resumed their voyage. The stowaways managed to make it ashore at Zinkwazi (Nkwazi), and they told

authorities that they had been adrift for four days. The vessel was intercepted by South African police when

she docked in Richards Bay. Seven crewmembers, including the captain, were charged Wednesday at the

Durban Magistrates Court with attempted murder in connection with the incident. Local media reports

indicate that the start of the trial was postponed for several days while awaiting COVID-19 test results for the

accused. In the interim, the crewmembers have been released on bail and are confined to their vessel. The

2016-built TOP GRACE is a 60,000 dwt bulker owned and operated by a Hong Kong-based company. As of

Friday night she was moored in Richards Bay. Source : MAREX

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MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

11

The Pulse

French navy ship reports 50 virus cases Fifty crew members aboard France's sole aircraft carrier, the CHARLES DE GAULLE, have tested

positive for the new coronavirus and parts of the ship have been put in lockdown An armed forces

ministry statement said that three sailors had been evacuated by air to a military hospital in Toulon,

southern France, home port of the carrier. A team equipped to carry out tests for coronavirus infection

boarded the vessel on Wednesday just after the armed forces ministry had reported signs of COVID-19

symptoms among 40 crew members. "The results of 66 tests showed 50 cases of COVID-19 aboard the

Charles de Gaulle. There is no deterioration of the sailors' medical condition at this stage," the ministry

said. The aircraft carrier, which is equipped with its own intensive care facilities, has 1,760 personnel on

board. The nuclear-powered carrier, which had most recently been taking part in exercises with northern

European navies in the Baltic Sea, is continuing its journey to Toulon, where it is due to dock in the

coming days. "While awaiting the early return of the aircraft carrier in Toulon ... extra measures aimed at

protecting the crew and containing the spread of the virus have been put in place," the ministry added,

adding that all crew members must now wear face masks. Source: Australian Associated Press

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Seafarers UK Emergency Covid 19 Appeal 3 APRIL 2020 - Seafarers UK Emergency Covid 19 Appeal

Seafarers UK has released £100,000 of immediate funds to provide support to seafarers, and launched an

Emergency Appeal to provide further cross-sector help.

Seafarers on merchant vessels are currently suffering as a result of the restrictions imposed due to

COVID-19. Ship operators are struggling with crew change rotas as many ports on maritime trade routes

deny seafarers access to shore-based facilities, including welfare services. Seafarers working on merchant

ships face a wide range of challenges and many are thousands of miles from home.

Free advice for seafarers working globally is available from ISWAN, a delivery partner funded by

Seafarers UK. In the UK, seafarers requiring assistance can contact SAIL, a dedicated free Citizens

Advice facility that receives an annual grant from Seafarers UK. It provides information specifically for

seafarers at a time when other CAB services are likely to be overwhelmed. It is services like these which

will need speedy access to funds, as they are inundated with enquiries and requests for help.

We trust Charity Checkout to handle the processing of our online payments. You will see their name

mentioned on this form and in the address bar.

Please donate to Seafarers UK COVID-19 Emergency Appeal

https://seafarersuk.charitycheckout.co.uk/COVID-19EmergencyAppeal#!/ _____________________________________________________________________________________

With Sailors Stranded, Shipping Faces a Hard Choice https://gcaptain.com/with-sailors-stranded-shipping-face-a-hard-

choice/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gcaptain+%28gCaptai

n.com%29&goal=0_f50174ef03-64cfa97826-139894965&mc_cid=64cfa97826&mc_eid=4c72dd3685

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Covid-19: Guidance on extending STCW Certificates To maintain the International

Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for seafarers (STCW Convention) 1978,

as amended, and the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for

Fishing Vessel Personnel (STCW-F), 1995, Administrations will need to co-operate. The IMO recently issued

Circular Letter No.4204, in which they petition all issuing Administrations to “take a pragmatic and practical

approach with regard to the extension of certificates and endorsements, as strictly necessary, and to notify

ships, seafarers and relevant Administrations accordingly”. This memorandum of understanding has been

extended to Port State Control Authorities. It is encouraging to see that many Administrations have responded

to the IMO’s appeal and are issuing circulars that provide advice on certification extension. It’s important to

note that extension periods differ by Administration. Where it is necessary for the Member to obtain an

extension, to keep their seafarers’ certification and endorsements valid, the Member must contact the issuing

Administration directly. Source: West of England

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MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

Service of Remembrance, London Cenotaph - 8 November 2020 Preparations for the event are now being made. Please let me know by Monday 3 August if you wish to

attend by replying to my email address -

t.brant@talktalk.net (not the one above) or by telephoning: 01733 205001

or 07948 393934.

If you have a carer, please let me know their full name and if you will be in a wheelchair or on an electric

scooter. If you have not attended before, I will contact you for contact details which is a security

requirement.

COVID-19 - the Royal British Legion will advise any changes to the event via their

website www.britishlegion.org.uk

Stay safe,

Tim Brant

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Costa Mediterranea Sails to Get Crew Home; Sets Course for China Costa Crociere is preparing to use the Costa Mediterranea to get crew from the Philippines and

Indonesia home, according to a document circulated onboard the vessel. According to Costa's plan, the

2003-built ship will first sail to La Spezia on April 10. European crew will be disembarked, as will crew

not required for operational reasons that can also get home All other crew members, with the exception of

the Filipino and Indonesian crew aboard, will be then moved to the Costa Pacifica.

"For these crew members we are restlessly working with Governments and air companies in order to

guarantee a safe travel back to home," the company's letter said. Meanwhile, Filipino and Indonesian

crew aboard the Pacifica, except for those needed for minimum safety manning, will be transferred to the

Costa Mediterranea. The Mediterranea will then sail to Brindisi and meet the Costa Fortuna, taking

on the Filipino and Indonesian crew from the latter ship. Finally, the Mediterranea will set her course for

Shanghai with projected port stops in Indonesia and the Philippines to disembark crew. Costa said it is

working closely with local government and manning agents to get crew home safely. It is unknown what

the company's plans are for the ship in China, but the Mediterranea, along with the Atlantica, have

recently been transferred to Carnival Corporation's joint venture with China State Shipbuilding. The

Mediterranea has previously been scheduled to leave the fleet in 2021. Source: cruiseindustrynews

_____________________________________________________________________________________

7 suspects arrested with narcotics in deep-sea operation The Sri Lanka Navy has apprehended 7 persons in the vessel which was seized with a haul of narcotics

worth over Rs. 3,270 million during a deep-sea operation. The vessel was without a flag. 260 kg of heroin

and 56 kg of Crystal methamphetamine (ICE) were seized by the Navy personnel. The Navy also

apprehended drugs worth more than Rs.12.5 billion during another recent deep-sea operation. That vessel

was manned by Pakistanis. Source: Lankaweb

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Navy official apologizes for calling fired captain 'stupid' By LOLITA C. BALDOR and ROBERT BURNS Associated Press

The Navy's acting secretary has been forced to apologize after a profanity-laden broadside in which he

called the fired commander of the coronavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt "too naive or too

stupid.” Thomas Modly issued a written apology Monday hours after President Donald Trump, at a White

House news conference, described his comments about Capt. Brett E. Crozier as “rough ………..

____________________________________________________________________________________

Cruise lines are taking bookings for an Alaska cruise season that might not

even happen _____________________________________________________________________________________

MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

Navy brings ashore sick seaman on foreign merchant vessel Sri Lanka Navy rendered assistance to safely bring ashore an ill seaman to the port of Colombo April

11th. The person had reportedly fallen ill with abdominal pain while onboard MAERSK AVON

container ship. MAERSK AVON is a merchant vessel owned by an Indian company. After the seaman

onboard falling ill with abdominal pain while at sea, the Feeder Agencies Lanka (Private) Limited, the

local agent of the ship made a request from the International Shipping and Harbor Facility Security Office

(ISPS) to get him disembarked in Sri Lanka for treatment.Accordingly, a 38-year-old Indian national

named Mandekar Namit Siddappa was brought to the Colombo Harbor, said Sri Lanka Navy. The Navy’s

Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Unit approached the vessel which was about 05

nautical miles off the Colombo harbor and brought the ill person ashore by following necessary

guidelines declared by health experts.

Subsequently, the patient was disinfected on the harbor premises itself before rushing the patient to

Colombo National Hospital by ‘Suwasariya’ ambulance service. Sri Lanka Ports Authority and

‘Suwasariya’ ambulance service also extended their support to the Navy to execute this task. Source:

adaderana

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Turkish vessels avert tanker accident in Bosphorus A possible accident in Bosphorous was averted by Turkish coastal authorities after a Greek -registered

oil tanker suffered engine failure causing it to drift in the narrow water channel in Istanbul before being

tugged into safety. The 274-metre M/T MILITOS crude oil tanker suffered engine failure during its

journey from the Marmara Sea to the Black Sea. Turkish coastal police teams arrived at scene in less than

10 minutes after the alert was sent. The rescue vessel Mehmetçik and tugboats, which are on stand-by

24/7 to respond to any possible call for help in various parts of the Bosphorus, repositioned the tanker and

prevented it to drift.

