What Really Killed Costa Concordia’s Passengers?

Captain Schettino has received a lot of criticism in the mainstream press and, possibly, even more from industry insiders including gCaptain for abandoning ship before the last passenger was safe. An important question is not being asked however… would his presence on the bridge have saved lives?

The answer is likely no.

Abandoning ship may have been unconscionable but it was certainly not a lethal decision. This post hopes to identify those mistakes made which directly resulted in loss of life, but also come to the defense of the Captain by identifying what actions did, in fact, save human lives.

Of note, the following comments are made with input from ship captains and maritime experts based on the evidence now available. But its not until the “black box” is analysed and the investigation complete that we can determine the true causes of this disaster. What you are about to read are the best guesses of ship experts.

The First Fatal Mistake

Accidents are a result of many small events which latch together to form an incident chain. Taken separately, each mistake is minor but when strung together, they lead to disaster. Remove one link, one minor mistake along the timeline, and the chain is destroyed… disaster is avoided. It is beyond the scope of this article to reach back and uncover each mistake that was made, mistakes that reach back well before the vessel was even designed. I only mention this because the first major failing may sound small to some, but it’s critically important to the safe operation of ship.

The first fatal mistake was likely in the training of the bridge crew. The job of the captain is to give orders and the crew must accept even foolish ones, but it’s the understanding and execution of these orders which is most important.

When Captain Schettino ordered a “flyby” of the local port, it was the mate on watch’s responsibility to lay the course line down on the chart, check for hazards and advise the captain of obvious dangers. Once underway, it’s the mate’s job to follow the planned route and monitor any identified hazards.

“Flyby’s” or “showboating” maneuvers are in-fact dangerous, but are preformed every single day by countless ships around the world. So why did this one run aground?

The most likely answer is the mate on watch got distracted and missed the turn. This is easy to do with today’s reliance on a myriad of electronic navigation devices and the distraction that comes from phone calls to the bridge, logbook entries and, yes, sometimes the call of Facebook updates streaming into a cell phone.

We do not know why the mate on watch missed the pre-assigned turn, maybe it wasn’t laid out on the chart in the first place or maybe the Captain ignored the course line, we don’t know, but the turn was missed.

A classic failure of bridge resource management and crew training.

The Second Fatal Mistake

Slow down!

We hear those words everyday, but in our cars and at work, may of us ignore them. Moving fast is ok most of the time, but not when you’re in trouble. Once the turn was missed the ship should have slowed down. This is not a simple task on a 114,147 ton moving object, it requires backing down on engines and can result in uncomfortable motions that would disturb the passengers.

But it’s essential.

Once the turn was made the ship should have slowed down. But it didn’t.

The Middle

Many mistakes were made during the next few minutes but none of them fatal. Cruise ships run into rocks and reefs on a semi-frequent basis (it happened just last week here in the US) and most people survive. Even aboard the Titanic, there was enough time to save most lives if enough lifeboats had been available. Mistakes happen. The captain could have sent out a distress signal, he could have loaded all the lifeboats and taken a number of other positive actions, but I believe those actions would not likely have saved many lives..

The most critical factor in disasters is time. Time slows down in the mind of those witnessing disaster, but the real clock, the one on the wall, keeps ticking. Only so much can be done and the captain himself can give nothing but orders.

The Third Fatal Mistake

One hour and twenty five minutes after the point when the Costa Concordia missed that first critical turn she ran aground on the beach of Giglio island and, in doing so, the third – and possibly most fatal – mistake was made.

A slowly sinking ship that’s relatively stable and close to shore is not intrinsically dangerous. Yes, you want to get the passengers off before she sinks but you still have time to preform the rescue. What is dangerous is a listing ship!

When a ship lists past 5 degrees she becomes exceedingly dangerous (check out this video). The smooth steel decks turn into slides that propel equipment and people down it at a high rate of speed. It’s common practice to beach a sinking ship for two reasons. First, it brings the ship closer to shore allowing people to swim to safety (which they in fact did in this case) and limits the time of those who jump overboard from being in the cold water. Second, grounding the ship prevents her from sinking which can allow you more time to rescue those stuck inside her damaged hull.

Some even praise Captain Schettino for running the Costa Concordia aground, but this decision was flawed.

