Posted: May 12, 2015
Union asks UK government to lead new efforts to cut “appalling” death toll
Nautilus International is calling for the UK to lead a new and concerted drive to end the appalling litany of seafarer fatalities in enclosed spaces. You may remember we did a blog on this a few weeks ago. It can be found by clicking here.
The Union has written to shipping minister |John Hayes following an incident in which two seafarers died in a cargo hold of the Carisbrooke shipping general cargo vessel Sally Ann C in March.
Investigations into the incident – which took place off the coast of West Africa- are underway, but it is known that the chief office and chief engineer died after entering a hold where timber was stowed and the second officer had to be rescued after losing consciousness when he went to the aid of his colleagues.
In a letter to the minister, Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said the case followed a ‘very familiar pattern of one crew member collapsing in an oxygen deficient area, and two more being overcome after entering the space without personal protection equipment in an attempt to rescue their colleagues’.
Mr Dickson said there is evidence to show that more seafarers die or are injured in enclosed spaces than through any other on board work activity.
‘Changes in ship design and operation, the nature of cargoes, the increasing amounts of chemicals being carried, along with reduced manning levels and radical changes in crewing practices are all factors which have driven the increase in such accidents’ he added.
He warned the minister that simply continuing to warn seafarers of the dangers is not sufficient, and he urged the UK to lead European and international efforts to develop fresh approaches to the issue.
Nautilus says mandatory training requirements are needed and IMO rules should ensure that all ships are equipped with oxygen to ensure crew can test the atmosphere in enclosed spaces.
‘Better consideration should be given during the design and build stages to address some of the inherent risks – and the arrangements for rescue in particular’ Mr Dickson added. ‘We believe that requirements for oxygen meters to be positioned at the entrance to enclosed spaces would reinforce to seafarers the potential risks that they face, as well as providing ready access to information about the state of such spaces’.
The Union is also calling for improvements to secure a much better standard of risk assessments – moving away from a generic assessment to one that addresses particular hazards or design features associated with each individual enclosed space.
‘The tragic accidents in the enclosed spaces have resulted in a spate of investigation reports and resulting recommendations, as well as a steady flow of material to reinforce the precautions that should be taken’ Mr Dickinson told the minister. ‘However, the continued death toll should surely tell us that something is wrong with this approach. I hope you can support our aim to deliver innovative thinking to address the situation and to find improved ways of tackling some of the fundamental problems. We really cannot afford to continue witnessing the shocking scale of fatalities that blight the industry’.
Three dock workers died in the Belgian port of Antwerp last month after entering the hold of a Hong Kong flagged general cargo ship to unload coal.
International Transport Workers’ Federation president Paddy Crumlin commented “Antwerp is a port where health and safety is taken very seriously, and, like the three men’s trade unions, we are confident that a full investigation will take place into what happened and how any resulting lessons can be implemented”.
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Posted: May 8, 2015
SEFtec NMCI Offshore (SNO) are delighted to announce that they have gained full membership with The International Association for Safety and Survival Training (IASST).
So who are The IASST?
The International Association for Safety and Survival Training was founded in 1980 by a group of major safety training providers whose aim was to enhance the quality of emergency response training by encouraging an interchange of knowledge and experience between training providers on a global basis. Since those early days, the membership has expanded dramatically into a truly international organisation with worldwide representation.
Within the Association there is a wide variety of expertise, which encompasses universities, nautical colleges and scientific institutions, as well as both privately and publicly owned safety training schools, professional organisations and manufacturers of all types of safety equipment.
We made the cut…
SNO officially made the list to become a full member this week and we couldn’t be more delighted. It is a privilege for us to be ranked among the top training centres in the world and to be part of an international organization whose mission is: “To facilitate the exchange of information on matters relating to safety in the maritime environment and to promote continuous improvement in safety and survival training internationally. The IASST aims to improve safety and survival training by sharing of best practice information between its members.”
Being part of this organization will enable us to further develop and strengthen our roots on an international level. Check out our membership information over here.
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Posted: April 28, 2015
NMCI Services will be running a Designated Security Duties Course on May 11th at the National Maritime College of Ireland in Ringaskiddy. This course is STCW Compliant and runs over the course of 1 day. Delegates are advised that spaces are limited and we would recommend booking early. You can book your place by clicking here.
Our location is what sets us apart from our competitors. With great connectivity to Europe we are an ideal location for delegates from Ireland, the U.K. and further afield. With no VAT on training on Ireland why not let NMCI Services be your first port of call for all your training needs.
Want further information on who we are? Why not check out our website here, or even have a look at some testimonials from delegates who have completed courses with us before. Just in case you still want some more information then why not give us a call on +353 21 4335609.
Prerequisite for this course;
Serving Seafarers
It is intended that those attending this course will be serving seafarers that are likely to be designated with security duties in connection with the Ship Security Plan. Serving seafarers in this case would be currently serving at sea, or persons who would have their qualifications other than security training ‘in-date’.
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Posted:
Where better to complete your training than at NMCI, Europe’s leading maritime college. With a $100 million dollar state of the art facility located only 1 mile from Cork Harbour,and with great connectivity to Europe, NMCI Services should be your first port of call.
And lest we forget to mention that there is no VAT on training in Ireland so we should definitely be top of mind for all your training needs. If you are still unsure then why not look at some testimonials from delegates who completed training with us here.
So, to cut a long story short we are delighted to announce that NMCI Services are offering a scheduled High Voltage (Management) Training Course, May 25th – 29th.
High Voltage Management Course
As the High Voltage (Management) course is a commercial course, it is available to book online at the following link: High Voltage (M). Once you have registered and paid online you will appear on the course participants list. Unfortunately, we cannot accept provisional course booking requests as there are limited places available. The course cost is €1,200 per delegate.
This course is suitable for marine engineering officers, electrical or electro-technical officers, engineer surveyors and marine superintendents. The training gives seafarers the essential education and training in high voltage (HV) installations to meet the Knowledge, Understanding and Proficiency requirements as set out in STCW 2010 Tables A-III/2 and A-III/6 for electrical, electronic and control systems at the management level.
Course Content
The course consists of a blend of classroom and practical training using dedicated facilities to enable students to achieve the following training outcomes:
- Management of HV operations on board a ship, including familiarisation with HV safety rules, procedures and legislation, knowledge of electrical hazards, and completion of safety records and documentation.
- Understanding the HV system and the maintenance of distribution capability, including operational and safety features, function of protection devices, HV switch room arrangements, analysing the protection of marine distribution systems and practical maintenance.
- Identification of faults within an HV system and reconfiguration of the system to maintain electrical supply, including identification of fault levels and conditions, and compiling and implementing a switching plan to isolate a high voltage distribution fault
The course will commence at 9am Monday May 18th and to ensure a timely start we kindly request all delegates to report to reception no later than 08.45am.
Should you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us at services@nmci.ie and we’d be delighted to assist.
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Posted: April 23, 2015
We are delighted to inform you that the Nautical Institute Ireland Branch Meeting will be taking place here at the National Maritime College of Ireland on Wednesday the 29th April 2015. The branch meeting will run from 1900hrs- 2000hrs
Human Element Presentation by:
- GEMMA INNES-JONES
- LLOYD’S REGISTER HUMAN ELEMENT SPECIALIST
Further details available here: http://www.nautinst.org/en/events/index.cfm/IrelandAGM2015
The notice for the AGM can be found by clicking on this link: Branch AGM Notice 2015
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