Difficult to navigate

Bosphorus is one of the most difficult water routes in the

world for large ships and vessels. Around 50,000 vessels

pass through Istanbul's 30-km and 700 metres wide

Bosphorus every year, with some 9,000 vesseles carrying

dangerous goods such as crude oil. About 2.4 million

barrels of oil passes through Bosphorus every day, and

accidents keep occurring in the strait. Some of them have

caused major environmental disasters.

Major accidents

On December 29, 1999, 1578 tonnes of fuel oil spilled into the sea after a river tanker Volgoneft-248

cracked and divided into two parts because of its age and condition. After three years of cleaning effort

of the oil, only 31 percent of the pollution was removed. On March 13, 1994, Cyprus-registered two

tankers M/V SHIPBROKER and M/T NASSIA collided. Both vessels completely burned after 20,000

tonnes of oil spilled into the sea. In 1990, Iraq flag M/T AMBUR and Chinese flag M/V DATTON

SHANG collided because of a route error. About 2600 tonnes of oil spilled into the sea in the accident.

On October 15, 1979, oil tanker M/T INDEPENDENTIA collided with Greek-registered cargo vessel

M/V EVRIYALI near Haydarpasa area, near the strait. The collision caused fir and some 94600 tonnes

of oil spilled into the sea. This accident is considered to be the biggest oil pollution accident in the world.

About 43 sailors died in this accident. Two soviet ships M/T LUTSK & M/T CRANSKY OKTIABR

collided on March 1, 1966, in Bosphorus strait causing oil pollution in the water body. The accident also

burned Kadikoy port and one passenger ship halted there. On October 14, 1960, Greek-registered M/T

WORLD HARMONY and Yugoslaviaregistered M/T PETER ZORANIC collided, causing an oil fire that

couldn’t be controlled for weeks, leading to long-term environmental pollution in the water body.

Turkey's now in the process of building a second commercial waterway called the Istanbul Canal. It's

scheduled to open in 2023. Authorities say the main objective of the new canal is to reduce risks posed by

ships carrying dangerous materials, as they pass through the Bosphorus. Source: trtworld

_____________________________________________________________________________________

MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

EU supertrawlers plunder British waters as UK fleet struggles with impact of

coronavirus By SIMON OSBORNE

FIVE vast European Union fishing factory ships have steamed into British waters as the UK

industry struggles to stay afloat amid collapsing sales as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

Greenpeace UK said it was monitoring the movements of the massive supertrawlers - three from the

Netherlands and two from France - off the Scottish coast where they are hauling up tons of fish every day.

The campaign group said the vessels had all set off from their home ports after Britain announced its

coronavirus lockdown. A Greenpeace UK spokesman said the arrival of the massive fishing boats, which

are all over 260ft, signals a worrying increase in the activity of such vessels in UK waters compared to a

year ago. The £989 million a year UK fishing industry relies massively on export trade with at least 70

per cent of its annual catch sold to the lucrative European and Asian markets. But the coronavirus crisis

has brought the global food/travel/hospitality business to its knees and worldwide sales of prime British

fish and shellfish have suffered a devastating blow as a result. Greenpeace UK spokesman Chris Thorne

said: “With the vast majority of the UK’s local and more sustainable fishing fleet stuck at port, unable to

work because of a collapse in demand, these destructive supertrawlers are still plundering fish in UK

waters. “The crisis has left the UK’s fishing communities high and dry, but in the meantime industrial

fishing continues with business as usual.” Industry leaders are calling on the Government to help the

beleaguered British fleet. Jeremy Percy, director of NUFTA, which represents Britain’s under 10-metre

fishing boats which make up 80 per cent of the UK fleet, said the British fishing industry needs help to

cope with the collapse of the trade in fish caused by the pandemic. Mr Percy said: “It is of course all the

more galling when the vast majority of the under ten fleet is tied up and some facing financial ruin to see

that the large fleet of mainly Dutch super trawlers is fishing hard in our waters off the west coast of

Scotland. “I'm unaware of the impact of the virus on our naval service’s ability to police these operations,

but with such a powerful fleet active when we are otherwise engaged in fighting COVID-19 this

undoubtedly puts unnecessary additional pressures on our forces.”A spokesman for the Department for

Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs said ministers were aware this was a “challenging time” for

fishermen and fish processors and they were working the industry to better understand the impact and

whether further steps are needed. He said: “At the end of the Brexit transition period we will have the

right to decide who fishes in our waters and on what terms. “Any decisions about giving access to fish for

vessels from the EU, or any other coastal states will be a matter for the UK to decide.” The Scottish

government has announced a £5 million bail-out to help the country’s 650 seafood companies affected by

the collapse of the shellfish export market.source : Express

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Remote Surveys via Drone & Internet Remote Surveys by live streaming video footage of

inspections of enclosed spaces with a drone through the

internet. First test with Classification Society DNV-GL

Netherlands was successful and test with other Classification

Societies are following. Remote Surveys reduce physical

contact between service provider and client, especially

during the time Covid-19 measurements which are still

applicable,, and reduce required traveling time and costs of

surveyors, superintendents and other inspectors

dramatically, as they can monitor the inspections from their

office. Live communication with the pilot is possible

through video conference. RIMS, prepared for the future of today. Source: - David Knukkel (www.rims-

bv.com ; +31629022439)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Despite the Corona-situation, there's offshore operations going on

every day _____________________________________________________________________________________

MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

15

The Pulse

Memories for Some

USS DONALD COOK conducts replenishment at sea with RFA TIDEFORCE in the Atlantic Ocean

April 6th, 2020 Photo via : Navylookout/Twitter

_____________________________________________________________________________________

France to isolate 1,900 sailors after virus-hit naval ship docks France on Sunday began an unprecedented operation to isolate 1,900 sailors after 50 naval personnel

tested positive for COVID-19 aboard its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier CHARLES DE GAULE . The

flagship of the French navy docked in the southern port of Toulon, after cutting short its current mission

in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic by 10 days because of the outbreak. Local authorities said a

painstaking operation was now underway by land and sea to evacuate 1,900 sailors to ensure there was no

risk of any further infection. Three sailors had already been evacuated to hospital Toulon as a

"precaution" before the ship docked. All the personnel will be tested and they will then be put into

isolation for two weeks, with no physical contact allowed with their families, said the spokeswoman for

the regional authorities, Christine Ribbe. "Our aim is to protect all our sailors and also their families with

an unprecedented deployment," she added. Only once the isolation period is over will the sailors be

allowed home. Source : The Local

_____________________________________________________________________________________

British shipping bodies call for government support of seafarers BRITISH seafarers' unions and shipowners' body the UK Chamber of Shipping have called on the

government to protect the interests of seafarers as a "vital" resource to keep the country trading during the

COVID-19 crisis, reports Colchester's Seatrade Maritime News."Our members must be empowered by

government, urgently, to perform the shipping industry's key logistical role in keeping the UK supplied

with the food, medicine, fuel and equipment required to sustain people and businesses," the statement by

Nautilus International, RMT (Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) and the UK Chamber

said."Alongside the welcome government support announced for the payment of wages and company sick

pay, the preservation of jobs and skills particularly for seafarers and other key workers affected by

COVID-19, must now be the focus of joint industry and government action," it said.They cited the

"collapse in passenger demand" aboard ferries that it said was "expected to last for the forseeable future",

and to its belief that the government has a "central role" to play in provision of a support package for the

seafarers and businesses affected."We stand ready to continue the work with government to agree an

effective package of measures to achieve this," they said. Source : schednet

_____________________________________________________________________________________

MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Philippines repatriates over 13,000 distressed seafarers A group of 668 seafarers landed Monday at an airport in Manilla, the Philippines, breaking the 13,000

figure of repatriated seafarers who were displaced by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The latest wave

is the second of three groups planned to arrive today in the country’s capital as part of a massive

governmental campaign to return the

affected seafarers home.The Philippines

is considered to be one of the world’s

biggest suppliers of seafarers on

international ships and the pandemic has

left thousands of its sailors stuck on

merchant and cruise ships unable to

return homes amid globally imposed

travel restrictions Foreign Affairs

Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’

Affairs Sarah Lou Y. Arriola said earlier

that the government would try to reach

everyone and leave no-one behind.The Philippine Embassy in Washington DC coordinated the

repatriation of the seafarers who were stranded in Miami, USA and in Barbados, in close cooperation

with the repatriates’ local manning agency, CF Sharp, and cruise line companies, Norwegian Cruise Lines

(NCL) and Spirit and Oceania Cruises. The country has also been working on repatriating its seafarers

from Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.The repatriation wave comes amid rising calls for countries and

port authorities to facilitate crew changes and enable the stranded mariners to return to their homes. In

particular, cruise liner companies have been urged to pay for the transfers of their healthy non-essential

crew members as cruise ships halt their global operations to curb the pandemic. In the latest round of

flights, 440 Filipino seafarers were repatriated from Norwegian Gateway, 228 from Costa Fascinosa and

two more groups comprising 252 seafarers are expected to arrive later this afternoon.Over the past few

weeks, the Foreign Affairs Department of the Philippines welcomed home the Filipino crew members of

MS Norwegian Epic, MS Marina, MS Norwegian Spirit, MS World Explorer, MS Sirena, MS Norwegian

Dawn, MS Norwegian Encore, MS Nautica, MS Norwegian Jade and MS Seven Seas Voyager among

numerous others. Once repatriated, seafarers are either kept in mandatory facility-based quarantine or sent

to quarantine at home for at least 14 days before reuniting with their families. Source : offshore-energy

_____________________________________________________________________________________

MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

Newfoundland faces possible food shortage as pandemic hammers key

shipping company Oceanex looking for federal subsidy to keep supply ships running By : David Cochrane

The OCEANEX CONNAIGRA which runs weekly trips from Montreal and Halifax to St. John's — says

it is losing millions a week due to a drop in

volumes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It

is asking the federal government to offset its

losses so it can keep running supplies to St.

