Posted: July 8, 2015
A major celebration of Ireland’s ocean wealth will take place this weekend in Ringaskiddy. A two day event, July 10th (Friday) and 11th (Saturday) , is planned for Ringaskiddy and Haulbowline in association with The Marine Institute, the Beaufort Building, the National Maritime College of Ireland, NMCI Services , IMERC and the Irish Naval Service.
The event is an initiative of Ireland’s Integrated Marine Plan – Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth. It will build on the first annual “Our Ocean Wealth Conference” which took place in Dublin Castle last July. The event was attended by over 500 delegates. This year the organisers hope to attract a wider audience over the two day event which will include a conference, marine technology expo, investor events, workshops, a seafood festival, a family fun day, and competitions.
By broadening its scope to include a range of activities open to families as well as businesses and potential investors, the event aims to highlight the social, cultural and economic benefits of Ireland’s marine sector and provide a platform for public engagement with Ireland’s marine resources. With trade fairs, an Oceanic Experience, Mega Yachts and tours of Haulbowline, NMCI & the Beaufort building it’s definitely a date for the diary.
Family Fun?
Saturday, July 11th from 10am – 6pm, is the family fun day where visitors can “Captain” their own ship in the NMCI Simulators, experience the BIM Beaufort Scale Hurricane , tour naval ships, or why not enjoy the RNLI duck race. Other events will include carnival games and seafaring family fun, Irish Naval Service manoeuvres, a magnificant parade of sail with stunning mega yachts, lectures and exhibits on marine life, an appearance by Black John, the Bogus Pirate and all manner of festival entertainment for every age group. For the full program then click here.
Wondering how you can travel to SeaFest?
There will be a ferry service operated by the Naval Service from the Naval Pier in Cobh to Haulbowline on Saturday 11th July from 10am departing every hour until 5pm. Return ferry from Haulbowline to Cobh will leave from 11am departing every hour until 6pm.
For further information regarding this spectacular event keep an eye out on the NMCI Services blog over here where we will keep you updated on developments or why not check out the official conference website by clicking here.
Remember to use the hashtag “#SeaFest” on twitter and to follow them by clicking here.
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Posted: July 6, 2015
World Maritime Day – September 24th 2015
The theme for this year’s IMO World Maritime Day, which will be celebrated in September 2015, is “Maritime Education & Training”. This is very timely since the end of 2015 will see the completion of the next comprehensive update on the worldwide supply and demand for seafarers, the major project which ICS conduct every 5 years in conjunction with BIMCO. The 2015 report should reveal how recruitment and training has been affected since the downturn, during a period in which the size of the world fleet has nevertheless expanded considerably.
The World Maritime Day theme for 2015 is “Maritime education and training”.
The theme was adopted to focus attention on the wider spectrum of maritime education and training, in particular its adequacy and quality, as the bedrock of a safe and secure shipping industry, which needs to preserve the quality, practical skills and competence of qualified human resources, in order to ensure its sustainability.
The 1978 STCW Convention and Code, as amended, set the international benchmark for the training and education of seafarers. While compliance with its standards is essential for serving on board ships, the skills and competence of seafarers, and indeed, the human element ashore, can only be adequately underpinned, updated and maintained through effective maritime education and training.
World Maritime Day will be celebrated at IMO Headquarters on Thursday, 24 September 2015, but other events and activities focusing on maritime education and training will be held throughout the year. Member Governments, the maritime industry and training centres are invited to organize their own events to support the theme. The World Maritime Day Parallel Event will be held in Japan on 20 and 21 July 2015 (Please click here for the Parallel Event website).
Join the campaign with NMCI Services using ” #NMCIS #WorldMaritimeDay “on twitter
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In August 2014, full Port State Control enforcement commenced for the International Labour Organization (ILO) Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), following its entry into force a year earlier. The new regime of global employment standards for seafarers is thus being implemented and enforced worldwide, including those ships that might be registered with flags not amongst those 65 nations that have already ratified this important convention.
As with IMO Conventions, the ILO MLC is an organic document. Now that the MLC has entered into force it can be subject to further change. In April 2014, the first such amendments, concerning arrangements to ensure the payment in wages in situations such as a shipping company going bankrupt, were adopted by an ILO Special Tripartite Committee in Geneva at which ICS co-ordinated the Employers Group. These amendments are expected to be fully implemented by 2017. The Special Tripartite Committee is expected to meet again in Geneva, in early 2016, in order to review implementation of the MLC by governments, based on the reports which they are required to submit under the convention.