When a ship is grounded to prevent her from sinking, the typical maneuver is to point her bow toward a sandy point on the charge and drive her ahead. This was not possible here because the ship had lost propulsion. Instead the ship was driven by thrusters (or current, the facts remain unclear) sideways toward the beach. When the keel hit bottom her 114,147 tons of steel continued to have momentum but, because she was moving sideways (all sway with very little surge or yaw), the momentum didn’t propel her further onto the beach, rather it seems to have caused her top-heavy build to “trip over itself”.

The ship’s stability was already reduced by the free communication of water into the ship at the area of damage. Grounding reduced the stability further. When the keel touched bottom the center of gravity moved from inside the ship down to the keel. Just watch a toy ship in the bath as you let out the water… once the toy ship’s keel touches the bottom of the tub the ship tilts over.

Why does a ship list to starboard when all her damage is on the port side? This could have been caused by emergency ballasting procedures (pumping water into the starboard side to compensate for the water entering to port) but the more likely answer is that by grounding her starboard-side-to the beach the ship’s momentum pulled her over to starboard.

This was the most critical mistake!

Listing Car Carrier Cougar Ace

In 2006 the massive car carrier Cougar Ace experienced ballast problems and listed heavily in a remote section of Alaska. The damage was extensive but all crew members were able to escape to safety. A fatality did happen, as Joshua Davis so eloquently discovered in his article about the disaster, but not for days after the incident. The death did not occur in the storm or escape from the ship, it happened in calm seas when a salvage expert accidentally skid down her heavily listed decks.

Heavy lists aboard ships are dangerous and, in this case, could likely have been avoided if, rather than beaching the ship, Captain Schettino had anchored her in close proximity to the shore.

In Schettino’s Defense

Be sure to read Part 2 of this editorial on the Costa Concordia disaster titled “In Defense of Captain Schettino“.

How quick could you remove this ring from the cradle? Have you tried?

Standing on the bridge wing of a container ship years ago, a captain was telling me all about the Williamson Turn and how effective it was at putting his massive ship on a line straight back from whence it came. He practices them at every man overboard (MOB) drill on his vessel (and logs the training, thank you) and seemed very pleased with himself and his crew’s ability to find find me should I fall overboard. Laying out the details of his MOB procedures, he got to the part where a mate would release the smoke float and life ring from the bridge wing.

“Let try it,” I said. Grabbing the ring to prevent it from falling , “Pull the pin.” I’d been looking at the release mechanism – a simple pin through the bulwark at the end of the bridge wing – and wondered how easily the ring would fall. With a confidence in his stride, the third mate walked past his skipper and grabbed hold of the red handle. “I’ve got the ring, don’t worry,” – then he gave it a twist and pull.

Nothing – nothing happened. The pin was stuck, enlarged by too many coats of paint and expanding corrosion. A full minute and thirty-eight seconds later, after desperate grunting and twisting, he got the pin out. The captain just looked at me and said, “You’re kidding me.” (though he used a different word than kidding – I was feeling his pain.)

“Now do we start that turn,” I asked?  Oddly, I was the only one smiling.

Right now, many of you are thinking “lack of maintenance,” but that wasn’t the problem. I believe it was cause by a lack of practice. Until I said “Let’s try it.” the idea of pulling that pin during every MOB had never occurred to them. It was always done as a simulation. The idea of the gravity-dropped life ring deployed by a simple pin pull is so simple, that nobody thinks to practice it. They hadn’t violated any rules or established maintenance practices. The ring was just replaced a few months prior. But how often do you pull that pin? Why would you?

Of all the tools that mariners use at sea, the things they may need the most are used the least. Survival gear and rescue equipment – basically everything in the LSA Code – is stuff you really need when you need it, but rarely get the chance to use. It doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. Lowering and running of the lifeboats happens enough I suppose, sure; but when was the last time all hands fired off a flare, lit off the EPIRB, or….deployed the smoke float and life ring from the bridge wing? They aren’t always things you can do all the way, but those first steps can usually be practiced at any time – scheduled or not – making everyone a little safer and more informed about their use.

How is the spring behind your EPIRB cradle? You can remove that thing and re-cradle it anytime you want. Why would you? So you can be really good at removing it for one, and also because you get to know how the spring behind the cradle looks. Don’t just walk by the pyro locker on the way back to the bridge: open it up. pull out a parachute flare – check out it’s condition – and read the instructions. Why? Well besides the obvious, you get to see that the instruction label is still even there and legible; an important feature of the device if you ask me. And don’t even pretend that all hands can use that line throwing device.