John's. "We just can't continue," said Sid Hynes,

the company's executive chairman. "It's costing

us $5 million a week to operate and we are

about $2 million short." Hynes said the

company almost certainly will have to cancel

one of its weekly trips from Montreal, tie up that

boat and lay people off. 'Getting progressively

worse' He said the other Montreal trip and the

weekly Halifax-to-St. John's run also may have

to stop if Oceanex can't get federal financial support. "It's getting progressively worse. It's not getting

better," Hyne said. "This past week was worse than the previous week." If Oceanex shuts down, it would

create an immediate food security and public safety crisis in the province. Oceanex said it delivers 50 per

cent of all freight to Newfoundland — and 75 per cent of all goods to the more heavily populated St.

John's area on the northeast Avalon Peninsula. It's the major supplier for Costco, Walmart and other

major grocery stores in Newfoundland and Labrador and it delivers a significant amount of medicine and

medical supplies to the province. A five-day food supply Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight

Ball warns that the island has just a five-day supply of food and that losing Oceanex's services could lead

to critical shortages. "For the many staples that we have in our life right now, Oceanex is the supplier,"

Ball told CBC News. "So we're literally less than a week away to running out of food that we eat and are

part of our lifestyle here in our province." So this critical supply line is looking for a lifeline from the

federal government. Oceanex was struggling financially before the pandemic. It carries significant debt

and most of its costs — such as fuel — can't be offset by government pandemic aid programs such as the

wage subsidy. Those problems have been compounded by a drop in shipping volumes that is flattening

the company's revenue stream. Delivering new cars to Newfoundland dealerships makes up a significant

portion of Oceanex's business in normal times — and it's hard to sell cars when people are barely driving.

Like almost every other company in Canada, Oceanex reached out to the federal government several

weeks ago. It shared financial data with Transport Canada and the federal Department of Finance just

before the holiday weekend. Oceanex has asked for a subsidy to offset its $2 million weekly losses until

at least September. Federal government officials were said to have spent the weekend working on the file.

"I want to assure Newfoundlanders that we will find a solution to this," Natural Resources Ministers and

St. John's MP Seamus O'Regan told CBC News. "We're looking at all the options right now. The most

important thing is that the food supply chains ... that Newfoundlanders rely upon continue to stay in

place." Marine Atlantic is the other major supplier of food and supplies to the island of Newfoundland.

The senior provincial source said the province has received some assurances that Marine Atlantic can fill

the gap if Oceanex stops deliveries. But a senior provincial government source argues that would mean

securing extra trucking and marine capacity and re-routing existing supply lines — a complex task that

would take time and would not guarantee that an already fragile food supply wouldn't be interrupted. One

of the big risks involved in trying to supply the island without Oceanex's services has to do with the

availability of protein and fresh produce. Newfoundland and Labrador has a domestic dairy and poultry

supply. But fresh vegetables, beef and pork are largely brought in by shipping container or truck — and

Oceanex is a core part of that delivery system. "We need a solution to this. Oceanex is a big part of the

infrastructure within our province when it comes to food supply and medical needs, medical equipment in

a time of a health crisis," Ball said. "The last thing we want to see is that disrupted." Source : CBC news

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The OCEANEX CONNAIGRA seen at St. John's

discharging containers and Ro-ro cargo from Montreal.

Photo : Peter Attersley ©

MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

18

The Pulse

SHIPPING ALLIANCE’S COLLECTIVE CREW CHANGE PLAN NEEDS

GOVERNMENT ACTION An alliance of leading maritime companies desperately concerned about seafarer welfare and the viability

of ocean supply chains in the midst of coronavirus restrictions has developed detailed crew changeover

risk assessment plans. However, it needs urgent political and regulatory support to enact them.

Representing more than 1,500 vessels and over 70,000 seafarers, the alliance includes D/S Norden, Grieg

Star, Reederei Nord, Dynacom, V.Group, Wilhelmsen Ships Service, Pacific Carriers Limited (PCL),

Magsaysay, Augustea, Columbia Ship Management, Inchcape Shipping Services and Synergy Group.

Current coronavirus

policy as applied to

shipping is a

potentially disastrous

“own goal” that

threatens not only the

mental health and

human rights of

seafarers, but also the

viability of ocean

supply chains on

which those in

lockdown depend, according to an alliance of leading shipowners and managers. At present, more than

100,000 seafarers are in effect marooned at sea because coronavirus shutdowns worldwide are preventing

them from entering or transiting countries and/or finding flights on which to return home. The alliance

has developed port viability and detailed seafarer risk assessment plans which it is convinced will

mitigate the risk of coronavirus infections during essential crew changeovers. It is now urging immediate

governmental and inter-governmental action to enable the resumption of crew changes including the

designation of seafarers as ‘key workers’. Captain Rajesh Unni, CEO and Founder of leading Singapore-

based ship manager Synergy Group, commented: “We understand Covid-19 is a black swan event. But

measures aimed at protecting society were never intended to prevent key workers from carrying out tasks

essential to the ongoing wellbeing of society. These policies were also not intended to be detrimental to

the welfare of key workers such as seafarers “Yet that is exactly what is now happening. Current policy

represents a potentially disastrous own goal. “Our collective aim as responsible owners and managers

employing tens of thousands of seafarers is to pursue every means possible to get crew back to their

families.”The ‘who’s who’ alliance of like-minded shipping companies came together in response to the

crew change crisis which has intensified as coronavirus has spread around the world.

The alliance now represents more than 1,500 vessels and over 70,000 seafarers and includes D/S Norden,

Grieg Star, Reederei Nord, Dynacom, V.Group, Wilhelmsen Ships Service, Pacific Carriers Limited

(PCL), Magsaysay, Augustea, Columbia Ship Management, Inchcape Shipping Services and Synergy

Group. ………………………………………………………………..

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Seafarer Lost Over the Side Near Fos-sur-Mer A crewmember from the chemical tanker ELANDRA

BALTIC was lost at sea Monday morning after falling over the side near the port of Fos-sur-Mer.

According to French maritime agency Premar Mediterranee, the rescue coordination center CrossMed

was alerted to a distress call from the ELANDRA BALTIC at about 0600 hours on Monday. A 55-year-

old Latvian crewmember had reportedly gone over the side while working on the accommodation ladder.

CrossMed activated a helicopter from the Marignane civil defense agency, plus the pilot boats from the

port of Marseille, a volunteer rescue speedboat from Carro and rescue boat from the Marseille fire

department. These assets searched the area for the entirety of the morning. At noon, Premar Mediterranee

called off the search. The maritime police of Port de Bouc are currently conducting an investigation into

the casualty. The 2011-built ELANDRA BALTIC is a 50,000 dwt chemical tanker flagged in the

Marshall Islands. She is owned and operated by a Latvian shipping company. Source: MAREX

_____________________________________________________________________________________

MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

Carnival Cancels All North American Cruises Through End of June Carnival Cruise Line has cancelled all North American itineraries through June 26, with the aim to

resume operations on June 27, the company has said. In addition, it cancelled all CARNIVAL SUNRISE

seasonal sailings from New York for summer and fall."This is disappointing but we are committed to

being a strong partner with the government and taking steps to maintaining public confidence in our

business," the company said, citing the global response to COVID-19 as the cause to another extension of

the company's pause in operations. Source : cruiseindustrynews

_____________________________________________________________________________________

This is Mutiny… Mutiny, I Say! The Maritime Lore Behind President

Trump’s ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ Tweet https://gcaptain.com/the-maritime-lore-behind-president-trump-mutiny-on-the-bounty-

tweet/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gcaptain+%28gCaptain

.com%29&goal=0_f50174ef03-7608270bc3-139894965&mc_cid=7608270bc3&mc_eid=4c72dd3685

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RAMFORM TETHYS An old but interesting compilation article. As one Captain remarked to the other “That’s a Fine Fat

Ship you’ve got there Captain”

Sun Mar 20 11:31:47 CET 2016 arnekiel

The third of four Ramform Titan-class vessels, the

Ramform Tethys, was celebrated in a naming ceremony at

the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Shipbuilding yard in

Nagasaki, Japan last week.

The Ramform Tethys is the most powerful and efficient

marine seismic acquisition vessel in the world, and along

with the first two Ramform Titan-class vessels, Ramform

Titan and Ramform Atlas, the widest ships ever at the

waterline.

These first two vessels were delivered to PGS in 2013 and

2014. The Ramform Tethys has been upgraded to include

small modifications relating to equipment handling on the

back deck and to have an increase in engine power up from

the 23,040 kW of the earlier vessels.