In October 2014, ICS also represented ship-owners at a meeting with unions and governments that adopted new ILO Guidelines on Seafarers’ Occupational Health & Safety, to help governments implements the relevant provisions of the MLC.
ICS was one of the ILO Social Partners that helped to negotiate the text of the MLC with governments and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). ICS is therefore committed to helping to ensure that the MLC is properly implemented, in order to deliver the ‘level playing field’ of decent working conditions that ship owners need to compete fairly.
Most of the standards in the MLC are already contained in various other ILO maritime regulations and recommendations which the MLC replaces, and are therefore presenting few major challenges for most responsible shipping companies. However, the issuance of flag state certification is new, as in the involvement of classification societies in the inspection of labour standards, with any flag states choosing to delegate their new responsibilities to Recognised Organisations.
Also new are many of the documentary procedures that shipping companies are now required to follow in order to demonstrate on-going compliance. In particular, ships must now prepare and maintain a Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance (DMLC) that is attached to the Maritime Labour Certificate.
ICS efforts continue to be focused on explaining the obligations of shipping companies, primarily through the ISF Guidelines on the Application of the MLC, which have sold around 15,000 copies. Whilst there are similarities with the IMO International Safety Management (ISM) Code, there are also important differences.
Particularly important is the advice that ICS has developed concerning the preparation of the DMLC Part II. An important function of the Declaration is to set out where evidence of continuous compliance with the MLC can be found on board the ship. This includes records of measures that have been taken, and the procedures to be followed in the event that potential non-compliance has been identified, for example an individual seafarer being found to have had insufficient rest. ICS is therefore advocating a model that is intended to be concise but comprehensive. Given that declaration will be subject to careful scrutiny by MLC inspectors acting on behalf of governments, it is important for companies and ships’ officers to invest time and effort in its preparation and maintenance.
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Posted:
Today we were delighted to welcome crew members from “Meangadh Fíbín” who are currently filming a new series called “Is Eolaí Mé” for TG4 which is scheduled to be aired in January 2016. The series, “Is Eolaí Mé” (I’m a scientist) , looks at the various aspects of science, technology and the maritime sector. To date the crew have filmed in a recycling centre, on the Celtic Voyager, the National Maritime College of Ireland and have a busy schedule lined up for the coming weeks before going to the studio back in Galway in September to edit.
Peadar, the show’s presenter, was introduced to the life of a mariner this morning at the NMCI as he donned gear and experienced our environmental pool (Check out the environmental pool facilities below). Peadar was filmed in stormy conditions in one of our life rafts.
Once the crew arrived on site, they began filming outside the college where Peadar spoke about the college facilities, the ever changing weather in Ireland and how many professions are reliant on the weather e.g. Mariners . Once this scene had been shot the crew moved up to the pool area where Peadar was getting ready to experience the “Stormy” weather conditions. The film crew took several shots and even used a Go Pro Camera & Drone to film some scenes. Two of our instructors, Elizabeth & Cillian, were with the film crew this morning alongside our Senior SNO Instructor Terry O’Brien. Safety is paramount during any training exercise and even during filming the safety of delegates is paramount. Check out some of the behind the scenes pictures below which were taken this morning.
Coiméad súil amach ar an laethanach seo le haghaidh tuilleadh eolas faoin sraith nua a bheadh ag teacht amach i mí Éanáir 2016. We had to put in some Gaeilge there as the show will be as Gaeilge . Keep an eye out on our page here for further information on the new tv series which is due to be aired in January 2016.
Our “Sea Survival Pool” is 20m x 8m indoor pool where the temperature is maintained at 21oC. It has a depth of 5m at its deepest end which extends for 7.5m and a depth of 2.5m at the shallow end. The environmental conditions which can be created include :
- Wave generator with variable setting
- Wind generated by large fans
- Rain sprinkler system
- Thunder and lightning using strobe lights and audio effects
- Day and night capability
Equipment and facilities at the environmental pool include :
- A dive tank (8m deep, 4m diameter) for training divers in underwater burning and welding
- Helicopter Underwater Escape Trainer (HUET) for ditched helicopter evacuation training
- Marine evacuation system (MES) including landing platform
- A large variety of inflatable life rafts and associated equipment
- Jumping platforms at 1, 2, 4 and 6 metre heights
- A comprehensive selection of dry suits, wetsuits, life jackets and PFD’s
- Pool side safety equipment
- Numerous survival equipment display boards
- Life raft repair room
- Divers workshop
- Changing rooms with showers, lockers and WC’s
- Disabled changing facilities
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