I believe two things about handling survival equipment during an emergency -

1. It is always tougher than it may seem; and

2. It is not something you want to do for the first time (or second or third) during an actual emergency.

You don’t always have to go all the way to full use of the gear to make things better. But why not do what you can when you can? The entire crew is wearing a Type I PFD during a drill, yes? Do they turn on the light? Will all the lights work?

There is only one way to find out, and it’s free. Lots of stuff on your boat is like that. So consider doing more than just walking by the emergency stuff. Do more than simulate when you can. Open the fire extinguisher box to see how easily or not it opens. Removed the cap on the tube containing the fire plan – that is the only way to make sure it’s in there. And, for the sake of anyone who might fall overboard, hold onto the ring and pull that pin.

What other things can be done without being completely done aboard your vessel? Because, going through some of the motions is better than going through none of them at all.

Beyond Boot Camp; Rescue, Recover, Rewarm -  is a follow up DVD to Cold Water Boot Camp on the best techniques and practices used to safely recover hypothermic victims from cold water.  My job?  Easy.  Get in the water and stay there until I am hypothermic.  If you read my last article, then you know it will take at least an hour in the sub 40 degree lake to get my core temperature to drop that far.  I sign the form and think one more time, “what the hell am I doing here?”

Two days later I’m lying on a stretcher, wrapped in a cocoon of blankets, violently shivering and in considerable pain.  The water temp on lake Eerie had dropped to 32.6 -  the effect freezing water has on your hands, feet, and other ….parts… is amazing.  Dr. Gordon Geisbrecht – the project’s medical director and the world’s leading authority on environmental injury – had lowered the max immersion time (thanks Doc) to insure that the pain was not accompanied by real damage. Still, me and the other idiots who signed the release form were in considerable pain and discomfort.  Looking up at the professional medics, firefighters, Coast Guard, and other municipal rescue workers ; I realized exactly what the hell I was doing there.  We were all learning things.

Being recovered from Lake Eerie – December 2010

It turns out that there are as many misconceptions about the treatment of hypothermia as there are myths about the condition itself, and if this project would help save lives like Cold Water Boot Camp did before it, then that was reason enough to be cold and wet just one more time.

The National Water Safety Congress released the DVD last winter, but I thought I’d share to gCaptain readers what we  learned about caring for victims of accidental cold water immersion.

Important Note: What follows is advice about caring for victims pulled from cold water – specifically tailored for mariners at sea.  This is because “at sea” is a place that often also means “hours, if not days, from a advanced care”.  That makes “at sea” a much different place than say “at the marina – or beach” where professional medical assistance is nearby.  As working mariners – the average gCaptain reader may need to handle victims from the water to full recovery – so this advice is for you.

Be careful getting them out: Approximately 20% of those that die from accidental cold water immersion – do so during the rescue phase. There are ways to get victims out of the water right and ways to do it very wrong.  That’s because depending on a number of variables including time in the water, age, health, and half a dozen others – victims of cold water immersion may be in a very fragile physiological state.

Just being in water does things to the human body that change it. The pressure of the water on the limbs – particularly the legs (because they are deeper) – forces blood out of the legs and into the core and this raises blood pressure. When the water is cold, we get the added effect of constricting blood vessels in the outer skin layers and extremities (vasocontriction – see The Truth About Cold Water) and this also raises core blood pressure.  The body is trying to keep the core warm and more blood in the core and less every where else helps.

Without digging in too deep – you should know that when a person spends long periods of time in cold water, they have changed physically.  Their bodies contain warm blood and very cold blood; their heart has a decreased ability to speed up when it needs to, and veins and nervous systems have been temporarily altered in such a way that may have them on an edge very close to significant heart malfunction.  They are fragile – and must be treated carefully: Here are some best practices for the recovery from the water phase:

• Recover them as horizontally as possible: If you can avoid lifting them out of the water vertically, do it.  If you must lift them out vertically, get them laying down immediately once on board.  The hydrostatic pressure on their body has made it easier for their bodies to maintain blood pressure – as soon as they are removed, the heart has to work harder – and a cold heart doesn’t do well at working harder.
• No walking: They shouldn’t be walking around until the are completely recovered.  There is some very cold water in those limbs and for the time being, you want it to stay there.
• Don’t make them work for it: Don’t ask them to “pull” or to exert themselves in their own rescue if it can be avoided.  Remember, they are in a fragile cardiovascular state and climbing that net after being in the freezing water may be the last thing they ever do.
• Remember – None of this is as important as getting them out: If you’re at sea, and the only way to get them aboard is by hauling them over the rail like so many pounds of tuna – then haul away. Just do it….carefully, and be very gentle with them once they’re aboard.
• Stay calm – move slow: They do have to get out of the water – but doing things slow will make them smooth and smooth is what you want. If recovered to your rescue boat, do not rush at full speed back to the ship.  Pounding through waves is just as bad for them as any other rough handling.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Get Them Dry:

Just because you got them inside and out of the elements, doesn’t mean that they aren’t still cooling off.  Wet clothes will continue to cool them off and hinder their recovery.  Getting them dry sounds easy enough, but this is another area where there is a right way and a wrong way to do things:

• All modesty and dignity can be reserved for another day – once you have them inside the cabin – absolutely every stitch of wet clothing comes off.  It is also better to cut clothing off (safely – medical bandage scissors are best) rather than have them endure the flexing and stretching of the limbs that occurs by pulling it off the regular way.  You want them laying down and moving as little as possible.
• Use towels to gently pat the water from their skin and hair – NEVER rub them dry.  Trying to rewarm a victim by vigorous rubbing of their skin actually has the opposite effect.  It makes them colder.  A victims skin contains the coldest blood in their bodies and by rubbing it, you essentially push it back into play before the body is ready for it.
• Thickness equals warms:  wrapping them in layers of loose fitting blankets and keeping them inside a warm, dry place is the first goal after removal from the water.  Everything you have done so far has been about preventing further heat loss: If they are out of the elements, dry, and covered up – you have done at least that.

To get an idea how being wet in a cold environment can effect the human body, watch this video shot during the first day of “Beyond Boot Camp”.  This section was filmed to show rescuers how to remove a victim from the water and to a waiting ambulance.  I was only in the water for a minute – but after exposure to the 24 degree air and blowing wind for just a few moments – my wet clothes really did a number on my ….comfort…the intense shivering is not an act.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Keep Them Down

Now that they are dry and out of the elements – the recovery can begin.  If they are intensely shivering, that’s good.  But for those who have never seen it before, it is a little disconcerting.  It looks awful and feels even worse, but it is just the body trying to regulate temperature.  What I can tell you from experience is that the first ten minutes out of the water is far more painful than any ten minutes in it – but that if they are down and dry and shivering – things are looking very good.  What you want to do next is help them….wait for it…keep shivering

Get Them Calories:

If your recovered victim has been in the water long enough to be shivering violently, then they have been burning an awful lot of calories.  Depending on when they last ate, they may be running low on available fuel and need a boost.  Knowing that, what do you think is better for your freezing – shivering – crew member; a warm cup of water, or an icy cold soda?  (pick the soda) A warm sugary cocoa is better, but the point is that calories are more important than the temperature of the drink.  They need the calories to fuel the shivering until they are fully recovered.

Warm Them Up (maybe):

There are many methods and devices for adding heat to help rewarm hypothermic victims.  They range from complex medical devices like warm air infused blankets to simple heat packs or hot water bottles.  But if it was my ships hospital, I’d just make sure I had a simple heating blanket.  Put on low to medium they will provide radiating heat and everyone knows how to use them. Forced air systems have lots of parts to go bad, and heat packs can cause problems – even blistering – if they stay in contact with very cold skin.  Simply cranking the heat up in the cabin is another way to assist in recovery.  A warm bath or shower may seem like a good idea, but it isn’t.  Remember, the blood in their skin will be cold and not moving for a while.  What feels warm to you may be scolding hot to them.

One of my favorite myths about treatment is the old “climb in the sleeping bag with them” idea.  Don’t – do not – back off.  That may be a good idea to stay warm but not a good idea to re-warm a victim of cold immersion.  They do not need anyone pressing up against their cold skin and agitating their cold muscles.