On Ramform Tethys, mutually redundant twin engine

rooms provide a total power pack of 26.4 megawats to

drive three 6,000 kW controlled pitch propellers. She can

tow a full spread of dual-sensor recording equipment using

just two of them. http://www.maritime-

executive.com/article/most-powerful-seismic-ship-named

IMO: 9676888 MMSI:311000523

Callsign:C6CN8 Width: 70.0 m

Length: 104.0 m

Photographs taken from Marine Traffic

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MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

Equally applicable to RN & MN

_____________________________________________________________________________

Tanker Crew Credited with Saving Sailor’s Life 200 Miles Off New Jersey https://gcaptain.com/tanker-crew-credited-with-saving-sailors-life-200-miles-off-new-

jersey/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gcaptain+%28gCaptai

n.com%29&goal=0_f50174ef03-7608270bc3-139894965&mc_cid=7608270bc3&mc_eid=4c72dd3685

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Mexico: Armed Robbers Board Offshore Vessel, Steal Goods Maersk Supply Service's offshore vessel was a target of an armed robbery in Mexico last weekend.

Maersk Supply Service confirmed for Offshore Engineer that the incident occurred on Sunday, April 12

offshore Ciudad Del Carmen, Mexico. Armed robbers boarded MAERSK TRANSPORTER, stole various

items and left the vessel again, the company said in an email to Offshore Engineer. Maersk Supply

Services COO Mark Handin said: "All crewmembers at the location are safe and accounted for, and there

are no reports of injuries. Our primary concern remains the safety and wellbeing of our crew and all those

affected by the situation. "We have set up crisis counseling for our employees. The company’s incident

response procedure has been activated. We are coordinating support and contacting all relevant

authorities." The 73.2 meters long MAERSK TRANSPORTER is multi-purpose Anchor Handling Tug

Supply Vessel. Worth noting, this is not the first incident in Mexico's offshore oil and gas space this

month as there was an incident on April 4 in which armed assailants opened fire on a pipelaying vessel.

According to IMB Piracy Reporting Center, on April 4, crew onboard a pipelaying vessel noticed a boat

with eight armed persons approaching at high speed offshore Dos Bocas, Mexico. "Alarm sounded,

accommodation locked down and all crew mustered. As the boat approached from the stern it started

firing at the vessel. Using the thrusters the Master was able to prevent the boat from coming alongside

resulting in the boat aborting and moving away," the report said. source : offshore Engineer

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MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

Mobile hospital arrives in Murmansk as emergency is declared at Novatek

construction site Thousands of workers are isolated at Belokamenka construction site north of Murmansk where

municipal authorities declared emergency Saturday evening in an attempt to hinder further

outbreak of coronavirus. By : Thomas Nilsen

The emergency order was signed by the head of Kola municipality and stipulates how to keep control of

the coronavirus outbreak and ensure that construction work at Novatek’s Kola Yard can continue.

Newspaper Murmanski Vestnik reports that there are about 11,000 workers at the construction site where

Novatek builds a supply base for its Arctic LNG projects on the Yamal Peninsula and in the Gulf of Ob.

Most workers at Belokamenka are fly-in-fly-out employees, including thousands of migrant workers

living in the barracks on site. Belokamenka is on the west side of the Kola Bay, about an hour’s drive

from Murmansk. Around noon on Sunday, two huge Ilyushin-76 transport planes from Russia’s Ministry

of Emergency situations landed at Murmansk airport. According to the blog-site mmk.news, known for

monitoring air traffic to Murmansk, the two planes arriving from Zhukovksy airport outside Moscow,

were carrying medical equipment. Online news site B-Port reports that the two planes bring a medical

facility aimed at the settlement Mezhdurechye near the construction site in Belokamenka. Five trucks

with a mobile hospital and doctors are said to arrive with the planes. Murmanski Vestnik, which is the

regional authorities’ official newspaper, says there are workers at Belokamenka infected by the

coronavirus. No numbers, though, were given. Novatek itself has not posted any information about the

isolation regime at Belokamenka. Kola municipal authorities have established an emergency headquarter

working round-the-clock to oversee the situation and control the sanitary situation. All transport of people

and cargo inand-out of Belokamenka construction site is strictly monitored.The number of confirmed

coronavirus cases in Murmansk nearly doubled from Saturday to Sunday, the Government of

Murmansk’s official site informs. Over the past day, 61 people confirmed positive test results for

coronavirus, bringing the total number in the region up to 128 people. 118 of them are receiving treatment

at hospitals in different cities on the Kola Peninsula. By April 12, the number of coronavirus cases in

Russia is 15,770, which is up 2,186 from the day before. That is the highest day-by-day increase in

Russia so far, the official portal Stop Coronavirus informs. Source : Barentsobserver

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MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

New £2 Million Fund from Seafarers UK to Help Seafarers Impacted by the

COVID-19 Pandemic In response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on merchant seafarers,

fishers and their families, the London-based charity Seafarers UK has

created a new Seafarers UK COVID-19 Emergency Fund of £2 million

($2.46 million), with grants being awarded immediately to delivery

partners providing advice and support for individual seafarers affected by

the widespread coronavirus impacts.

The new fund is intended for distribution in 2020/2021, with 75% allocated to the international merchant

seafaring community and 25% to UK coastal fishing fleets. Effective partnership working with frontline

service delivery organisations across the UK plus those acting globally is already ensuring a rapid

response to meet urgent welfare needs.

Seafarers UK chairman Vice Admiral Peter Wilkinson CB CVO BA

said: ‘The trustees of Seafarers UK are releasing £2 million of new

funds to help seafarers and fishers recover from the widespread

impact on their wellbeing and livelihoods as a result of the

coronavirus. We will work with our charity partners to provide both

hardship funding and innovative new projects to support our seafarers

through and beyond the current crisis. Our long history of helping

those who work at sea enables us to target effective and meaningful

support to where it is most needed.’

Grants from Seafarers UK are offered to charities and other

organisations providing frontline and support services to merchant

seafarers, UK fishers and their families. Applications should be made

via email to grants@seafarers.uk. Guidance to applicants is available

at www.seafarers.uk or phone 020 7932 0000.

For individual seafarers working globally, advice and support is available from ISWAN*, a delivery

partner funded by Seafarers UK. In the UK, seafarers and fishers requiring assistance can contact SAIL#,

a dedicated free Citizens Advice facility that receives an annual grant from Seafarers UK.

Vice Admiral Peter Wilkinson CB CVO BA, Chairman, Seafarers UK

Nick Harvey MCIPR, FIDM

Campaigns Manager

Seafarers UK

Direct Line: 020 7932 5969 Mobile: 07910 593588

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Face Covering/Facemask/DIY/Argentine Military Facebook page/ Dear Malcolm,

While watching the BBC News this morning a question was put by a viewer enquiring as to how to make

a facemask. In light of the lack of PPE and the fact that facemasks are in very short supply, Shipmates

might find the attached facebook video extract helpful: Best Wishes to Shipmates...and be safe...

Argentine Army Health Staff instruction video showing how to make a simple face mask:

https://www.facebook.com/EjercitoArgentinoPaginaOficial/videos/585381875400747/

Peter Mulvany

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MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

Not Forgotten Feel free to share with family/friends and your medal club.

“The Best seat in the House” is broadcast each Tuesday and Friday at 1500hrs.

https://www.thepeoplesfriend.co.uk/2020/04/14/the-best-seat-in-the-house/

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheNotForgottenAssoc

_____________________________________________________________________________________

A good mask, hand sanitizer, and physical distance keeps the pilot safe from CODVI-19.

But there is nothing that would keep the pilot safe if he chose to climb this dangerous ladder

_____________________________________________________________________________________

USS Theodore Roosevelt Sailor Dies After Contracting COVID-19 _____________________________________________________________________________________

Navy May Reinstate Fired Captain to Command of Roosevelt Adm. Michael Gilday has indicated that he may reinstate Captain Crozier, who was removed from

command after pleading for more help fighting a coronavirus outbreak on his ship. The Navy is looking

into whether it can reinstate Capt. Brett E. Crozier, who was removed from command of the carrier

Theodore Roosevelt after he pleaded for more help fighting a novel coronavirus outbreak aboard his ship,

Defense Department officials said on Wednesday. Adm. Michael M. Gilday, the chief of naval

operations, has indicated that he may reinstate Captain Crozier, who is viewed as a hero by his crew for

putting their lives above his career, officials said. “No final decisions have been made,” Cmdr. Nate

Christensen, a spokesman for the admiral, said in a statement on Wednesday to The New York Times.

Commander Christensen added that Admiral Gilday was reviewing the findings of a preliminary

investigation into the events surrounding Captain Crozier’s removal.

But Admiral Gilday’s decision could be upended by President Trump, who has not been shy about

intervening in military personnel cases. ……………………………………… Source : New York Times

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MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

Bangladesh coast guard rescues 396 Rohingya from drifting boat; 32 dead By : Ruma Paul

At least 32 ethnic Rohingya died on a ship that drifted for weeks after it failed to reach Malaysia,

Bangladesh coast guard officials said on Thursday, following the rescue of 396 starving survivors. A

human rights group said it believed more boats carrying Rohingya - a Muslim minority - were adrift at

sea, with coronavirus lockdowns in Malaysia and Thailand making it harder for them to find refuge.

“They were at sea for about two months and were starving,” a Bangladesh coastguard official told Reuters

in a message, adding that the ship was brought to shore late on Wednesday. The 396 survivors would be

handed to the U.N refugee agency, said the official, who had initially said they would be sent to

Myanmar. The official also revised the death toll to 32 from 24. One refugee told a reporter the group had

been turned back from Malaysia twice and a fight had broken out onboard between passengers and crew

at one point. Malaysian officials did not respond to requests for comment on reports that it had turned

away previous boats from its waters. ”We understand these men, women and children were at sea for

nearly two months in harrowing conditions and that many of them are extremely malnourished and

dehydrated,” the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said.The agency was offering to help the government

move them to quarantine facilities and would provide medical care, it said in a statement. Media reports

that the group was infected with the virus had not been substantiated, the UNHCR said. In a separate case,

Malaysia’s navy on Thursday morning intercepted a boat carrying some 200 Rohingya refugees

attempting to enter Malaysian waters. The boat, which was spotted by an air force surveillance plane, was

escorted out of Malaysian waters by two navy ships after being provided with food supplies, the air force

said in a statement. Buddhist-majority Myanmar does not recognise Rohingya as citizens and they face

severe curbs on freedom of movement as well as access to healthcare and education. Myanmar denies

persecuting Rohingya and says they are not an indigenous ethnic group but immigrants from South Asia,

even though many Rohingya are able to trace their ancestry back centuries. More than a million live in

refugee camps in southern Bangladesh, the majority having been driven from homes in Myanmar after a

2017 military crackdown the army said was a response to attacks by Rohingya insurgents. Rights groups

fear virus curbs across Southeast Asia could trigger a repeat of a 2015 crisis, when a crackdown by

Thailand prompted smugglers to abandon their human cargo at sea on crowded, rickety boats. Chris

Lewa, director of the Arakan Project, said she believed several more boats were stranded “Rohingya may

encounter closed borders supported by a xenophobic public narrative,” she said in a message. “COVID-

19 cannot be used to deny access to territory to desperate refugees in distress. Another maritime crisis in

the Andaman Sea, as in 2015, is unacceptable.” For years, Rohingya from Myanmar have boarded boats

organised by smugglers in the hope of finding refuge in Southeast Asia, usually making voyages during

the dry season from November to March, when the waters are calm. Several boats were trying to reach

Malaysian shores and monitoring had been stepped up, a police official in the north-western state of

Kedah told Reuters. A police official in southern Thailand said five boats carrying Rohingya had been

spotted off the coast of Satun province late on Monday. People were smuggled out by boat and over land,

said Kyaw Hla, a Rohingya from Sittwe in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, where tens of thousands of

Rohingya have been confined in camps since a bout of violence in 2012 “Within these eight years, there

has been no progress, only degradation,” he said by telephone. “People can’t stand it. Since we are locked

up and suffocated, people try to leave, of course.” He added, “If the coronavirus breaks out here, we’ll be

as good as dead.” Source : Reuters Additional reporting by Panu Wongcha-Um and Poppy McPherson in

Bangkok and Rozanna Latif and Joseph Sipalan in Kuala Lumpur; Editing by Matthew Tostevin and

Angus MacSwan

____________________________________________________________________________________

Stena offers to convert STENA SAGA to hospital ship _____________________________________________________________________________________

Suspected COVID-19 seaman aboard foreign container ship safely brought to

Colombo harbour _____________________________________________________________________________________

MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

Pirates attack crew members of the SMC "Buccaneer". At around 1:30 am on Thursday, a group of five

people assaulted the Multipurpose Dynamic

Positioning and Surface Diving Class 2

“BUCCANEER” ship with firearms, where they

carried out acts of vandalism, looting and piracy,

Feigning the 70 crew members to snatch their

belongings, workers are reported beaten, but

none were injured during the robbery. The 76-

meter long ship registered with the IMO number:

8107153, is located on the Tabasco coast in front

of the Mulach Alfa platform 37 kilometers from the port of Dos Bocas and is owned by the company

Servicios Marítimos de Campeche (SMC) de Grupo R., becoming the second oil tanker looted during this

week. According to the Marine Traffic report, the workers of the Mulach platform gave the warning to the

port authorities and the personnel of the Fifth Naval Military Zone located in the border municipality of

the state of Tabasco, just 22 kilometers from their position, but the ship of the Secretary of the Navy took

more than an hour to arrive. Enough time for the five pirates, who were carrying firearms, to feign the

crew, take their belongings, take equipment and tools, put them on the two riverside boats in which they

were transported and flee before the military personnel could arrive So there were no detainees. Offshore

"piracy" is considered a practice of scale in Mexico, but the reality is that it is already a worrying problem

in the area of maritime security, since in one week there have been three robberies of merchant ships, one

in the Sonda from Campeche, TELFORD 28 from Protexa, and two more from the Litoral de Tabasco,

the Italian-flagged REMAS and now the BUCCANEER While in 2019 more than 200 cases of illegal

boarding were officially reported, therefore, the increasing incidence of cases of "Modern Piracy" impacts

the costs of insurance for vessels that provide the Offshore service. and, in addition, it causes a

psychological impact on the victims, many of them Merchant Marine workers. source : enfoques

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BOOK REVIREW By : F rank NEYTS

Bretagne. 30 Years of Splendour Recently Gbooks international published a remarkable book entitled

“Bretagne. 30 Years of Splendour ”. Vitor Francisco signed as the

author. The book is a wonderful, colourful book stuffed with fantastic,

large pictures of Bretagne/Brittany. Images of both the mv

‘BRETAGNE’, a cruise ferry between Brittany (St Malo) and Britain

(Portsmouth), and of Bretagne, the French region the ship is named

after, and where the headquarters of her shipping company Brittany

Ferries are located. In 2019 the 30th anniversary of the beautiful

‘Bretagne’ has been celebrated. In her honour Vitor Francisco has made

a jubilee book that in praising words and in captivating photographs

pays a ship-lover’s tribute. Not only to the ‘BRETAGNE’, the cruise

ferry, but also to Bretagne the coast-region! Vito Francisco is an

English salesman with Portugese roots, who monthly takes the boat

across to visit the mainland of Europe for his job. He has sailed in many, many, many cruise ferries in

Europe. He knows them all, inside out. And there is one particular that he has fallen in love with

completely and that is the mv ‘BRETAGNE’. “Bretagne” (ISBN 9 789492 368478) counts 248 pages. It

is available as hardbound (retailprice P&P included: BE & NL € 42,00 ; UK £ 38.50. Ordering the book

can simply be done by sending an e-mail to info@gbooksinternational.nl (NL & BE customers); to

vitor.francisco@talktalk.net (UK-customers). Please provide full postal address, this needed for delivery

by parcel-services. This book is real value for money!

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MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

Seafarers being key workers Seafarers being key workers, they are in the UK but not in the rest of the world, below is an article I have

received from a colleague on this subject:

https://www.itfglobal.org/en/news/maritime-unions-and-employers-call-governments-identify-seafarers-

key-workers-and-facilitate

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New Royal Navy Patrol Ship Makes First Appearance In South Georgia The 2,000-tonne ship arrived in the

Falklands at the beginning of the year as the

islands’ new patrol ship, replacing the

smaller HMS CLYDE. The Navy has said

Forth is due to go to South Georgia several

times a year, to engage in military training,

as well as supporting local authorities and

scientists from the British Antarctic Survey

(BAS). Assisting with Forth’s journey, an

RAF A400M Atlas Maritime Patrol aircraft

scoured the stretch of ocean for floating ice.

On her maiden visit of South Georgia, HMS FORTH carried Brigadier Nick Sawyer – Commander of

British Forces South Atlantic Islands – as well as two dozen soldiers, air force personnel and civil

servants. Following a 53-hour crossing, those on board were treated to the scenery of Bird Island, on their

way to South Georgia’s ‘capital’, Grytviken. Formerly a busy whaling station, the village is home to a

museum and post office for tourists on visiting cruise ships, as well as a British Antarctic Survey research

base. The ship’s company explored the surrounding hills, where they paid homage at the grave of

explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and spoke to tourists and guides from visiting ships. A few decided to

have a brief swim in the frigid 4°C waters, before respite in the BAS centre’s sauna.“It was such a

wonderful opportunity. I feel very privileged, but it was very cold swimming with seals and king

penguins,” communications specialist Leading Engineering Technician Hannah Chenery said.Lieutenant

Matt McGinlay, Forth’s 1st Lieutenant, said his shipmates were spellbound for an island they called “a

gateway to Antarctica”.He added: “For many of us, South Georgia was a once-in-a-lifetime

experience.”The ship’s Commanding Officer, Commander Bob Laverty said: “The visit was a good

opportunity to meet key personalities, integrate and begin to build the bonds of friendship.”source: Forces

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Urgent call for crew change flights for seafarers Plummeting air travel demand puts 25 million jobs at risk globally, says IATA Airlines across the globe

could be bankrupt by May, warns industry body The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and

the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has sent out a joint call to governments to urgently amend

their Covid-19 restrictions to facilitate crew change flights for seafarers. Due to the Covid-19 restrictions,

seafarers are having to extend their service onboard ships after many months at sea, unable to be replaced.