Watch Them:

People recovering from cold water immersion can look miserable.  Their skin may be a red like a bad sunburn, they can shake violently, and they just sound like they are in pain – and they are.  But here is the thing: If you have done everything above and they are red and shivering and complaining about how miserable they are – they are probably just fine.  They are as uncomfortable as they have ever been in their lives, sure, but they are fine.  All you can do is let them lay there and get over it. Just watch them  until they are absolutely bored from laying there.  None of this “get back to work” stuff until hours have passed.  Of course, contact your medical authority and pass all pertinent information for recommendations.  Did they injest or inhale sea water? If they did, it can cause problems unrelated to the cold that may require a medevac just the same.

Continued Training:

To view the entire video series from Beyond Cold Water Boot Camp, USA – or to order the DVDs for use as a training tool at sea, please visit www.coldwaterbootcampusa.org.  Though produced primarily for professional medics and rescuers – the series is full of useful advice for anyone who works on or near the water.

disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of the Department of Homeland Security or the U.S. Coast Guard.

While there is little gCaptain can do directly we have been working, for a number of years, with various maritime security companies in the area. The best, by far, in emergency evacuation services (they do both security & medical evacs!) is Global Rescue.

The company was originally referred to me a few years back by a navy SEAL who had been my roommate from the academy. He said they where the best… a fact that was proven when a writer for our sister site suffered a fatal ski crash in the andes mountains last year. It was a tragic story but, the bottom line is, that GR got our friend’s remains back to California without incident. They are true heros in what they do.

I would trust these guys with my life so, if you have friends in region looking for help getting out contact GR’s hotline at (617) 459-4200) – feel free to tell them gCaptain sent you.

Of note: If your ship or rig is due to transit the Middle East, your best bet is to sign up for their membership plan today so they can work out a contingency plan before you get to the area.

-John

Disclose: Neither gCaptain nor myself have ever received money from GR for endorsing their services but they did provide me with a free membership in return for maritime consultancy work I have done for them in the past. I did the work for no money, just a membership card, because I believe helping mariners in immediate distress is a noble cause and GR is the best in the business of getting people off ships and/or out of dangerous countries in a hurry.

Click HERE to discuss security and medivacs services at sea in the gCaptain forum.

In fact, just today Cunard Lines has announced that it has appointed Captain Inger Klein Olsen as its first female captain in the companies history.  Captain Olsen assumed command of Cunard Line’s Queen Victoria on December 1st.

Captain Olsen’s first task at the helm of Queen Victoria was to take the ship, without passengers, to drydock in Hamburg for its planned refit. Next Wednesday, 15 December, she will be on the bridge as the ship sets sail with a full complement of guests.

Forty-three-year-old Captain Olsen was raised in the Faroe Islands, which accounts for her maritime abilities, and she joined Cunard in 1997 as First Officer on board Caronia. In 2001 she transferred to the Seabourn fleet, which at that time was part of Cunard. She sailed on Seabourn Sun and Seabourn Spirit before being promoted to the rank of Staff Captain on Seabourn Pride in 2003. Read full article

Olsen will helm Queen Victoria during the ship’s debut Americas voyage commencing on January 13.

For more information about women in maritime, read the following forum posts:

• Honesty On Jobs for the OTHER Gender
• Women Seafarers
• I am a women

Here at gCaptain.com, we are VERY happy to learn that Captain Alwin Landry has won the Lloyd’s List’s coveted Shipmaster of the Year Award 2010.  As some of you may know, we submitted Captain Landry as our nomination for the award after learning about his heroism and leadership on the night of the Deepwater Horizon tragedy.  Captain Landry was master of the Tidewater vessel, Damon Bankston, which was tied up alongside the Deepwater Horizon when the rig exploded.  If it wasn’t for his quick thinking in directing SAR efforts, the incident could have been a lot worse.

Congratulations to Captain Alwin Landry!

And many thanks to the countless gCaptain members who petitioned Lloyds List to re-open the nomination process for Landry. This well deserved award would not have been possible without your help!

————————

CLICK HERE to download a Tidewater Report based on narratives by Captain Landry and the rest of the crew of the Damon Bankston.

Keep reading for the press release announcing Captain Landry’s acceptance, and the results of the 2010 Lloyd’s List Awards.

LONDON, September 30, 2010 /PRNewswire/ –

The Best and Brightest in the Maritime Shipping Industry Were in Attendance to Witness the 2010 Lloyd’s List Awards Honouring Excellence in Shipping and to Witness Captain Alwin Landry Pick Up Shipmaster of the Year Award for his Life-Saving Action During the Deepwater Horizon Tragedy

The Deepwater Horizon catastrophe resulted in a stream of footage of environmental damage and justified concerns about when the oil flow would be stopped. However, that day ended particularly tragically for 11 families who lost loved ones in the explosion. But for a heroic and quick-thinking sea captain, the death toll might have been far, far higher.

Last night, Captain Alwin Landry of the ship Damon Bankston was honoured by Lloyd’s List – the world’s flagship news, data and information analysis source for the global maritime industry – at its annual Lloyd’s List Awards ceremony at London’s Dorchester Hotel. More than 500 senior executives attended the gala dinner for a glittering celebration of the best and brightest talents in maritime shipping.

The Damon Bankston was alongside the rig at the time of the explosion and subsequent inferno. The quick thinking and direct orders of her Master brought the ship to a safe distance off the rig where he continued to assist rescue operations, including deploying his fast rescue boat back to the rig. The training and trust of his crew plus the efforts of other ships in the vicinity ensured that all the rig’s people, apart from those directly caught in the blast, were rescued and evacuated to safety.

“The purpose of the Shipmaster of the Year Award is to recognise and value the ultimate responsibility of the Master for the safety of the ship, her crew and her cargo as well as the safety of life at sea generally,” says Tom Leander, Editor of Lloyd’s List.

“The Master of the Damon Bankston is deserving of the respect and admiration of his fellow mariners for his professionalism, courage and leadership and in honouring Captain Landry we acknowledge the bravery and professional work of his crew,” continues Leander.

A total of 14 companies, organisations and individuals were presented with awards in categories which paid tribute to innovation, courage, corporate responsibility, business and seafaring skill and lifetime achievement.

“At Lloyd’s List, we wouldn’t have been here for 276 years unless we respected the best in the industry,” says Tom Leander, Editor of Lloyd’s List. “We take pride in rewarding this industry’s strong character. This strength of character – in companies and individuals throughout our industry – has helped us weather the economic crisis and will continue to serve maritime shipping well. We are delighted and proud to honour that quality.”

Other highlights of the evening were the presentation of the lifetime achievement award for Dr Martin Stopford of Clarkson Research Services; the award for Newsmaker of the Year which went to Eivind Kolding, Chief Executive, Maersk Line; and an award for Gregorio Oca, President of the Associated Marine Officers and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines, who won the Seafarer of the Year Award which was introduced this year in honour of the Year of the Seafarer.

“The object of the Seafarer of the Year Award was to recognise an extraordinary individual that has, through the work of a lifetime, improved the lives of seafarers. In addition, we thought it appropriate that this person should be a seafarer, and one who has led an eventful life at sea,” says Leander. “Gregorio Oco certainly fits the bill.”

All 14 awards were chosen by an independent judging panel drawn from industry associations, academic institutions and private companies.

“We offer our most sincere thanks to all our entrants, sponsors and the attendees of last night’s event – and our hearty congratulations to each and every one of the 2010 Lloyd’s List Global Awards winners,” says Leander.

Source

–

The Winners of the 2010 Lloyd’s List Awards

• Port Operator Award (sponsored by TT Club) – Port of Antwerp
• Classification Society Award – Lloyd’s Register
• The Innovation Award (sponsored by DP World) – Hook Marine
• Amver-Assisted Rescue at Sea Award (sponsored by Immarsat) – M/V Overseas Primar
• Safety at Sea Award (sponsored by GNMTC) – Maersk Tankers and Nadiro
• Corporate Social Responsibility Award (sponsored by APM Terminals) – Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company (ASRY)
• Environmental Protection Award (sponsored by Rightship) – DP World, London Gateway
• The Training Award (sponsored by Admiralty/UKHO) – NYK
• Shipmaster of the Year Award – Captain Alwin Landry
• Ship of the Year Award (sponsored by Drydocks World) – Oasis of the Seas from STX Finland Oy
• Company of the Year Award – Sovcomflot
• Newsmaker of the Year Award (sponsored by Lloyd’s List) – Eivind Kolding, Chief Executive, Maersk Line
• Seafarer Award (sponsored by Lloyd’s Register) – Gregorio Oca, president of the Associated Marine Officers and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines
• Lifetime Achievement Award (sponsored by Lloyd’s List) – Dr Martin Stopford, Clarkson Research Services