Shipping is vital to the maintenance of global supply chains, but the current situation is unsustainable for

the safety and wellbeing of ships' crews and the safe operation of maritime trade. By volume, some 90%

of global trade is delivered by ship, including food, energy, raw materials and manufactured products.

Airlines carry, in addition to passengers, some 35% of global trade by value, including critical medicines

and medical supplies. Each month about 100 000 merchant seafarers need to be changed over from the

ships on which they operate to ensure compliance with international maritime regulations protecting

safety, health and welfare. As a result of government-imposed travel restrictions due to Covid-19, flights

to repatriate or position marine personnel are unavailable. Immigration and health screening protocols are

also hampering the ability of merchant ships to conduct necessary crew

changes. IATA and ICS are working together to come forward with safe and pragmatic solutions that

governments can implement to facilitate crew changes at certain airports.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

HMS FORTH crossed 850 miles of icy ocean to patrol the

waters around the South Atlantic territory’s archipelago.

MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

Master of Panamax container ship killed by crew official statement

By : Mikhail Voytenko

A statement in relation to the tragic incident in Cartagena

Managers Zeaborn Ship Management regret to advise that in the afternoon of 16 April 2020 one of its

valued seafarers of its managed container vessel SPIRIT OF HAMBURG has suffered fatal injuries

following what is believed to be a violent incident with an intruder onboard the ship in the port of

Cartagena, Colombia. Zeaborn Shipmanagement would like to express its deepest condolences to the

family and friends of the seafarer. The next of kin of the crew member have been notified and will be

offered full support in this very difficult time. The crew of SPIRIT OF HAMBURG will be receiving

psychological help following the tragic death of their colleague. Immediately after the incident all

relevant authorities and parties have been notified. Representatives of the company have arrived in

Cartagena for further support to the crew. The exact circumstances of the violent incident are yet

unknown and police have started an official investigation into the events and conducted interviews with

the crew of Spirit of Hamburg. In order to not interfere with the investigation of the local police Zeaborn

Shipmanagement will refrain from making any further statements at this stage. Authorities in Colombia

have meanwhile granted permission for the vessel to move from berth to inner anchorage. Zeaborn Ship

Management is aware of social media reports circulating that the crew would be of Filipino nationality.

This is incorrect. We would like to add that three senior officers are one month beyond their contractual

relief date, but they are showing great professionalism in making the best of the current relief/repatriation

restrictions. All other crew are due for relief between now and October. Source: Maritime Bulletin

UPDATE: Crew includes Burmese nationality and 2 Ethiopians. According to leaked crew information

and Managers Zeaborn Ship Management, Master was killed by intruder or intruders. According to

Colombian authorities, Master was killed by crew member or members. Colombian authorities not

surprisingly, don’t want to investigate homicide and take the responsibility: “Under UNCLOS, any crime

aboard SPIRIT OF HAMBURG would fall under the jurisdiction of her flag state, which will have

primary responsibility for the investigation, prosecutors said”. Management and crew, on the other hand,

are interested in “intruders” version. Situation is rather complicated, because if Colombian authorities

refuse to investigate, then official investigation will be, technically, a big, nearly unsolvable, problem.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Aran Islands lifeboat carries out two medical evacuations in 24 hours By Briain Kelly

Though current circumstances mean there are far fewer people on the water

than in a regular sunny April, that doesn’t mean the Aran Islands RNLI crew

have been sitting on their hands.The Aran Islands RNLI lifeboat was called

out to two medical evacuations with the space of 24 hours this week on On

Tuesday April 14, an elderly man on Inis Mór, where the Aran Islands station

is located, was in need of medical attention, and transport to get to it. He was taken aboard, and under the

supervision of the volunteer crew members, was transferred to Rossaveal and on to the waiting

Ambulance. The following day the a young child on the neighbouring island of Inis Oirr also required

further medical attention and transport to care. Unlike many times when the Aran Islands lifeboat has

been called out, on this occasion the crew benefited from good weather we’ve been enjoying lately.

Weather conditions at the time of launching were good, with calm seas and a light wind. Speaking after

the call out John O’Donnell said “In these uncertain times we find ourselves in, our volunteer crew

members are on call 24/7 , ready and willing to answer any call out. He added that, “Ensuring the crews

safety and the patients taken aboard is our number one priority,” and wished both patients a speedy

recovery. The RNLI and Irish Coast Guard have both asked people not to take part in water based

activities when exercising for the duration of the Covid-19 crisis. They emphasised that while rescue

services, whether by helicopter or lifeboat, are still operating, any callout has the potential expose rescue

workers to the coronavirus, further stretching those services.Exercise is one of the few reasons why

people should leave their home during the nationwide lockdown to combat the spread of the coronavirus,

but people are only supposed to do so within two kilometres of their home. Source : galwaydaily

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MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

China tightens customs quality checks for medical equipment exports CHINA will subject ventilators, surgical masks and other medical equipment to stringent customs checks

before exporting them, after recipient countries questioned the quality of its output, reported the Wall

Street Journal. The new rules target 11 classes of items to extra inspections. Beyond masks and

ventilators, they also include protective clothing, infrared thermometers, surgical goggles and gloves and

medical disinfectants. The move could further slow shipments of medical equipment from China at a time

when they are in short supply in many countries, industry experts said. More than 40 per cent of the

world's masks, gloves, face shields, goggles and protective garments are manufactured in China,

according to estimates by the Washington-based Peterson Institute for International Economics. Source :

schednet

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Scholarship Funding for Women's Leadership Development Available Funding of up to £2,500 for Defence sector women available

Women & Leadership International is administering a national initiative to support the development of

female leaders across the UK’s Defence sector, in which the Merchant Navy is recognised.

The campaign is providing women with grants of up to £2,500 to enable participation in a range of part-

time fully online leadership development programs.

Participants will benefit from course content such as Leading Authentically, Engaging with Challenge

and Conflict, Developing a Leadership Mindset, Team Dynamics, and Purpose Priorities and Professional

Development.

Expressions of Interest

Find out more and register your interest by completing the Expression of Interest form here prior to 19th

June: http://www.womenandleadership.org/emergencyservices.html

We acknowledge that many Merchant Navy crew members may have been furloughed by their

organisations; however it is worth bearing in mind that although those affected are not allowed to do any

work whilst on a leave of absence, they are allowed to undertake training. If you have female friends or

relatives in the industry … pass this on.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Ferry to Bring Passengers to Iceland this Week By : Larissa Kyzer The Smyril Line ferry is scheduled to resume

transporting passengers to Iceland as this week,

Austurfrétt reports. Twenty-three passengers from the

Faroe Islands will be onboard. They will be the first

passengers to arrive in Iceland on the ferry in a month.

Smyril Line operates a passenger ferry service between

Seyðisfjörður in East Iceland, Tórshvn in the Faroe

Islands, and Hirtshals in Denmark. In mid-March, the

company elected to pause passenger transport in and out of Iceland in response to the COVID-19

pandemic, as well as the closure of Denmark’s borders. Danish borders will remain closed until May 10,

but Smyril Line has now opted to resume some passenger transport to and from the Faroes. It has been ten

days since COVID-19 was last detected in the Faroes. While Iceland is currently closed to foreign

nationals outside of the Schengen area and flights into the country are been operated at a bare minimum,

tourists from countries within Schengen (such as Denmark and the Faroe Islands) can enter the country

and are not required to quarantine when they arrive. Authorities may issue further long-term regulations

regarding foreign tourists in Iceland, but as of yet, no new details have been released and Smyril Line

says it will just need to wait and see what happens. “When that becomes clear it will be possible to look a

bit further than just the spring and summer,” company executives remarked. source : Iceland review

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Photo : Arie in ‘t Veld – Marinedieselparts ©

MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

‘Trad’ boat festival will go ahead (fingers crossed) THE organisers of the Thames Traditional Boat Festival hope

it can go ahead as planned despite the coronavirus pandemic.

The annual exhibition of vintage boats and cars is scheduled

to take place at Fawley Meadows from July 17 to 19. Despite

a swathe of other events, including Henley Royal Regatta and

the Henley Festival, being cancelled or postponed, the “Trad”

is still scheduled to take place, depending on the Government

lifting its lockdown and social distancing measures. Lady

McAlpine, who is cochairman of the event, said: “There are,

of course, those who think we are mad to hope but hope we must. “Unlike the regatta, we need only five

days to set up the Trad — five days of incredibly hard work from all involved. “If the Government allows

it we will hold the 42nd Thames Traditional Boat Festival this year, which is why we are keeping fingers

crossed. “When lockdown came, we had our valuable sponsorship from the Shanly Foundation, most of

our boat entries in and most of our trade bookings, so all we have said to everyone is ‘hold on and pray’.