[Source: Lloyd's List, Image via VesselTracker]

About The Nautical Institute and Lloyd’s List The Shipmaster of the Year Award 2010

Now in its 9th year, this prestigious award will be presented to a shipmaster nominated by colleagues on board or by the company ashore or by others within the maritime industry. Previous recipients of the Award are Captain Arne Rinnen of the MV Tampa, Captain Ahmed Zubair MNI of the Maldive Islands, Commodore Ron Warwick FNI of the RMS Queen Mary 2, Captain Ken Owen MNI lately of NOL/APL, Captain Jan Iversen of CMA CGM, Captain Youvraj Kapoor of B+H Equimar, Singapore, Captain Alistair McFadyen of P&O Ferries, and Captain Richard Phillips of Maersk Line. Each had displayed exemplary professional conduct, in the year in question and usually throughout their respective careers.

[Via: The Nautical Institute]

When consumers get cornered into buying from one supplier, they’re gonna get soaked, then pissed

By Ryan Skinner (email)

Through my work, I’ve become intimately acquainted with what feels like a scandal in the making. Right now, it’s only a big deal in the small hydrographic community, but – as mandatory ECDIS drives more attention to the market – it may explode into headlines.

The gist is this: Mandatory ECDIS will require shipowners to get ENCs (the official Electronic Navigational Charts proscribed by the IMO and IHO), or risk port state detention. Contrary to its own intentions to make ENCs widely available to a non-profit, central and independent organisation, the UKHO is withholding hundreds of ENCs. They’ve basically betrayed their multilateral intentions and gone bilateral, using governmental muscle. Think this will be good for competition or good for shipowners in the long run? Doubt it.

It didn’t have to be like this. A principle called WEND stated that hydrographic offices would make all ENCs available through non-commercial entities called RENCs (Regional ENC coordinating centres). Today, there are two: the Primar RENC in Norway and the UK’s IC-ENC; the UKHO actually runs the latter. These non-profit entities make the full database of ENCs available to distributors.

The beauty of the RENCs is this: They provide a quality-controlled and professional channel for hydrographic offices to make charts available to the market. Without RENCs, shipowners and distributors would need to patch together dozens of agreements with individual hydrographic offices. Most hydrographic offices, distributors and owners are not prepared for the complications such a situation would create.

Thus it’s disturbing that the UKHO has quietly neglected to make hundreds of ENCs available to the RENCs. On the face of it, this is a cynical play to grab as much market share as possible, based on access to charts. Both hydrographic offices and distributors have complained that this move compromises safety and innovation. As one insider so eloquently put it: “Chart suppliers should not compete on access to charts, but on the price, the service and the value they add to delivery.”

This issue pops up frequently within the hydrographic community, most recently at Digital Ship Oslo and in the ECDIS Yahoo! group. Usually, the ENC distributor community, some of the savvier owners and operators and some hydrographic offices express a great amount of consternation; the UKHO stays mum. Then, nothing happens. It’s a fait accompli.

Why has the UKHO ventured into these murky waters? The UKHO possesses two conflicting missions, one as governmental regulator and another as market actor. Unfortunately, the latter role, which is exposed to competition, is leveraging the former, which is granted by the queen. The result bends any definition of fairness.

Anyone doubting the UKHO’s profit motives need only go to their own web-site. I quote their vision: “To become the world leader in the supply of digital hydrographic information and services.” Sounds like Google, right? But these guys are supposed to be the government…

Time will tell if the UKHO’s move blows up in their face. As more and more shipowners scrutinise this market, they will start screaming. After all, we all know what monopolies do to prices, and if there’s anyone in the world who’s price conscious it’s shipowners.

For more on the WEND principles, see the IHO web-site here.

For the IC-ENC co-operation agreement (establishing a RENC), see this page.

For an example of how the UKHO is using exclusive ENC access to win market share, see this story.

[via 59° 56' N]

Rather today’s captain faces an onslaught of emails, sat calls and other forms of nuisance from managers who don’t understand the simple formula Distance / Max Speed = We Just Can’t Get There Any Faster! But while most of us can only dream of turning off the ECDIS to point the bow by stars, we can live vicariously through the sea stories of Max Hardberger, captain for hire.