“If we still have to cancel, we hope we can just roll all the bookings over to next year.” About 15,000

people attended last year’s festival, lining the banks of the Thames to watch around 150 boats on display,

including some of the most iconic steamers. The row barge Gloriana, which was privately commissioned

to celebrate the Queen’s diamond jubilee in 2012, performed several row pasts over the three days. Three

replica aircraft from the First World War performed a flypast and the Bremont Great War Display Team

showed their Sopwith Camel, Avro and Fokker triplanes.This year, the Dunkirk Little Ships, which are

also a regular at the boat festival, will be marking the 80th anniversary of the evacuation. Around 850

boats sailed from England to northern France as part of Operation Dynamo and helped to rescue more

than 336,000 British, French and other Allied soldiers who were trapped on the beaches in May and June

1940 during the Second World War. Lady McAlpine added: “This is the largest gathering of traditional

river craft in the world, from coracles to Edwardian steam launches, to Sixties film stars’ toys. “Around

30 Dunkirk Little Ships tend to treat the Trad as their annual get-together and as they are probably going

to be thwarted of their big trip to France in May to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Dunkirk, for

their sake alone we are hoping that the Trad will be on. “We also attract dozens of amphibious vehicles

which have a tendency to steal the show. “There are usually one or two special interest boats, such as the

amazingly restored First World War radio-controlled torpedo boat. This was literally controlled from the

air by radio. “This year we hope that visitors will be able to watch this boat travel up the Thames as a

controlling bi-plane flies overhead.” Lady McAlpine said Gloriana would not be returning this year due to

the rising cost of hiring the 90ft barge. She said: “[It] seemed to have become our ‘flagship’ and for the

past three years she has been sponsored by the Rug Company who made the carpets for her. “Sadly, the

cost of hiring her is now so prohibitive that we all decided we simply could not afford her. “Every year

we have beautiful and genuinely old Alaska, a real Victorian steamer, which we very wrongly tend to take

for granted because she is local and owned by Peter Green who is such an old friend of the Trad. “This

year, Alaska will be awarded her correct place at centre stage and, of course, will be taking out boatloads

of passengers several times a day. “On land there will roving musicians, face painters, Punch and Judy,

fairground rides and our now infamously hilarious charity-run dog shows “We feel we put on the best

family-centred festival in the area and get a bit fed up when people say ‘we haven’t heard of it’. “We are

all crossing all digits and praying that by early July the Government will be allowing something like the

Trad to take place. If not, we will see everyone next year at the same time and place. “Meanwhile, of

course, we hope that all our lovely supporters are taking care of themselves and others.” Source:

henleystandard

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Petrobras Idles Six Platforms in Campos Basin Due to Coronavirus _____________________________________________________________________________________

Crude oil held in sea storage hits new record at 160 million bbls _____________________________________________________________________________________

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Eight Cruise Ships Being Prepped to Bring Crew Home Eight different ships from the Holland America Line Group, part of Carnival Corporation, are being

readied to get crew home in repatriation efforts, according to a letter sent to crew onboard. The effort will

see ships from the Princess, Holland America and Seabourn brands sail repatriation voyages globally to

get crew home. Port stops, timing and transfer of crew between ships is still being worked on. The Plan :

The REGAL PRINCESS will sail to Southampton and Rotterdam to bring European crew home.

The CROWN PRINCESS will sail to Asia to repatriate crew from the Philippines, Indonesia, India and

South Africa.

The ISLAND PRINCESS will sail to Asia to repatriate crew from the Philippines, Indonesia, India and

South Africa.

The VEENDAM,VOLENDAM and NIEUW AMSTERDAM will also head to Asia to repatriate all

Holland America crew from the Philippines, Indonesia, India and South Africa.

The CARIBBEAN PRINCESS is heading to the Caribbean and then South America.

Finally, the SEABOURN QUEST will head to Europe, bringing home Seabourn crew from the Quest and

Odyssey. Source: cruiseindustrynews

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Pirates Seize Containership Off Benin, Kidnap Crew -Bulgaria SOFIA, April 21 (Reuters) – Pirates attacked a Portugal-

flagged ship and kidnapped its Bulgarian captain and seven

sailors off the coast of Benin, Bulgaria’s foreign ministry

said on Tuesday.

A ministry statement said the pirates who boarded the

Tommi Ritscher container ship at the port of Cotonou in the

Gulf of Guinea on Sunday had released 11 other members of

the crew. See more at: -

https://gcaptain.com/pirates-seize-containership-off-benin-kidnap-crew-

bulgaria/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gcaptain+%28gCapt

ain.com%29&goal=0_f50174ef03-974560819d-139894965&mc_cid=974560819d&mc_eid=4c72dd3685

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Seafarer 'travel certificates' launched Seafarers can now be issued with certificates confirming their keyworker status as transport workers and

certifying they be allowed free passage to travel between their home and vessel during the coronavirus

pandemic. The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Transport Workers'

federation (ITF) have jointly produced the special 'facilitation certificate' templates and sent them to

shipping HR managers, personnel manning and vessel masters. The template and covering letter 'certifies

that a seafarer should be allowed free passage to travel between their home and their vessel and has

participated in a medical screening'. The certificates will need to be on company letterhead with required

details such as the seafarer's name, passport number, seafarer book number and identity document

numbers, as well as employer and ship details. In a joint letter to the shipping industry the ICS and ITF

said: 'In these unprecedented circumstances, it is imperative to ensure that the flow of essential goods,

energy, food, medicines and many other products is not disrupted by measures impeding the safe and

efficient movement of ships and the seafarers who operate them. 'The certificate template was drawn up

in response to calls by United Nations bodies the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the

International Maritime Organization (IMO), who along with the European Commission, have stated that

seafarers should be officially recognised as key workers and granted exemptions from travel restrictions

so they can join and leave their ships and return home without impediment, while complying with

infection control.' It is important for State representatives and relevant authorities to recognise the need of

the highly globalised shipping industry, with its multinational workforce, to smoothly undertake crew

changes around the world, to enable ships to continue to operate and to enable the swift embarkation,

disembarkation and repatriation of crew members,' said the ICS and ITF.

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COLREGS: Still Fit for Purpose? Source: Ince BY HARRY HIRST

There has been much debate about the COLREGS over the last 12 months or so, with many suggesting

that it is now time for not just some amendments but a total revision of the Rules.

So are the COLREGS still fit for purpose?

The future: autonomous ships

Many believe that in the not so distant future, the fundamental changes in the way in which ships will be

operated will render the current COLREGS unworkable. This is primarily a reference to autonomous

ships, but it is also the case that the increasing use of automation and reducing numbers of crew are likely

to result in the bridges of crewed ships in the future being unmanned for some if not all of the time.

It is generally understood that a fully autonomous ship (one with no crew) or any vessel with an

unmanned bridge or cockpit (one with no watch-keeper) cannot comply with the COLREGS. That

understanding comes from Rule 5 which requires every vessel to “at all times maintain a proper look-out

by sight as well as by hearing…” and seeing and hearing in this context have always been understood and

interpreted as references to the human senses.

It is worth noting however, that this and the other Rules are not directed at humans but at vessels. So for

example, the requirement is for every vessel to maintain a proper look-out, to proceed at a safe speed, and

to determine if there is risk of collision; and for the action taken to avoid collision to be large enough to

be readily apparent to another vessel observing visually or by radar. Similarly, in restricted visibility the

requirement is for every vessel which hears “apparently forward of her beam the fog signal of another

vessel....” to reduce her speed.

The actions of “seeing” and “hearing” do not have to be

limited to their human functions; they could be interpreted

more widely so as to include the electronic “eye” (camera)

and “ear” (microphone) as well as the human eye and ear. If

this wider interpretation were to be adopted then a fully

autonomous ship, or a vessel with an unmanned bridge,

which is properly equipped with cameras and microphones

should be capable of complying with Rule 5. Indeed, such a

vessel may in fact be better equipped for doing so, when one

considers, for example, the ability of infra-red and thermal

imaging cameras to “see” in the dark and microphones to

determine the direction from which a sound is emanating.

Care would be needed to limit the scope of the equipment which can qualify as an electronic “eye.” It

could not include radar for example, as the Rule for vessels navigating in or near an area of restricted

visibility recognizes that a vessel which is not in sight of another vessel may nevertheless detect the

presence of that other vessel by radar. A vessel fitted with a thermal imaging camera might similarly be

able to detect the presence of another vessel in restricted visibility in circumstances where the human eye

could not. The powers of the human eye, however, are well documented, and I believe it should be

possible to program the electronic eyes and master computer on an autonomous ship to know when the

prevailing visibility calls for the application of Rule 19.

There still remains the issue of seamanship however: how does an autonomous ship, or a vessel with an

unmanned bridge, know what “precaution...may be required by the ordinary practice of seamen?” The

answer, I believe, will be provided by artificial intelligence (AI). Computers can be programmed to learn

(think: Chess; Go), and it would appear therefore, that the technology may already exist to program a

vessel computer to know what the practice of good seamanship requires.

I am not convinced therefore, that the COLREGS necessarily require any amendments to accommodate

the fundamental changes in the way that ships will be operated in the future, save perhaps, to include a

definition in Rule 3 extending the meaning of the words “by sight,” “visually,” “by hearing,” and “hears.”

The suggestion that new rules must be written now to take into account both manned and unmanned

ships, does of course, beg the question: why? The owners of manned ships have to ensure their vessels

The FELICITY outbound from Rotterdam

Photo : Chris Rombouts ©

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comply with the COLREGS whatever they might think about these Rules, which have been in operation

now for over 40 years. Why should it be any different for the owner of an unmanned ship?