From the cold war docks of Vladivostok to the cool breeze of Trinidad, Max steals ships from ports most wouldn’t volunteer to visit, then sails through storms and scalawags to deliver them back to a rightful owner. And with a spirit unique to American Mariners he implements Red Hand epoxy, Smith & Wessons, cheater pipes and whatever else it takes, to get the job done.

So while you stand in boredom on the Bridge or ECR, staring at computer screens and email messages that make you want to take the old man’s gun to your head… Instead pick up a copy of Seized and step into Max’s shoes. The book sometimes frustrates with a lack of the gritty detail aboard ship and, occasionally, too much detail ashore, but mostly it’s a fun story of true adventure.

You can visit Max’s official website at www.maxhardberger.com and purchase a copy of his latest book Seized – A Sea Captain’s Adventures Battling Scoundrels and Pirates While Recovering Stolen Ships in the World’s Most Troubled Waters – at Amazon.com.

Link to Podcast:

Weekly Leader Podcast 60 | Captain John Konrad, gCaptain.com on the Deepwater Horizon sinking

This week Peter invited his old maritime podcast partner, Captain John Konrad of gCaptain.com to talk about his life as a drill rig captain and the BP oil spill. Also, Wally Bock’s look at the best leadership on the independent business blogs and some podsafe music. sea-fever.org

When gCaptain interviewed Admiral Thad Allen, then CG Commandant, last year and asked about the increase in the criminalization of mariners, he was quick to lay down the facts that technology, not an increase of investigation, has assisted the USCG in finding mariners guilty of criminal acts. Fair enough but why are mariners being singled out? Businessweek tells us:

Rig Captain May Face Criminal Probe

Curt Kuchta, master of the Deepwater Horizon when it burned and sank to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico in April, has been designated a “party of interest” by a joint U.S. Coast Guard- Interior Department panel probing the catastrophe, said Kyle Schonekas, Kuchta’s lawyer.

Under federal rules, that means Kuchta could be charged if the investigative panel concludes crimes were committed, Schonekas said. Other parties of interest named by the panel include James Harrell, Transocean’s offshore installation manager on the rig, and Douglas Brown, the chief mechanic, according to the panel’s website.

“When you’re designated as a party of interest, it means you’re a target,” Schonekas said in an interview today in Kenner, Louisiana, where the panel is conducting public hearings. “The objectionable thing about this is that they named my client a party of interest after he had already testified.” Continue reading…

gCaptain protested Captain Nguyen’s heated exchanges with the lawyers defending the rights of Captain Kuchta and Jimmy Harrell which increased in intensity to the point of Nguyen threatening to remove the mariner’s legal representation if they continued to voice their objections! Objections grounded in the fact that the late appointment of these individuals as parties of interest has denied rights due to them in the marine safety manual. He even went as far as suggesting the board no longer considered them to be innocent after hearing their testemony.

In breaking news Steve Bertone, the vessel’s Chief Engineer, was listed today, just hours after his investigation, as being added to the party of interest list despite repeated testimony stating his heroic and selfless effort to start the standby generator.

gCaptain has confirmed with sources working inside of Transocean, sources who wish to remain nameless, that the lawyers representing Kuchta, Harrela, and Bertone are all local to New Orleans not due to convenience of there residence but because they are in fact being payed by Transocean. This may explain why Bertone refused to answer certain questions, under the advice of his attorney, even after Nguyen counseled him that failure to respond to certain questions could put into question his competency and ability to perform the duties of Chief Engineer.

gCaptain is deeply upset by Captain Nguyen’s targeting of mariners despite mounting evidence the blowout occurred due to poor decisions made by BP and Transocean management. And we will continue to object, until the licensed mariners in this case are removed from the list of parties of special interest designation or, in the least, shoreside managers & BP managers who made poor decisions and did nothing to directly save the lives of 115 crew-members are added to Nguyen ‘s List.

Unfortunately this is unlikely to happen as marine safety is the only topic the USCG board members have displayed competence in and the MMS (now called the BOEMRE) officials have shown no willingness to assign culpability to drilling managers. The fact remains that todays mariners are actively managed by office personnel and it’s the actions of these personnel that needs to be questioned, not those of the people aboard who may have made mistakes but also made the best of a terrible situation.

gCaptain stands behind the Deepwater Horizon mariners, do you? Post your answer in the comments section below.

-John