It is also worth remembering that these Rules, whilst worded differently to their predecessors, prescribe

the same basic collision avoidance maneuvers; for example, when two power-driven vessels are meeting

head-on, for both to alter their courses to starboard.

The current Rules have evolved into their present arrangement and wordings through a series of

incremental changes and amendments over the years, and as result their entry into force during the 1970’s

was seamless and largely without incident. Implementing a complete set of new rules especially new

maneuvering rules, or introducing wide ranging amendments to the current Rules, is a potential recipe for

disaster. It would also be a time consuming and costly endeavor, being one that will require international

agreement and re-training on a global basis. I believe we should proceed cautiously therefore before we

seek to totally revise the “rules of the road” for the sea.

The present: collisions are still happening

Collisions at sea are still happening, but whilst the number of

collisions each year is not noticeably decreasing the world

fleet capacity has increased significantly since the

COLREGS came into force. When expressed as a

percentage of the world fleet therefore, the number of

collisions is actually decreasing over time and therefore

showing some improvement. This said, the number of

collisions is still unacceptably high, and it is still very much

the case that most all collisions are the result of human error

and in particular, a failure to properly implement – or

comply with – the Rules. This however, is not reason to

change the Rules. The Rules are not the cause of collisions; the cause of collisions is the failure by

mariners to properly comply with the Rules. If, as some suggest, the many technologies designed to

improve the avoidance of collisions since the rules came into force are being ignored, then the problem is

with the mariners and not with the regulators ashore, or with any disconnect between the two. No amount

of regulation will force a mariner to use a particular piece of equipment or technology, just as no amount

of regulation will force a mariner to properly comply with the Rules. Proper compliance with the Rules is

a seamanship issue, and seamanship is taught in the classroom and acquired from experience at sea.

The Rules: lack of proper understanding

The cause of collisions is not the COLREGS but how mariners interpret and (mis-) apply the Rules. Too

many mariners today, I feel, lack a proper understanding of the Rules and how they are to be applied. The

causes of most all collisions can be broken down into two broad categories –

1. failure to maintain a proper look-out; and

2. failure to take the appropriate avoiding action.

Proper look-out

With a proper look-out the mariner will make “a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of

collision.” Many collisions occur because the mariner fails to do so, and in particular, to properly appraise

the risk of collision. This is so notwithstanding the technological advances that have occurred during the

last 40 years and notably the development of AIS and ARPA which make the job of detecting other

vessels and determining their movements much easier today than it was when the COLREGS first came

into force.

I question therefore whether mariners are being properly trained in the use and limitations of these “new”

navigational aids, and what is meant by “a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision.” An

all too frequent criticism of the mariner today is that he or she spends too much time looking at the ARPA

and ECDIS and not enough time looking out of the bridge windows. Certainly, very few mariners today it

seems ever slow down to allow themselves more time to make a full appraisal. A full appraisal requires a

proper understanding of the three most important phrases in the Rules: “risk of collision,” “close quarters

situation,” and “passing at a safe distance.” These phrases are not defined in the COLREGS, and this is

not surprising as their meanings will clearly vary with the prevailing ircumstances and conditions of every

The HARUN navigating the TSS off the Dutch

Island Texel Photo : Flying Focus Aerial

Photography www.flyingfocus.nl ©

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case. Too many mariners do not appear to have a proper understanding of the meaning of these phrases

and, I believe, are interpreting them too narrowly. Many mariners, for example, are interpreting “risk of

collision” to mean the two vessels will definitely collide if no avoiding action is taken; and believe a few

cables is a safe passing distance at sea in open waters in all conditions.

Inappropriate action

Even when a proper look-out is being maintained, collisions are still occurring because mariners are

failing to take the appropriate avoiding action. Action taken to avoid collision should be “positive, made

in ample time and with due regard to the observance of good seamanship.” All too often the action taken

is too little and too late. I question therefore, whether mariners are being properly taught the meaning of

“positive” and “in ample time.” Indeed, I have heard of some mariners using the trial maneuver facility

on the ARPA to determine what is the minimum alteration of course they have to make to avoid actual

collision and ensure the other vessel passes a few cables clear. Many mariners also do not understand that

the overtaking, head-on, and crossing Rules do not apply in restricted visibility when the vessels are not

in sight of one another.

No reason to change

That many mariners today appear to lack a proper understanding of the Rules and how they are to be

applied is not, in my opinion, reason to change the COLREGS. It might be reason to do so if this lack of

understanding arose from the way in which the Rules have been drafted. The COLREGS, however, are

simply and concisely worded, and the Rules have been logically arranged; and as noted above, the

problem is not with the words used in the Rules but with the meanings of those words.

Summary

For all these reasons I believe the COLREGS are still fit for purpose and there is no need for the Rules to

be totally revised, whether to accommodate autonomous ships or to reduce the number of collisions.

There are going to be some fundamental changes to the ways in which ships will be operated in the future

but these changes will only require a few minor amendments to the COLREGS to ensure the Rules

continue to be workable. If the shipping industry is serious about reducing the number of collisions it

would do better to focus its attention on the way in which mariners are taught the Rules and how to apply

them, and not upon the Rules and how they might be changed. Source : MAREX Harry Hirst is Managing

Partner and Master Mariner, Singapore for Ince & Incisive Law LLC.

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Golden Ray removal will involve largest lift vessel built in the U.S. Written by Nick Blenkey

Salvage operations to

remove the capsized car

carrier M/V GOLDEN

RAY from St. Simons

Sound, Georgia, will

involve the use of the

largest lift vessel built in the

United States, the VB-

10,000 twin-gantry, twin-

barge catamaran VB-10,000, designed and owned by Versabar, Inc., New Orleans. On April 17, T&T

Salvage installed the third and fourth of a total of 16 lifting lugs on the GOLDEN RAY. The Unified

Command (USCG, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Gallagher Marine Systems) working on

the salvage project says that two lugs will be installed on each of the eight sections of the vessels. The

lifting lugs will be used as a connection point between the rigging of the VB-10,000 and each section of

the GOLDEN RAY. The lugs are designed to distribute the weight of each particular section during the

cutting and lifting operation.Deployed for the first time in 2010, the VB-10,000 is a U.S. flagged, Jones

Act compliant heavy lift construction vessel which can offer several unique capabilities for deepwater

projects. The vessel is classed by ABS as a Maltese Cross A1 Barge HLDK DPS-3 (twin hull

construction vessel). The vessel has eight retractable, azimuthing thrusters. Source: Marinelog

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"the merchant navy man" You have seen him on the street rolling round on drunken feet,

You have seen him clutch the lamp post for support,

You have shuddered in disgust when he grovels in the dust,

Cause he's just a Merchant Seaman back in port.

You have seen him arm in arm with a maid of doubtful charm,

You have seen him, when his ship is on the spree,

But have you seen the slip of his dirty 'blacked out' ship,

Ploughing furrows through the mine infested sea.

You have cheered our naval lads in their stately iron clads,

You have spared a cheer for Tommy Atkins too.

You even send a prayer to the aircrews in the air

but do you give a damn about this crew.

Still they bring the wounded home through mine infested zones,

And they ferries all our troops, throughout the night.

Though he carries all our trade, he's still neglected, underpaid.

But still he's always there at the thickest of the fight.

To stand against the 'Hun' with just a 4 point seven inch gun,

He has ruined Hitler's Atlantic Ocean plan,

He's a hero he's a sport, until he's back in port,

Then he's nothing......but a drunken Sailor man. _____________________________________________________________________________________

The Washington Post's Style Invitational also asked readers to take any word from the

dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new

definition. The winners are: -

• Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from

penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near

future.

• Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially

impotent for an indefinite period.

• Sarchasm (n): The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get

it.

• Inoculatte (v): To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

• Osteopornosis (n): A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

• Karmageddon (n): It's like, when everybody is sending off all these Really bad vibes,

right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.

• Glibido (v): All talk and no action.

• Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked

through a spider web.

• Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you're eating.

And the pick of the literature:

• Ignoranus (n): A person who's both stupid and an asshole. _____________________________________________________________________________________

MNA CIRCULAR 2020 - #08 22nd April 2020

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The Pulse

Paddy takes his new wife to bed on their wedding night.

She undresses, lies on the bed spread-eagled and says “You know what I want, don't you?

"Yeah," says Paddy. "The whole 'friggin' bed by the looks of it!"

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Lighten the moment

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I was knocked down by a cyclist as I crossed the road.

He looked down at me and said “you’re lucky”.

I said “what do you mean, I’m lucky?”

He replied “I usually drive a bus”

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Just Giving & The Merchant Navy Association We are pleased to say we are now able to offer our supporters the

facility to make donations via our

Just Giving page.

This is a secure means of making payments and enables us to

claim Gift Aid from the Treasury.

Go to www.justgiving.com Click on ‘Search' at the top right-

hand side and type in Merchant Navy Association.

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That’s all from me now folks.

Stay Safe Shipmates

Good Health, Fair Winds and Calm Seas. Take Care.

Yours Aye,

Malcolm

Malcolm Mathison

National Vice-Chairman

Merchant Navy Association

Tel: 01472 277 266 Mob: 07831 622 312 Email: R546060@aol.com

www.mna.org.uk Registered Charity No. 1135661

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